#like ln3 etc

[atthebell]

guys out of pure desperation here's a(n incomplete) list of games that have come out during cellbit's break or are upcoming releases that he'll possibly play/that i want for him to play once he's back, in no particular order and including games i think will be terrible but he'll play anyway:

cryptmaster

slay the princess (i think it still doesn't have an official portuguese translation but there is a fan translation that felps used for his playthrough)

fears to fathom: woodbury getaway

clock tower rewind

decadent

reanimal (looks very little nightmares)

no, i'm not human

zoochosis (he played the demo i'm pretty sure and it was kind of terrible but we'll see if he plays the full release)

hauntii

hollow body

machinika atlas

riven (unless it's only out on vr)

murders on the yangtze river (menace and i played a couple of the bits that were out in english and it's pretty good plus the full eng translation is out now)

escape memoirs: safe house

malware (no way he doesn't play this)

late homework

beyond shadowgate

phoenix springs (obra dinn vibes, extremely detective-y)

farewell north (dog)

asleep - ato 1 (brazilian indie horror game w/female protagonist & pixel art AND he already featured the trailer on the cellbit awards last year)

parallel experiment (cryptic killer sequel-- would love for him and roier to play this once it releases)

staffer case

until then

neva (devs who made gris which he ADORED)

edge of sanity

homicipher

rise of the golden idol (follow up to case of the golden idol, one of his fave games)

[chibimui]

The Apothecary Diaries LN4 Thoughts: Prologue-ch4

(Previous LN: Vol 1 - Vol 2 - Vol 3)

We have started LN4!!! I don't really remember the first half of this novel that much so re-reading it again has been interesting.

I don't have much to say as an intro, so let's just get into it!

(Warning: Continues major spoilers for anything beyond the anime and all the way up until recent WN chapters)

Prologue/Chapter 1 - Bath

Reading the prologue with context, I realize LN4 is very much the "Loulan" book, like how LN3 was the "Jinshi" book and LN2 was the "Maomao" book. Which is interesting considering Loulan disappears after this volume. She's not actually a main character, and yet she gets a book essentially dedicated to her. It opens with her and it basically ends with her - and it's ultimately a tragedy too.

Even within the first chapter in the bathhouse, Shisui/Loulan is the one that really helps Xiaolan get the connection that nets her a job after the leaves the rear palace, even though Maomao is who she initially asks. Her presence will be a constant throughout this novel and I'm interested in picking it out as we go through it.

On that topic of Maomao...

It's so sweet how seriously Maomao thinks about a way to help Xiaolan. Specifically giving Xiaolan a good connection - one where she will be happy, treated well, and safe from danger (the last one is what knocks Jinshi off the list). This sentiment also gets brought up in recent WN chapters too except it's expanded to Maomao not even wanting Xiaolan that closely connected to her, which makes me kind of sad :( I'm still here waving my "make Xiaolan one of Maomao's ladies-in-waiting in the future plz" flag.

It's especially interesting because Maomao probably still doesn't really think of Xiaolan as a "friend" in her mind, but the way she treats her? She's so sweet on her, washing her hair, buying her gifts etc. Yes, this is a sign that Maomao is the most unreliable narrator, but if she truly didn't think Xiaolan was a friend it really makes you wonder how unbelievably generous Maomao would be to someone she does consider a friend (apparently the answer is get willingly get kidnapped by them LOL). All of this to say - as per usual - I love Maomao and Xiaolan T-T.

Maomao's autism kicking in real hard here =P

All. The. Hints. About. Shisui!!! This is how you do clue dropping in a mystery series to make re-reading it fun! It's so good because all the details about Shisui is just simple character building to a first time reader, but once you have context you realize all these character details double as clues. All the details we learn about Shisui are important to the narrative - not just "fun facts".

It's actually so funny seeing Maomao this rattled. To be fair, if I accidentally fell on someone and grabbed their dick when I assumed they didn't have one, and then belatedly realized I was low-key giving them a handjob, I also would have a hard time forgetting the moment too. Mostly because ew?

