Entomologist/Lore

—Anniversary Tales Collection Booklet

Minor:

* Anna Ndlovu
* Joshua Plinius

**Melly Plinius** (or in some translations, **Melly Pliny**), also known as the **Entomologist**, is one of the **43** playable Survivors added to Identity V.

This page is a compilation of lore and story content for this character.

## Backstory

### Character Introduction

Melly Plinius, the Entomologist, has always been a prominent figure in the biology field, partly due to her background. She started off as a poor manor servant before marrying the owner. After he died, she inherited her husband's wealth and became a rising star in the biology field. Such a humble success story never fails to gain attention, especially when she holds a unique perspective in the study of insects, the Pterygota in particular. She seems to possess the ability to maneuver the tiny insects, gaining a deeper understanding of their activities. There are even more rumors about her appearance, for she seldom makes an appearance in public. Her passion lies in the search for peculiar insects, spending her time roaming in dense forests, swamps, and wilderness, rather than attending those pretentious symposiums. In the few times that she did make a public appearance, she always wore an exaggerated gauze hat. Some say she's too ugly to show her face while others say she's so beautiful that she didn't want people to focus on her beauty instead of her research.

### Character Relations Menu

Melly Plinius, the Entomologist, has always been an exciting figure among researchers, partly due to her talent. She started off as a poor servant of a manor before becoming its mistress. She then inherited her husband’s wealth and became a rising star in the biology community. Such a humble success story never fails to gain attention, especially when she has a unique point of view in the study of entomology, the Pterygota in particular. She seems to possess the ability to maneuver the tiny insects to study their activities. There are even more rumors about her appearance. Melly seldom makes an appearance in public. Her passion lies in the search for peculiar insects while roaming in dense forests, swamps, and wilderness rather than those pretentious symposiums. In the few times that she did make a public appearance, she always wore an exaggerated gauze hat. Some said she’s too ugly to show her face, while others said she’s so beautiful that she didn’t want people to focus on her beauty instead of her research.

### Character Trailer Description

"I gave up the flashy appearances and chose to be born again"

### Character Trailer

Identity V - Entomologist - Background StoryEntomologist's Background Story
#### Trailer Transcript

*It's funny how I used to think those stupid illusions were real*

*Yet everything fell apart along with the world's clamor*

*I gave up the flashy appearances and chose to be born again*

*To explore the little creatures that really came to my assistance*

*I'll go into the forest or even the wilderness*

*That's where true wisdom is hidden*

*And I will become their commander*

## Deduction Quests

*All completed Objectives reward the player with +335 Logic points for the Logic Path. After the character's deductions are completed, their Worn Clothes will be available.*

### Deduction Summaries

These summaries are found in the Character Relations menu, which can only be obtained by completing the certain Deduction Quests.

***Deduction 1: Stability***

Melly Plinius was once married to a man.

***Deduction 2: Obligate Parasite***

They eventually drifted apart and separated.

***Deduction 3: Oviparity***

After a horrible accident, Melly finally broke free of the failed marriage.

## Letters

This section contains the letters the player receives after completing Melly's Birthday on December 22nd each year. Each is removed from the player's mailbox in a week, but can still be accessed from the deduction quest menu.

* 2021
* 2022
* 2023

## Lore Connections

### Mentioned NPC's

* Anna Ndlovu
* Joshua Plinius

### A Letter Home (2021)

My Darling,

Your father and I have been waiting anxiously for whatever you can spare this month, and we hope that you can also send along a word or two as you did before. We are all worried about you.

The villagers said that you must've been unhappy because we placed such pressure on you and called you an "old maiden," but I cannot remember a single time anything ever caused you to become upset, ever since you were a child. You know that your father and I have never set foot outside the village... We just hope that you can marry well. The other girls who work as maids in the manor like you all said that they'd never dare to dream of even marrying a butler.

