Six lore masterpost: Cici, Identity, and Belonging
This will be a longgg post regarding my theory and interpretation regarding Six’s lore! I ask that even if you are a fan who is very against her being Cici, you give this a chance if interested. For a preview: I believe not only that Six is Cici, but that Six is adopted, originally not from the Counties, ripped from her culture and past and placed into a life she doesn’t feel she fits into - leading to her choosing the Nowhere. This fits well with not just her story, but her character writing. This’ll include evidence and analysis from all corners of the franchise, and near and dear to me.
Part 1: The “Original Owner of the Raincoat”
Fans in my experience tend to treat this theory as if it is baseless or random, so a big first step is to lay out some evidence and address the most popular “debunks” of it - starting with the most common but wildly misinterpreted moment, Otto’s recognition of the yellow raincoat. Typically I’d lay out evidence chronologically but this is the HUGE moment that is brought up as a debunk for Six = Cici so I’ll begin with it.
In TSON episode 6, when Noone finds a yellow raincoat, Otto is clearly alerted and reminded of Cici (we can tell because of context clues and the musical motif that plays, more on that later.) The point often brought up here by fans to prove it cannot be Six and must be RCG relies on Otto recognizing the yellow raincoat as a specific article of clothing Cici wore in the Counties. If this were true, then Cici could not be Six due to Six only acquiring a raincoat in the Nowhere…But here’s the thing, Otto does not even note the fact that Noone found a raincoat - he specifically focuses on the color yellow. If the raincoat were an exact article of clothing Cici wore, wouldn’t his reaction be even stronger here than asking if anyone else was around? Regardless, Otto never specifies that the outfit being a raincoat is important. This alone isn’t immediate proof of Cici not having owned a raincoat or being Six - but here’s what it does prove: Six being Cici would not retcon RCG originally owning the raincoat, because Otto does not latch onto the fact that it’s a raincoat. It is not canon that Cici wore a yellow raincoat, meaning RCG’s existence does not debunk her being Six. This means the criteria here for Cici’s identity isn’t that she wore a raincoat in the Counties, but rather, a connection to the color yellow.
Does Six have a connection to this color? Yes. When Six dons the raincoat in LN - the track played is called “true colours.” David Mervik in an interview (https://youtu.be/mPPNOb0RqBY?si=y0bEbpyJU7EtCFNg) when asked about the paintings of the girl and The Lady - said “If you think in terms of a dream or nightmare, maybe there’s a character in there pulled directly from your real life. But maybe there’s a character in there who just has one element of something from your real life, and that’s colored how they look there so yeah maybe you see a picture of a kid in a yellow dress or coat.
This painting in the files is included in a set named “Six paintings.” LNAE further backs the fact that this girl is intended to be Six from her past, as it is again spammed in her personal distorted childhood bedroom hallway and Transmission room, amidst other paintings of Six. Mervik describes the dress not as white, but yellow.
One more note on the color topic, look at the small Hypnotist’s design. Yellow glasses and a yellow tie. Given his trauma and fixation on what happened to “his beloved Cici,” this design choice communicates that the color yellow by itself is important enough to Otto to be reflected in his exaggerated Resident form.
Therefore, Six does have connection to this color outside of her acquiring the raincoat, and RCG being the “original owner” does not interfere with Six being Cici.
Storytelling through music
While TSON reuses most tracks, it still utilizes them to tell the story in a way that gives us “reveals” via usage alone. In Episode 5 of TSON, Noone confronts Otto, asserting that maybe Cici chose to go to the Nowhere in order to get away from him. In this moment, the second Noone says the name “Cici,” Six’s theme begins. Her theme builds and builds throughout the rest of the scene as though it is haunting Otto and rising to the surface. This theme is not there for Noone either, as it continues strongly when Otto has gone to a different room and is reflecting on Cici. In this scene, Six’s theme is used to represent Cici’s presence in the narrative. The only other time Six’s theme plays in TSON? …when Noone finds a yellow raincoat. The music is communicating the reveal - Cici and Six’s theme is one in the same.