For shipper reasons though, I choose to believe there's another reason Maomao has a hard time forgetting the "splendid" frog she happened to get a handful of :)

Chapter 2 - Seki-u

Maomao having a hard time with their names is relatable. Also, thank you story for confirming that Maomao is still 18 at this part of the story AND that Gyokuyou herself is 20--which, when you think about it, oh my gosh she is young (but definitely raises my opinion of her intelligence at such an age).

At some point I really want to make a comprehensive timeline of the series.

No deep thoughts, i just found this moment funny. Once again - yes, I am aware I have the humor of a twelve year old boy. I do think in Japanese it was a bit more funny because in Japanese Maomao and Xiaolan are more like "Ooooooh =O". Hahahaha.

Someone save Lishu please, this poor girl.

The part I highlighted stood out to me when I switch from JP to ENG. Not because the translation is wrong, but I found in the Japanese Maomao's thoughts felt a bit more personal--like you really got a sense she found Kanan's fear of her quite hurtful. I will elaborate on this. But first.

SOMEONE SAVE THIS GIRL

Okay to elaborate on point #2. In Japanese you can often omit subject markers so it's a lot easier to play around with the text to dive deeper into character thoughts/feelings even when the novel is written from a 3rd person POV. Due to the omission of a clear subject, there are times when the text is structured in such a way that it feels like you are basically reading Maomao's direct thoughts without any clear indication that you are (like how in English you might put thoughts into italics). This is one of those moments. In Japanese, with the way the sentence is structured, it really reads like Maomao is directly thinking "It'd be nice if you didn't think of me as a monster..." which... =(

Anyway, moving on.

Chapter 3 - The Dancing Ghost

Once again, speaking of Maomao's kindness - I think it's really sweet that even though she absolutely does not believe in ghosts, she very much wanted to figure out this mystery and help Lishu out.

WE SEE YOU MAOMAO. WE SEE YOU.

I think this is one of those moments where everyone including the reader probably had their jaw on the floor - I know I certainly did at this moment. Like. SIR. SIIIIIR YOU DO NOT TOUCH THE GOODS! NO TOUCHY! Gaoshun was probably a step away from having an aneurysm, while Gyokuyou was probably trying hard not to kick her feet up in the air in excitement.

Also - I just want to say Jinshi's proclamation here is such a good piece of translation into English. In Japanese all Jinshi says is 「いえ、”返して”ですよ。この猫猫を」 (ie, "kaeshite" desu yo, kono maomao wo). Which - if I were to do a very direct and literal translation reads as: "No. I mean return [her]. This Maomao".

There are no exclamation marks because Jinshi is supposed to be polite, courteous and a gentleman - he does not raise his voice, however the bluntness of his speech in Japanese, and the way he abruptly drops Maomao's name really emphasizes the impact of his statement. It's his mic drop moment. And I think the English translation captured all of this perfectly with "this girl right here! Maomao!" to emphasize the "kono Maomao wo" part.

Someone save Maomao this time. Poor girl. I cannot wait to see this scene in the anime because it will probably be hilarious. I can already imagine Aoi Yuki saying the "It was the frog's fault" T-T" part in Maomao's sad pleading chibi voice. Hahaha.

Onto the first actual "case" of this novel!

I think it's interesting that Maomao initially has the observation that it didn't seem necessary for Jinshi to personally accompany her. Fair assessment considering... I realize, Jinshi rarely ever directly accompanies Maomao to solve a case. I think the last time would have been with Consort Lihua, and usually he shows up after it's been made clear something is wrong.

This time though he accompanies Maomao because he is doing his own job - Jinshi is taking this opportunity to catch Lishu's ladies-in-waiting in the act of treating their mistress poorly and properly put them in their place.

Maomao is clearly quite unhappy with Jinshi right now considering she just compared him to a fish head, and then starting thinking about chopping his frog off. Which is mildly hilarious considering last novel she was running around trying to figure out if she could make a medicine that could grow his frog back. Make up your mind Maomao, do you want it or not?