Your reply came as a fright to your father and me. You said you would marry the lord of the manor—you said that you would sneak into his study every night to read about insects until the wee hours so you'd have something to talk to him about. This confused your father and me. We had always heard that a good woman who could do all of the housework, manage the manor well, or who came from a good family would become the lady of the manor. We don't understand why knowing about insects might be of any use. In fact, we're a little worried that you might lose your position due to studying every night and being unable to focus on your work during the day. After all, this job is all we have.

You mentioned in your letter your admiration and affection for your master. You described his personality and talent, but forgive us for not really understanding this so-called talent for insects. There were also many people in the village who knew about insects. They amassed a great deal of experience and knowledge though years of farming. Perhaps we're worrying over nothing, but we still and you to understand that, although we do not have much to offer you, we hope you can live the best life you can, withing your means, and that doesn't mean you have to sacrifice yourself for the sake of marriage.

Your father and I are afraid that if you aim too high, we won't be able to catch you when you fall.

Missing you dearly,

Anna Ndlovu

## Lore Connections

### A Page from a Notebook (2022)

July Investigation Report

Research Objective:

Different species of insects have different biological habits, and insects that otherwise don't interfere with each other can become competitive due to limited resources. The purpose of this experiment was to observe the potential outcomes when different species of insects were placed in the same vessel.

Keywords:

Resources, relationship, manipulation

Reference:

A successful experiment on male praying mantises.

The neural structure of the insect world is counterintuitive, especially for praying mantises, where the nerves in their lower body are in charge of breathing, sensation, and movement, while the brain in their head doesn't have such complex functions. For male praying mantises, they can still control their hind legs even without their heads. When female praying mantises are hungry, they will utilize everything around them to ensure their survival, even devouring the heads of male mantises. Sometimes, the lower half of the male's body is more sensitive when the head is severed, and the head-severing can help male praying mantises with mating difficulties.

Experiment Subjects:

1. Pterygota - Dictyoptera - Phasmids: Masters of camouflage

Phasmids are the best at camouflage. They can switch to different forms in accordance with the environment and pretend to be a plant so as to fully integrate into the surrounding environment. The camouflage is so well-done that, if one doesn't observe carefully, it is very difficult to detect their true form.Their "camouflage" is not innate. Their biology has a regulatory function to help them learn from the environment and develop self-protective behavior or habits to adapt to major changes in the environment. Although phasmids have developed a peculiar camouflage survival behavior and are more skilled than other insects, their camouflage is so perfect that they have confused themselves even before they manage to confuse their enemies.

2. Pterygota - Lepidoptera - Moths

Both butterflies and moths go through the three stages of egg, larva and chrysalis, yet it is only after the cocoon is broken that one will know it's a moth and not a butterfly.

Moths are phototropic, and when they dive into danger, they seem to be unaware that they are facing death. Light a fire, wait for them to approach the light source, and observe whether they will really dive into the flame.

3. Pterygota - Coleoptera - Click beetles: Underground workers

As insects that live underground all year round, they are used to the dark environment and are senior "underground workers." Even if their actions are covert, they are nevertheless greedy. If we provide a little "temptation" — gently sprinkling a circle of powder on the surface of the soil — when their head emerge from the ground, will they know that it is poison and not food?

Procedure:

(This part is covered in black ink.)

Conclusion:

Insects will eat each other in treacherous conditions.

An unsent note is clipped onto this page of the notebook.

Miss DeRoss,

Our eyes are covered by a thin veil, making hideous faces soft and kind faces horrifying.

We can't remove the veil, and the mist completely shrouds the moonlight. Even if the way ahead is unclear, please remember what we came here for.

## Lore Connections

### Mentioned Playable Characters

* Alice DeRoss
* Orpheus
* Norton Campbell

### An Investigation Record (2023)

...

The first time I came across the name Melly Plinius was in a report on Mediterranean ecological research by Joshua Plinius. As Mr. Plinius' partner and assistant, she received a page-long opportunity to introduce herself in the 80-page interview. A total of five questions, three about Mr. Plinius' interests and habits, one about her passion in life as the wife of a great scholar. And the final question was about her work, or to be more precise, it was about her work as Mr. Plinius' assistant.

