I recently had an itch to talk about some things I don’t normally see people in the community talk about when it comes to Ada and Emil. And thus, this post was born. This is naturally not supposed to be an extensive study and is more so here to serve as a conversation starter of sorts.
With that, what are some things about Ada and Emil that I don’t see discussed a lot? Well, let’s see…
“Herztier’s” Magic in the Essence Story
I still can’t believe this is Emil. Already discussed how the artist, juanmo, does a lovely job with this essence trailer.
For those that don’t know the essence story, I will sum it up in brief: Emil and the others have stolen magical vessels from a Forbidden Magic Tower to basically accomplish their own individual goals.
For Emil, his magic is that of the soul. Through physical contact, he can separate a subject’s soul into its human and animal components-erasing one of them-or swap the souls of two different individuals (IDV Fandom Wiki).
This is shown in the GIF above when Emil goes around touching the shoulders of the men watching the dog fighting. In turn, the men, who are honestly subhuman anyway for indulging in such a hobby, end up fighting each other, their shadows resembling beasts.
What I find interesting about Emil’s particular magic is that it is suppose to represent the soul. This got me thinking how it relates to his story. I remembered once, in a nortalice fanfic I wrote centered on the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, I actually had an Adamil cameo where they appear as Eros (Emil) and Psyche (Ada). Eros is the Greek name for Cupid, by the way.
Psyche and Amor or Psyche Receiving Cupid’s First Kiss (1789) by François Gérard.
Anyways, Psyche itself means “soul,” “life,” and “spirit” when translated from Greek. This is where the word psychology gets its name from as the field is literally the study of the psyche or the human mind/consciousness/unconsciousness.
It’s interesting than that Emil is able to wield magic aligned with the very science his wife over there studies. Especially when you take into account how “Herztier’s” kit has traces of Ada, namely in his skill “Mark of Prey” which not only is symbolized using Ada’s whistle, but aurally you hear it as well.
In addition, I also thought of how Emil’s influence in causing the men to fight each other was similar to many people’s idea on how hypnotism works. When one is hypnotize, they are more prone to taking suggestions and orders from the one doing the hypnotism even if they’d normally wouldn’t do whatever is being requested of them.
I won’t get too into it since even saying that about hypnotism can cause division since these days many regard it as a pseudoscience.
Regardless, we all know Ada primarily used hypnotherapy to relieve Emil’s pain and suffering so once again, the parallels to it in “Herztier’s” essence trailer is very intriguing.
A closer look at “Herztier’s” magical vessel. Credit: Official IDV Bilibili.
Returning to his kit, I also want to mention how many have pointed out that Emil, in a way, forces the survivors he targets to “empathize” with him before he can truly injure them through his “Mark of Prey.”
In a way, he is still trying to seek comfort in hearing that whistle of Ada’s, or perhaps upon hearing it, he believes it can lead him to Ada (though this would be a subconscious will as “Herztier’s” memories are more or less submerged in the void of his mind which is overtaken by his bestial instincts).
But what I’m trying to say is, that Ada’s influence has certainly imprinted on Emil in more ways than one. While it’s still a bit too early to tell their exact plans for “Herztier” in regards to Ada as he feels quite cut off from her in some ways, I believe the devs and writers still wish to convey that Ada isn’t completely lost within “Herztier.”
The debut B-tier of “Herztier” is similar to the debut B-tiers of his survivor counterpart and Ada which is something to note.
Also, I do like the whole soul magic thing as a separate thing to Emil’s individual story as it fits his now dual nature of beast and human as a Hunter.
Ada Upending Her Life to be with Emil
Emil’s 2022 Birthday Letter.
Considering the fact that I have heard some believe Ada doesn’t really love Emil and/or just sees him as her perfect test subject, I wanted to dispel that nonsense. This has apparently been something that was believed when they released, which is forgivable since lore was scarce, but I wouldn’t be surprised if some believed that even to today especially among newer players.
I even recently had a conversation about Ada with a streamer who mentioned they became disappointed in Ada for what she did to Emil only cementing the fact there is still misconceptions about her character and her behavior and actions towards Emil.
Besides pushing out the obvious artwork and lore of the lovey dovey couple that has been thrown at us since they dropped (whether you like it or not), I want to talk about how Ada more or less dropped everything to be with this man.
2021 release artwork of “Psychologist” and Patient.