The actual mystery itself wasn't bad. As usual, Maomao solves it quickly and cleverly. I do think it's interesting how many of the mysteries in the past two novels keep hinting at the sewer system in the palace. Interesting.... veeeeeery interesting. Also, as with anything related to Lishu, the conclusion is... just kind of sad really. This poor girl really was born under an unlucky star.

Another moment I am looking forward to in the anime. As a timid person myself, it's always gratifying to see someone like Lishu try to stand up for themself.

The mystery aside though, I feel like the most interesting part of this chapter really is Jinshi's behaviour when he actually needs to use his authority to get something done. I think this is also the first time Maomao ever sees Jinshi in this manner, and I think it's interesting that this happens in the novel where we eventually learn Jinshi's true status.

I just... love the emphasis on how much of an act this is for Jinshi and how good he is at it. The emphasis on his smile, on the politeness of his speech, all of it is fake. It also stands out to me that this is the only time that Maomao actually comments on Jinshi being scary - not in the cave, not later in LN5 - Jinshi is never scary to her even when he's angry, because at least he's being himself. When he's wearing his mask in this way though? Using it to assert authority? That's when she actually thinks "Oh, this guy is scary".

Chapter 4 - The Rumored Eunuch

I love how despite Maomao's desire to try and forget the frog, she can't stop herself from finally, actually, questioning what the hell is going on. Maomao, if you had paid juuuuuust a bit more attention to your lodgings during the summer retreat, I think you'd be able to connect the dots much faster (although I can kind of see why she wouldn't immediately jump to "He's the crown prince in disguise!" because you wouldn't assume a prince would choose to debase himself as a pretend eunuch).

Gaoshun is so tired you guys. Someone save him.

Also - this is the first chapter where we learn that there are, indeed, factions in court and Lakan is part of none of them. We also learn a bit about how he took over the La clan!

Honestly, I kind of miss this Lakan. The goofy doting dad is amusing and all, but we know that Lakan can be absolutely ruthless. He basically wouldn't stop pestering Jinshi for the entirety of LN2 before Maomao stepped in. I want to see more of cunning, scary af, willing to BREAK A WALL in the name of his daughter Lakan again.

I know in this paragraph they're talking about all the new eunuchs, but the fact that Suirei was actually able to blend in with a crowd of slaves that had likely been beaten regularly is just... so sad. I mean, she was probably treated barely better than a slave anyway, but man.

To end this - I think it's really sweet that Jinshi recognizes Xiaolan in this moment, and even remembers her to this day in the WN, specifically because she's one of Maomao's friends. Part of it is probably because it's his job to pay attention to everyone in the rear palace and their connections, but I think it's sweet that he specifically remembers Xiaolan for being Maomao's friend. <3 He pays atteeeeentiooooon.

And that's it for today! A quite like the start to this light novel - it's nice and chill, and a nice breather from the events at the end of LN3. A soft reset. I can see why I didn't really remember a lot of it though. The pacing and calmness of it definitely contrasts from what is going to happen in a few chapters.

We still have a few more chapters until Maomao's little adventure though and I'll cover those next post. Until next time :D

[hezuart]

Hey Hezuneutral, considering you are a Little Nightmares fan, what are your thoughts on the fandom number convention of naming the characters? For example, the Runaway Kid is called Seven, or RCG is Five or Ten.

I've seen a niche of people in the community being dismissive of the names. I think both philosophies of the naming convention are acceptable, either through a number or a term of an adjective or verb to represent them. (You could do both philosophies, like Mono being a prefix of a word that means one.) However, I prefer the numbering method because it sounds cleaner and resonates a purpose or meaning to the character. (Exception for Mono because his name is perfect. I love it.)

It would benefit our new protagonists in LN3 because their names, Low and Alone, portray more like a placeholder than a finalized name. I can't explain why I think this way.

Perhaps you have an answer?