The Institute
In the near final concept art for Otto’s office within the institute, there are photos of Six. (4 but my pic here is of the clearer side) We know from TSON that Otto has a photo of Cici in his office, which based on this concept art- originally would have been exaggerated to multiple, communicating his desperation to find Cici. Funny fact here is this is a fan render using the official model, meaning they even googled “Six little nightmares” to get these. So Six’s theme has been used to represent Cici, and Six herself has been used for photos of Cici.
Since this is concept art, you can technically shrug it off if you really want…. but here’s why it’s harder to do that.
Six is still prominently featured in the Institute in the final game. With Descent to Nowhere, we now know for certain that Residents’environments are largely shaped and pulled from their inner lives in the Counties. The Stone Giant is full of jails due to Homer being a sheriff and imprisoning children, chains again reflecting her occupation + her leash for her pet ferret, an indoor zoo reflecting this unique pet of hers, a large amount of clocks, and her watch. This is what we see with The Hypnotist as well - the majority of the institute reflects Otto’s inner life in the Counties. The sweets, the Zahir’s Gaze painting, the Ferryman. etc. This is reflected in the paintings. There are paintings of the Stone Giant due to Otto’s “alliance” with Homer for example, and a room + painting representing Otto’s desperation to forge his own gateway to The Threshold. These are not all things Low would know about, they, like The Stone Giant are mostly pulled from Otto’s mind. Given this, the Six painting that can be found in The Institute is a huge piece of evidence that proves Otto somehow knew Six, in a way where she was prominent enough to get her own Nowhere generated painting.
But what if it’s not Six? What if it’s Noone? Isn’t she also an important character that Otto lost to the Nowhere?
She is, but here’s why this painting can *only* be Six.
QUICK NOONE DEBUNK
This is actually the exact VLN concept art of Six but traced and reworked to fit its new context.
A picture of Noone does appear in LN3. Here on Otto’s conspiracy board, the only picture that is connected to Noone’s brain scan is a reused picture of Spoon Girl from
LN2 - but with the scribbles placed so that it looks like she has short hair and side bangs. This photo represents Noone.
Furthermore, a photo of Six in this exact style exists in LN2. If Six were meant to be Noone, why not use that instead? If the painting is meant to be Noone, why use a design other than Noone’s?
4. When Myra is looking through Homer’s belongings in LN3, the panel focuses on the file of a CPI patient we don’t see on floor -1 that gets an odd amount of focus. In DTN, Otto claims Homer chose him to tend to floor -1 due to him being the only one to care about the children… but this is his unreliable narration. A child went missing under Otto’s care back in TSON. Homer is the chief of police and a former elected official in the Counties.. I think the real reason she chose him to tend to floor -1 is because she had blackmail. This means that this file Homer had in her “scheme” files is Noone, which is why it gets emphasis as DTN references many existing and future LN stories. It matches the edited Spoon Girl model used for Noone in LN3 as well. Lighter short hair and a side part.
Therefore, our one candidate is Six. Six is undeniably the character in this painting. But she’s wearing a hospital gown, so could it be that she was just a patient of Otto’s? No. Here's why (...aside from it being a very odd direction to place her story and a weird choice given we have three other characters, including the protagonist of LN3 who could be used in a painting simply meant to represent one of Otto’s patients.)
Painting analysis:
In this scene, Otto’s trauma has just been brought to the surface after hearing the Mall’s dialogue. He mentally reverts to Cici’s disappearance.
He is speaking to Cici here, not Noone…. making this line very interesting in what it implies about Cici.
"You're not sick."
This is why Six is in a hospital gown. Not because she was a patient of Otto’s, but because this painting represents the last time Otto saw her before she was taken to the Nowhere… a time where she would have been physically sick.