She had a pretty good life in comparison to other women of her time. Not only was she able to successfully break into psychology at a time where many women struggled to break into any sort of STEM field, but she also put her expertise to use by being a professor as well.
In comparison to the journeys of Wendy and Melly, Ada was certainly privileged to be able to do what she loved without too much trouble though once in, she also would face prejudice and lack of respect.
This was due to the fact that her father, Charles Mesmer, was a well-respected psychiatrist in the field and this undoubtedly helped her break into the field.
Yet, when Ada found her “perfect test subject,” she dropped everything. As the letter states above, she resigned from her job as an assistant professor and doctor. I think that’s a fact that is sort of lost on some people. Ada was very blessed in the life she was born into and yet, she tossed that aside for a man who she met at an asylum and fall in love with after just a few days of knowing him.
Not to mention…Emil’s not an easy lover to have. He is whole-heartedly in love with Ada and makes it known over and over, but he is severely unwell. I have always wondered upon reading more of their lore if even Ada had days where she had was reaching her limits in caring for Emil?
I’m not even saying her love for him would diminish in the slightest, but when I hear about those who have had to take care of or be around loved ones with mental illness, there’s only so much they can take before feeling like they’re being run ragged.
Though thankfully, Emil did seem to be fine for most of the 3 years they were together so he probably wasn’t that much of a problem except for the odd day or two.
Not to mention, Ada really believed she would be able to cure him and probably pushed herself to see an Emil who was fully cured, not just to accomplish the ultimate experimental challenge of her life, but to be able to see her precious loved one wholly and completely cured.
Ada’s last words to Emil at the end of “Herztier’s” Character Story Trailer.
And some would still think that Ada would drop Emil after he got better since the experiment/test would be over, but I wouldn’t think so, especially after all the time they spent together.
From the 2021 Christmas Event where Ada agrees to take Emil to France when he has recovered. This image was taken from this Twitter thread on addressing misconceptions about Adamil around the time they first came out. Do give it a read because it’s still relevant today.
I’m really not sure how anyone would get the idea that Ada doesn’t love Emil unless they just don’t pay any attention to their lore. I also realize there are solo fans of the two out there (so those that only like Ada or Emil) and perhaps the more fatigued of them would say or think such a thing after seeing how Ada and Emil are always together though I’m not too sure of that. Still, at least “Herztier” is now here to help ease seeing Emil separate from Ada.
From Emil’s 2023 letter. Emil’s “Ada, this is my third Christmas” shatters my heart every time especially now when I look at “Herztier.” I truly hate it here.
Honestly, Ada could’ve dropped him any time truly. What was Emil going to do? When she saw she couldn’t treat him, she could’ve returned him to the asylum or left him in that little cottage and returned to her life as a professor and doctor.
But she didn’t. People don’t realize how Ada is honestly a really compassionate and thoughtful individual. She has made mistakes and has done things we question, but acting like she’s some terrible person who forced Emil to be with her and even willfully made him into “Herztier” is ludicrous.
Ada’s always been like this, ever since she was young. That rejection by her father left her confused and it’s little things like that which would stick with someone for years. This is shown by Ada’s attitude towards her father (see Emil’s 2022 letter above) and the doctors at the asylum and she had every right to be unimpressed with them.
Ada’s Kit and Her Character
In addition, we should look at her kit as well. Ada uses her whistle to hypnotize teammates which effectively heals them. I find that a nice touch to her character that is somehow overlooked despite the fact we as players often play with or as Ada and experience the vital support she can provide her teammates. She can heal those around her at the expense of her own health.
Her skill for this is literally called “Empathize” which means “To empathize is to understand or relate to someone else’s emotional experience” (Vocabulary.com). Which is interesting since you would think it would be “Sympathize” instead which means that you can feel sad and upset over another person’s experience (usually suffering/pain) but can’t necessarily relate since you’ve not been through what they’ve been through.
Perhaps Ada is somewhat of an empath since naturally there is no way she could completely empathize with Emil’s experience, for example. Yet, it’s clear she is an individual driven by her emotions rather than logic as we see that it was her love for Emil and her determination to cure him that blinded her to the dangers and truths present in Game 0 until it was too late.