I agree, I mean, I'm fine with people coming up with non-numbered names, because realistically after a time you're just gonna run out of those, or you'd at least have to find other terms for the same meaning. But numerical naming was the convention for the series for a while, it wasn't just a fandom thing. People went with the naming convention because of Six's name to begin with. When Runaway Kid was introduced, people named him Seven because that's the next number in line to Six's, and well, we all know the joke "Seven Eight Nine / Seven ate Nine" where instead it's reversed to "Six ate Seven" as a morbid comical joke. And when LN2 came out, it followed a similar naming convention, Mono for "1". Very Little Nightmares went for "The Girl in the Yellow Raincoat" and "The Pretender" for those kids, kinda following the structure of "The Runaway Kid". Children who are meant for death in this universe don't get a name I guess. But some people went with "Five" because it was a LN prequel- where Six wasn't the original girl with the raincoat, so- that's why people named her Five. And The Pretender, while a child, was also an enemy boss, which followed the naming convention for those. ("The Lady", "The Thin Man", "The Janitor", "The Hunter", etc...) And even the Sounds of Nightmares vaguely follows this naming style. "Noone" as in "No one", but also a word-play for "Noon" which could be "12". But then LN3 comes out and we get "Low and Alone" which, technically alone counts for "1" like Mono. But Low doesn't have any connection to a specific number. Low and Alone don't follow the numerical naming convention. They don't even follow the noun convention either, describing their appearance or role in the story like "The Doctor" or "The Runaway Kid". I've talked about my distaste for their names before. They just mean "depressed and lonely."

I think it's fine if people like them of course, but personally I think "(C)Row and Solo" are more interesting and follow the naming convention. (Row as in several seats in a theater: a high number, and Solo as in single, on your own.) (I'd also take Crow and Alone... but they sound a bit weird together)

[incorrect-nightmares]

I love what I am seeing so far for LN3. To start off, I love how the naming convention is continued with Low and Alone, being unconventional names but ones that kids without parents would have come up for themselves, just like with Six, Mono, RK/Seven, etc

The theme of appearance and the presence of the Eye is still ever present in Nowhere and the Spiral. Low and Alone are wearing masks that conceal their faces like Mono’s paper bag and Six’s hood and the Baby monster is seen with one working eye that seems to function like the eyes on the Maw and the Nest.

Also, there’s a blink and you’ll miss it scene where you can see stone figures of adults, confirming there may be, or at least were at some point, normal people on this world. It pretty much confirms that whatever is going on in this world, everything surrounding the inhabitants has been drastically warped, making its victims/prey much smaller than normal, or just making themselves bigger.

possible spoilers under the cut

1) i also like how low and alone’s names continue the unconventional name trend! and i think in a way we’ll see how their names reflect their personalities as well as more info comes out about the game

2) the eye symbolism drives me crazyy and its great that they’re continuing it in the third game. i wonder what the bigger picture with the eye is and how they will expand on it in the third game

3) ooo the stone adults are one thing i missed! with references to the overall LN world being called “nowhere” and how anything can fall into it, it definitely makes me wonder how everything ended up the way it did and how people end up in there to begin with

[littlenighttales]

Live thoughts of E6 of The Sounds of Nightmares. As always, expect spoilers for that. Edits in parenthesis if I decide to do any, etc etc.

Spoiler warning over let’s goooooo!

The Lonely Way

Gee, guys, way to make even the title depressing. Are we going to the Maw this week?

Also crinkling noises. Otto eating candy?

Otto: “Brain machine broke”

Noone: “Understandable, have a nice day.”

Apparently Noone disappeared for a lot longer than she normally did. Otto feels powerless, so he clearly needs some AA batteries.

Otto planning to use Noone to bring out the Ferryman now. Abusing his power to do so, sounds like. Noone is clearly angry at him.

The tumor has the poor girl worried. Otto slips and let’s Noone know the Ferryman’s name. Tantrum time.

Science talk that I don’t understand, cool, cool. Noone doesn’t understand either. Nice.

Otto being insistent on candy and this plan, forcing her into both. Naturally. Still a bit peeved at him over last week, so obviously Noone would be.

Dream time!

Armless and faceless mannequins. Did the Lady’s mannequins have arms? Lot of fancy clothes.

Pink tutu and shoes, yellow raincoat. And a puppet.

