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OrpheAlice is the het ship between "Orpheus" Blanche and Alice DeRoss from the Identity V fandom.
Canon[]
Based on the backstory, Orpheus’s father worked for the DeRoss family, known for their role as Forest Rangers. Alice DeRoss, a journalist, is the daughter of Dennis DeRoss and grew up alongside Orpheus. When they were young children, they spent much of their time playing games together, with Orpheus always eager to share a new story. The two children enjoyed exploring the dark woods, where Bane worked as a gamekeeper.
Tragically, on Orpheus’s ninth birthday, April 2nd, his father betrayed and murdered the DeRoss family with the help of a mob, hoping to gain enough money to treat his wife’s illness. Unfortunately, he took her to one of the worst medical facilities (WSSA, SHH), and in the end, Orpheus’s mother succumbed to her illness and died. This left Orpheus an angry orphan filled with self-hatred, blaming himself for the deaths of the DeRoss family and the loss of Alice, while feeling powerless to exact revenge on the deceased Forest Ranger. Meanwhile, Alice was sent to an orphanage.
At the age of 16, Orpheus attempted to visit Alice, who was now 12 and had spent seven years at Myles Orphanage. However, his visit was rejected. Determined not to give up, he decided to become one of the doctors there to look after Alice, eventually helping her escape. A year later, a medical professor secretly adopted Alice and brought her to Melbourne to continue her treatment.
During this time, a series of games began that lasted for about six more years. At just 18 years old, Orpheus likely became one of the masterminds behind these games. Now an adult, he hired an agency to investigate the murder case from 1887, which involved a "loan transaction" that was essentially a contract between the Forest Ranger and a secret third party. It is semi-confirmed that both of Orpheus’s biological parents died. By the age of 21, Alice left Melbourne for England, working as a journalist to uncover her past. She returned to the manor that had once been her home, before the tragedy that befell her parents. This reunion marked the first time Orpheus and Alice saw each other in years, but their time together was brief.
The games concluded in the year Orpheus burned down the manor. During TOR, while still a novelist, Orpheus drank something that helped him “rebuild” memories he had forgotten due to the trauma from the manor games. This included the possibility that Alice could be his wife, a detail that remains unknown to him at the time. He also envisioned a daughter who resembled her childhood self, named Memory. In essence, Orpheus assumed that this child had similarities to his wife, who was also his childhood best friend. Memory is largely a product of Orpheus’s imagination, symbolizing the childhood memories he lost. The person who provided him with that drink is implied to be Nightmare.
At the age of 34, Orpheus, now a detective ten years later, returns to the destroyed manor in search of a girl who is implied to be Memory. In AOM, Orpheus and Alice do not recognize each other and behave like strangers, but they gradually begin to understand their connection. In a scene where Alice is drugged while attempting to open the gates, it appears that Orpheus is responsible, as indicated by his sleeves, gloves, and pants. There is also a theory that Orpheus tries to keep Alice safe, which leads him to kidnap Frederick and strike a deal with Melly and Norton for money.
In their crossover costumes, NetEase made some interesting choices. For example, in the Danganronpa crossover, they based the costumes on Orpheus and Alice's relationship. Orpheus is styled as Shuichi Saihara, who has crush on Kaede Akamatsu which is depicted as Alice. They also share matching animations in Identity V, where Kaede catches Shuichi’s hat and returns it to him. In the Fei Ran Zai crossover, NetEase chose to reflect their relationship in the accessories; they created Xiao Yu as a Limited A-Tier Costume for Alice DeRoss, while the accessory, representing young Orpheus, is Jin Chan. In summary, they are childhood friends who have become rivals.
Most importantly, Memory has an S-tier costume inspired by Eurydice. Identity V draws from the story of Orpheus and Eurydice for its depiction of Orpheus and Alice, subverting the traditional romance narrative while still serving as a love letter to this tragic myth. It is noted that Baron DeRoss named the manor "Eurydice" (in honor of his "Orpheus"), reflecting the role Alice played during their childhood as she waited to return "home."
Fanon[]
The ship OrpheAlice has moderate popularity, with plenty of fan art and edits available, especially in the English and Chinese fandoms. Although the Russian fandom tends to interpret them as siblings, their dynamic is explored romantically by many others. This ship often competes with other popular pairings, such as Orphrick, Alimelly, and Nortpheus.
The origins of this ship go back to Orpheus and Alice’s childhood, when they were best friends despite their four-year age difference. However, their friendship turned tragic when Orpheus’s family was responsible for the deaths of Alice’s parents. In the second part of AOM, Orpheus recounts a story that aligns with Alice’s backstory, adding layers to their complex relationship.
There is also a theory suggesting that Alice might be Orpheus’s wife, as she bears a striking resemblance to her. While this theory is unconfirmed, some official artwork does depict Orpheus and Alice together, fueling fan speculation even further.
Gallery[]
In-Game[]
Official art[]
Fan Art[]
Fandom[]
FAN FICTION
- Alice DeRoss/Orpheus tag on AO3
- Alice DeRoss & Orpheus tag on AO3
FANART
- OrpheAlice hashtag on Instagram
- OrphAlice hashtag on Instagram
TUMBLR
- OrpheAlice tag on Tumblr
- OrphAlice tag on Tumblr
- OrphyAlice tag on Tumblr
- Alipheus tag on Tumblr
- OrpheAlice hashtag on Twitter
- OrphAlice hashtag on Twitter
- Orphelice hashtag on Twitter
- Orphlice hashtag on Twitter
- OrphyAlice hashtag on Twitter
- Alipheus hashtag on Twitter
- オルアリ hashtag on Twitter
- 说记 hashtag on Twitter
- 记说 hashtag on Twitter
Trivia[]
- In the backstory text for the Banquet essence (also known as TOR essence), Orpheus and Alice are referred to as 青梅竹馬 (qingmei zhuma), which translates to "childhood sweethearts."
- On X (formerly Twitter), Identity V used a childhood love poem for Alice's artwork and also reposted fan art featuring Orpheus and Alice together.
- Orpheus is deeply fixated on Alice, often referring to her as "Lamb." He connects this to various images of lambs and acknowledges one of her identities as "Eury Lamb," which may relate to a nobleman named Lamb mentioned in Jose's letter.
- Orpheus creates drugs and medicine to help others escape painful realities, while Alice uses her own medicine to awaken everyone with reminders of that painful reality.
- The Orphalice ship reached 3,000 posts right on Valentine's Day.
- Orpheus and Alice rank among the top 50 ships in Identity V.
- Lang Lang described Alice as "the only light in Orpheus' nightmare."
- According to the beta story, Orpheus was also sent to an asylum.
- The MV director commented that Orpheus represents both the hope that Alice's childhood friend will appear when she needs him and the despair that he will slowly fade into memory as she waits for his response.
- Both characters are protagonists in their respective stories: Orpheus in "Time of Reunion" and Alice in "Ashes of Memory."
[]
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| Identity V Ships • Identity V Characters | ||
| SHIPS | het | Adamil • GanjiAnne • Kevpat • Ithagrace • NortVera • OrpheAlice |
| slash | Aesvic • Edluca • Elisop • JosCarl • Tonton | |
| femslash | Adaemily • EmmaEmi • MarthaVera • MichiMary | |