In addition, Ada is able to tank three hits before going down unlike other survivors. While this is naturally tied to her “Empathize” skill to make it more fairer to her players to last the match, this also makes Ada a very good sub-rescuer if needed. Personally, I love playing Ada as a rescuer even at the cost of having no kiting talents. This is another aspect of her character that once again can show how meticulously caring and compassionate she can be, if you wish to interpret it that way.
Emil’s Mental Fortitude and Intelligence
From “Herztier’s” EP, “Emil’s Rebirth.” I think it’s honestly one of my favorite EPs. The moment above in GIF form doesn’t do it justice honestly. You need to hear it. This moment is my favorite of the song especially since right before he transforms, you can hear Ada’s whistle.
I hadn’t noticed that before tonight (this is why you wear headphones, kids). It makes me a little sick thinking that the only trace of Ada that Emil seems to remember is the sound of her whistle (both kit-wise and lore-wise it seems).
While Emil did eventually succumb to losing himself to his more bestial nature, he endured so much pain and suffering for years that it’s a wonder he didn’t lose himself sooner.
Because let me list out why it’s truly a wonder of what the human body and mind can suffer through before it breaks down specifically in Emil’s case:
- His mother was known to also suffer from mental attacks of her own and even had to be tied to the bed. It’s possible it’s a genetic thing and Emil inherited more of a propensity towards becoming mentally ill but this will probably never be confirmed.
- He spent his formative years being raised as a dog/beast and this was internalized and something he always carried with him, only fully consuming him after he arrives at Oletus Manor due to the Delphi-produced drugs.
- At White Sand Asylum, he was treated no better, even put into a room called “The Cage,” and subjected to terrible treatments like electroshock therapy and whatever is going on in the GIF below.
He honestly could’ve been way worse or even showed signs of becoming “Herztier” way sooner. Yet, his mental fortitude was better than expected. We know due to his terrible upbringing that he had better pain tolerance than most but I don’t hear people talk much about how mentally strong he is either.
I personally am not the mentally strongest and feel like if I went through even half of what he did, I would break under the weight of a world that simply seemed to wish to see me suffer in misery and pain.
While Emil seemed doomed from the start considering what happens to him, he at the very least showed promise of improvement thanks to Ada. If only she had been able to enter his life sooner, he would possibly have never relapsed (no thanks to Ada’s father).
Yet, it’s difficult to say if he would have permanently remained well. The human mind and body is such an intricate system that we still don’t fully understand to this day. It’s fragile and yet can withstand the incredible at times. For Emil, it’s like his mind was like a spider’s web, thread upon thread meticulously laid out and strong if built with enough volume and weight but easily destroyed if you can’t reach that capacity. And yet, easy to rebuild as long as there’s enough web to go around.
Not sure if my analogy quite worked but I hope you all get what I’m trying to say.
Bonus: Emil’s cameo in Marcus’ Character Trailer. You can see him being dragged away on the left. Marcus does have a connection to Emil as he shows up in Emil’s relationship web. Some theorize Marcus may have helped Emil escape the dog fighting ring, but that remains to be confirmed.
Anyways, in short, let’s give the man credit for lasting so long under such unfair and torturous conditions. I can’t blame him nor misunderstand how he became “Herztier” because it seemed inevitable.
This part of “Herztier’s” trailer sticks with me because I think it was my first time seeing Emil act so violently.
Another thing I wanted to point out is Emil’s intelligence. I talked a bit about how in my analysis post of the two there are some who like to baby Emil and act like he can’t do or even think that much for himself hence why he needs protection and coddling. Yet, as I said before he is able to think just fine for himself, and critically so. Not only that, but he seems to learn fast.
From the 10 Days of Memories Event.
The above is from the recent event that originally dropped 5 years ago and served as a very nice and extensive lore drop to introduce players to Ada and Emil who dropped at the same time as the event. The diary entries written by Emil in the images above are only available if you play his route but it shows just how quickly he managed to learn from his writing mistakes. Ada was a professor before so she definitely would also know how to be patient and teach someone like Emil.
Emil’s “Lover’s Embrace” Emote.
Upon looking at their interactive emotes, it’s quite funny to me that Emil is quite the suave gentleman. I understand Ada more than likely taught him how to show his love physically more so than verbally (though he is quite good right that as well) but it goes to show that he is quick to pick up on these kind of social interactions albeit maybe just with Ada. Though in one of his diary entries above, he mentions how the children refer to him as their friend so not only does that show progress in Emil’s social skills but that he was capable of making friends with others.