Words may not be able to describe a person accurately, especially when it's a short article, but at least in that interview, Mrs. Plinius seemed very uneasy, dodgy, and unwilling to say much, just like the "dependents" of many great scholars.

However, in the final question, her love for the bee species showed—A love that was non-research in nature—it was more primitive, more agricultural, and full of vitality.

But the image created by these five questions was vastly different from the Melly Plinius I met at the manor.

After spending many days with her, I realized that Mrs. Plinius was not good with words, but her calmness and confidence shined when we spoke about her research. When we spoke about her past, she would display a rational, sharp, and vigilant attitude—So rational that it was like she was speaking about the life of another, and when we broached a sensitive topic, she would avoid or counterattack in response.

It's not difficult to guess the reason for this. After all, the popularity enjoyed by the tabloid, Queen Bee, which has been in print for more than half a year, far exceeds the research papers she has published in academic journals. So, since she was able to survive that storm of public opinion, she is either the most vigilant seabird or the most decisive sailor.

This is no shelter, and the remaining storm clouds linger here after the storm. Like the rumors said, she rejected my interview but did not refuse to "get to know each other as friends." From this, I learned she knew Mr. Orpheus for many years before coming to the manor and was full of praise toward him.

However, unlike the rational and objective evaluation of herself, these words of praise seemed quite ironic indeed. But as old acquaintances, she did not form a strong alliance with Mr. Orpheus in the manor—At least it didn't seem that way for now. Conversely, in my opinion, Mrs. Plinius' fear and vigilance toward Mr. Orpheus even exceeds the fear and vigilance she displays towards Norton Campbell—Even if she repeatedly reminded me to be wary of Mr. Campbell.

Perhaps, in her opinion, the malice of the past is more dangerous than the danger awaiting in the future.
But maybe it doesn't only apply to her.

### Letter Summaries

These summaries are found in the Character Relations menu after the letter has been received.

***A Letter Home***

The parent's letter shows great concern for the life of their daughter, Melly.

### Rewards

Every letter comes with 30 Fragments, and depending on how many years the player has participated and completed the Birthday Event would determine which letter they receive and the extra reward.

* If this is the first time the player has completed the event, they would get a portrait for the character and the 2021 letter.
* If this is the second time the player has completed the event, they would get a portrait frame and the 2022 letter.
* If this is the third time the player has completed the event, they would get a dynamic graffiti and the 2023 letter.

2021 Portrait2022 Portrait Frame2023 Dynamic Graffiti
## Character Resources

The additional in-game and external documents for this character include:

* Character Relations
* Quotes & Media
* Event Appearances
* Mentions

The Character Relations menu shows how certain characters are connected and how they feel about each other. It also contains other personal information on characters that cannot be found anywhere else. It can be found in the Notebook, under the "Clues" tab. Entomologist’s connections to other characters are as follows:

* As "Fool's Gold"
* As Journalist
* As "Nightmare"

### Birthday Questions

*Only the questions and answers relating to her backstory were included here. The other questions not listed relate to gameplay.*

* 2021 Birthday questions:
	+ Question 4: *"After getting married, what did Melly eat for an extended amount of time?"* Answer: *"Sleeping Pills"*
	+ Question 5: *"Where did Melly live after she married her husband?"* Answer: *"In a forest where she could conduct research"*
* 2022 Birthday questions:
	+ Question 4: *"Which of the following document did Melly receive?"* Answer: *"A legal separation agreement issued by the church court"*
	+ Question 5: *"Melly has a unique perception of which field of biological research?*" Answer: *"Pterygota"*