Yellow raincoat draws Otto’s attention. Liking my theory that CiCi= that girl in yellow raincoat from the paintings. Possibly Raincoat Girl? Six didn’t get hers until after being taken to the Nowhere.

Spying through a keyhole. New mannequin. Not sure what to make of this, might be unique location as the others have been. Could be in LN3, maybe. Maybe even 4.

The Nowhere curing Noone, as we knew from a few episodes ago. Unfortunate sacrifice.

Science talk from Otto, for Otto.

Time for the realm of nightmares.

They’re together in dreamland. Neither can see. Like most nights of sleep, really.

Misty room. But they’re somewhere Noone was before… with the Ferryman. Maw? Yes, I’m still thinking of the Maw.

A door in the distance. Otto is so close (so close). Noone isn’t waiting.

Eye door. Verrrry ominous.

Ferryman is Ferrymanning all over the place.

“Only youth blooms, (something) pure but not rooted, spoils white within.”

Otto talks to the Ferryman! And the other way around. He basically just tells Otto that CiCi is in a wide, wide world. Implying alive. Maybe still Six? Unless a prequel.

Eyes. Lot of eyes. All watching Noone. Uncomfortable. Reminds me of poor Mono.

Otto wants to come, but Ferryman tells him he has to be pushed into it. Maybe because he’s too old?

“Sleep now, Ruth?”

(Noone is just a nickname? Middle name, maybe? I thought Noone’s nickname was No One and only that.)

Dang it, riddles. I can’t catch them all.

And Otto sounds like he’s about to cry… ):

“Give her back! Give her back, damn you!”

Damn, really two times they’re making me feel bad for Otto. Such a broken man.

I think Noone is trapped. Otto wakes up, starts freaking out… and Otto starts considering the abandonment comment.

Otto is the little brother? Thought he was the older one. That’s depressing as heck. (Really making me like the “RCG as a big sister/mom friend of the group” personality I have for her. CiCi COULD still be Six, assuming Six woke up at some point after dropping Mono (we were separated from Six even during the adventure, and the Ferryman still stalked her after the drop).

Brings up a toll to be paid. Start recording, end recording. Start recording.

Is there more next week? No way anything significant comes up within the next like two minutes.

Another patient named Ethan. Sudden sleepwalker. Only mumbles, but Otto is telepathic apparently. He’s gonna use this kid.

Aaaand he really just did it. The “sweets for my sweet”.

Candy could be helping the travel? The Nowhere is curing disease, so maybe all the kids were very sick before coming? Ferryman might be saving kids from their diseases in exchange for them being there.

Okay it’s over. Go read someone else’s post now I guess. Go. Go on. This post is over.

[caramsels]

to add on to this, the “trapped” part is especially interesting in regards to six given what we know about the maw, the way that the nowhere works, and some easter eggs we’ve seen from ln3 so far. canonically, buildings and locations like the pale city and the maw were not “built” by anyone, the signal tower simply exists because the need for escapism and consumerism exists, the maw exists because hunger and greed exist, etc.

we also know that the maw needs the lady’s power in order to run, given this information… can six leave? i don’t think so. she’s not just trapped in the nowhere, the maw needs her and she needs it. her and mono’s endings are VERY similar.

in order for the maw to no longer exist in the current timeline, that means the entire concept of hunger and greed are gone, that six managed to beat this never ending cycle through.. doing exactly what it wanted? i don’t buy it. six’s very namesake relates to her spot in the cycle, she parallels the lady directly at the end. whenever the head writer of LN talks about both games he stresses that a huge point of them is that this cycle of cruelty continues, that these kids who were once hurt and terrorized by this world and its system can be molded and grow up to be a part of it, not even remembering what it used to be like to be a vulnerable child. given all of this, i think six is still on the maw. i think she finds some safety and comfort and power in having her own part of the nowhere where everything is up to her, but she’s also, at the end of the day, trapped. seemingly victorious, but trapped.

thinking about how mono and six’s endings are extremely similar and BOTH are described as them being “trapped and seemingly victorious.”