From Valentine’s Day Special Project [Diary of Emil] a series of images presented on Twitter. Art by maple_usk.
These were a series of comic images presenting Emil trying his best to figure out what to do for Ada for Valentine’s Day. Players could vote on what Emil should do for the day on Identity V’s Japanese Twitter page and this would influence results. While this may or may not be completely canonical, it still feels very much in line with Emil’s character and personality.
Translation from IDV Fandom Wiki of the panel above:
“Let’s go buy a present.
Even though I was so enthusiastic, I bumped into Ada on the way to go shopping.
Ada looks angry,
She seem worried…
The plan failed because I had to go home.
What should I do tomorrow…”
Emil tries again and ventures out in secret without Ada knowing but unfortunately, he had to turn back almost immediately.
Translation of the above panel once again from the wiki:
“I secretly went out to prepare a present…
I had to turn back in a hurry.
“Emil!”
I can hear Ada’s worried voice.
She’s worried again…
In the end, no gift was given.
What should I do…”
I will now always find this particular comic panel ironic considering now as “Herztier,” Emil would probably chasing that dog right back if not outright hurt it. It’s tragically ironic how things turned out for him and Ada. Speaking of, this leads me to my last point.
Ada and Her Intrinsic Strength
Ada in the Divergence trailer.
I’ve thought about this, but as far as I know, despite Emil having attacks and being as strong as we know he can be, I don’t think he’s ever physically hurt Ada? I could be wrong but I do feel like they’d make that blatant in their lore. Correct me if I’m wrong. If so, another thing to commend him for. It’s honestly weird now seeing Emil hunt Ada down and try to attack her.
Not to mention, if Emil’s condition had worsened to that extent before they even went to the manor, Ada would’ve been more or less alone with a very dangerous Emil. Despite Ada’s toughness, she would not be able to handle Emil I’d bet.
This may be controversial to say (though I think I said similar in my analysis on the couple), but Ada may appear strong and even intimidating (see some of her sprites like the one above in the Christmas event), but she may have to act that way after being in a male-dominated environment for so long. She’s had to be independent for a long time, and couldn’t show weakness as a woman already being looked down on.
Yet, she can definitely have her moments of vulnerability like in the Divergence trailer GIF above when it is clear she is realizing things aren’t going as planned anymore with Emil’s treatment. She can only be the anchor that is holding the two of them together for so long before she falters and shows her own weaknesses.
Since day one, she has practically had to hold her own as there is really no mention of her mother in her lore, so not even a motherly figure in her life to help guide her. Her father was little help and unsupportive of her research within a male-dominated field. Even when she was living a better life with Emil, she still had to be the breadwinner and caregiver who kept the fort down because Emil was incapable of doing all of that. Ada was more or less forced into a more patriarchal role and this is reflected in some of her costumes especially.
Though there’s something to be said, by the way, about the reversal of the traditional roles of man and woman when it comes to Emil and Ada as seen in the costume above (which I like but NEVER see Adas wear). But that’s another ramble for another time.
Yet, not many would put her on the same level as other tomboyish women in the IDV’s character roster like Bryn or Tracy because Ada still maintains a very feminine image regardless of everything she has been through and must do. In that way, I have to commend the writing because I have seen time and time again how easy it is for writers to mess up women who are supposed to be strong and powerful and strip away other qualities to them that make them either feel one dimensional or outright flat and uninteresting (look at some of Disney’s recent female protagonists for example, particularly the live-action ones).
Ada is none of those and yet, it’s a shame so many condemn her without really seeing the intricacies that make her not only a very compelling character even outside of Emil, but someone who is more kind, compassionate, and driven than what she initially appears to be.
But anyways, I’m going on a tangent. Basically, she can be quite vulnerable in her own right and it’s honestly another thing to note that she knew how dangerous Emil could be, but still not only stayed by his side, but either through love or confidence or both, let herself be alone with him (for the most part). Possibly also trusting in Emil and/or herself that he wouldn’t hurt her.
And even if he did, so what? She’d handle it and still love him. Given the chance, she would’ve done the same for Emil even as “Herztier” and continue to shower him with love and care even if he couldn’t quite remember her and the memories they once shared.
Putting this here because I personally really love these fits and they are the first matching costumes I got for them. Plus, it’s lovely artwork of them. Looking forward to seeing their birthday art this year now with “Herztier” as an addition.