### Quotations

* Deduction Star 2021 quotes:
	+ *"I'd rather rely on myself than asking for help. I'll turn myself into a weapon."*
	+ *"Instead of my face underneath this gauze hat, I wish you'd be impressed by my abilities."*
	+ *"Most coincidences aren't really coincidences. The same goes for accidents."*
* Valentine's Day 2023 Cards:
	+ *"Who hasn't dreamed of pure and flawless love? But their beauty is fragile, like the wings of a butterfly. However, I still sincerely pray that you will find even more pure and flawless love than me during this beautiful holiday."*
	+ *"Birds have beautiful wings, but they are hunters of insects. Beautiful creatures are always busy killing each other, but I'm very fortunate to have met you at this moment."*
* 5th Anniversary Congratulatory Video quote:
	+ *"Thank you for inviting me. I haven't attended to such a great and amazing party for a long time. I feel some nostalgia for this jolly time. Please take my benediction. Happy birthday."*

### Japanese Twitter Replies

Please press "Expand" to see in-character replies from the official Japanese Twitter.

**Entomologist** has been mentioned in the following documents for other characters:

### Letters

* Prospector/"Fool's Gold"'s Letter (2022)

## Canon Manor Game

We can gather who was in a canon Manor Game together by information in Letters and Diaries, and very occasionally from character quotes during events.

**Game Location: Darkwoods**

**Date: July 15th**
 "Fool's Gold" | Norton Campbell (Prospector)
 Unknown | Melly Pliny (Entomologist)

Edits to this table can be made here.

## Compiled Overview

The following section contains an overview based on canon information.Please note that some information may be missing as it may not have been provided from official sources. See the given references for further information.
Melly Plinius was a poor manor servant, but became richer when she married the owner, Joshua Plinius. They were happy together, but for an unknown reason they became unhappy. Melly reported feeling emptier after this, and days later her ex-husband was reported "mysteriously missing." Some speculate she killed him, but afterwards she inherited his money and used it to study insects more. She became a respected figure in entomology, and she studied primarily flying insects (Pterygota). Having a scar on her face and not meaning to make anyone focus on her appearance rather than her studies, she began to wear a gauze hat and a mask, and she was mostly seen studying insects in the woods rather than in a lab. Complimented by the fact that she was seldom seen in public and her face was always covered, she was often seen as mysterious by those around her. With her unique ability to manipulate the insects around her like magic, she was invited to Oletus Manor. She accepted due to the luxurious rewards promised, needing more money to continue her studies.

### Alternate Theories and Conclusions

The below article or section(s) contains speculation, analysis, or theories which may include unconfirmed information.When adding content, use references to link or explain **legitimate/official** supportive evidence for specific theories, otherwise it may be removed.
* Some theorize that her husband was caught cheating on her, got tired of her,or that he was abusive towards her, and that is why Melly might've divorced him.
* While it is speculated that her husband may have been abusive towards her due to the fact that there is a scar on her face, at the same time, the scar might have been caused by a bee sting as well.
	+ According to a Q&A session, Melly's mark is said to a port-wine birthmark.

## Gallery

IdentityV - Go HuntingDear Detectives, predator or prey, you decide... Hunt or prepare to be hunted! Hold on tight and seek refuge!
## References

1. ↑ See Time of Reunion.
2. ↑ Backstory from the official Identity V website - https://idv.163.com/character/index.html
3. ↑ Entomologist's Character Trailer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHVgMk9RPYQ
4. ↑ Note that both alternate options for each character relation are offered in the table, as the game has not clarified which option is "correct."
5. ↑ Translation by @IdentityV\_\_Sub.
6. ↑ Hinted by her 3rd Deduction, "Principle of Individuality," where a man, likely him, states that he's "disgusted by how she's stuck in her own ways."
7. ↑ Hinted again by the quote in her 3rd Deduction, "Principle of Individuality:" "If the pain doesn’t stop you, it’ll only make you ask for more."
8. ↑ Melly's mark is describes to a birthmark in Chinese - https://weibo.com/6140485374/Mx73CrNp1

### Manor Game Table References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Both Melly and Norton are seen as "monstrous" beings on Orpheus's point of view from the Go Hunting Promotional Video