Here’s why this is Otto’s last memory of Cici.
Sinking, drifting away, and crossing over an “ethereal ocean” to get to the Nowhere are all constantly used as metaphors for transitioning to the Nowhere in TSON.
DTN has a cool and tragic detail here, in that one symptom of The Sleep is their stomachs sounding like waves… because the coma patients are mentally in the Nowhere. Drifting away to Nowhere and crossing the ocean is exactly what Six is doing in this painting. On a bed no less. To Otto, this painting shows a sickly Cici being lost to the Nowhere during her sleep/final nightmare.
The placement of this painting is in the middle of The Ferryman catching a child, and Noone’s flower. This shows Otto’s chronological mental connection of these events. The Ferryman caught Cici. Cici became sick and drifted away to the Nowhere in her nightmares. Decades later, he meets Noone, who brings this trauma to the surface again.
The more analysis heavy stuff is done, but here’s a host of other evidence or neat links as well
Six is deeply tied to music. Even in the LN1 comic, the music box is obviously important to her. While it’s a myth that “Cecilia” means “six,” it does originate with Saint Cecilia - the patron saint of music.
Cici is the character who gave the Ferryman his official, canon name. This feels like a very relevant feat to give to a character named “fake six” in the files of a mobile spinoff (I love VLN this isn’t a stray)
You could say that the Hypnotist’s Resident design and boss fight parallel Monster Six’s in many ways with the stun feature, huge bodies, long arms and chase sequence structure.
In LNAE, a game stated to include hints towards Six’s story and echoes of her past, present and future - there is a shattered Spiral mirror in one of the levels. Given that these levels are largely influenced by Six’s mind and given form within the Transmission - I think this is an echo from Six’s future. A peek at what her brother is up to.
In the chest of clothing Noone finds, Mono’s trenchcoat is also there. I find it hard to believe personally that the outfits of our former protagonists are meant to be a reference to Mono and… raincoat girl.
Part 2: What was Six’s life like before the Nowhere?
This is the more character analysis/lore speculation section that I held off on in the evidence section. If Six is Cici, how does that add to her story? What does it tell us?
A really interesting moment included in TSON 5 is that when Noone first sees the photo of Cici, she bluntly comments that her and Otto do not look alike. Otto does not respond to this, instead getting prepared for the session, stuttering and sighing. The fact that Cici looks very different from Otto is important enough to get a little scene dedicated to it in the penultimate episode of TSON. To me, this implies that Otto and Cici are not related by blood, and not the same race. Otto’s reaction in this case shows him deeming Noone’s comment as somehow socially taboo, as she is a child who doesn’t know yet that this is a blunt thing to say. Cici/Six being adopted is something that I believe can be linked to so many aspects of Six’s story and journey through the Nowhere, so let’s get into it starting with some environmental storytelling from LNAE.
It’s important to note (so I don’t look like I’m grasping at straws) that LNAE is stated to have hints regarding Six’s story, and echoes of past events. The whole game after the very beginning takes place in the Transmission, which seems to give form to Six’s memories and struggles with “identity and belonging.” This is why LNAE is not just a retread of her time in the Nowhere. Thus, I will focus on analyzing the levels and paintings under the lens of how they relate to Six and her life/struggles.
The Train: Pre-Adoption. A runaway
There are three paintings of Six in the mansion level of LNAE - she is the only Visitor depicted in all of them, and the features match perfectly. Each painting of her is next to a family portrait, which will be important later. This painting is definitely her roughest. She’s in a nightgown with no shoes, a horrified bulging eye, messy long black hair poking out, and a giant box concealing her identity — this is where the train nightmare comes in. We can borrow some character analysis from Mono here - in LN, when a character’s face is covered, they are hiding something.
When you break down the fears present in the train chapter, it’s easy to see how it could relate to Six’s past as a runaway or refugee. She’s on a train going to a location she doesn’t know, surrounded by the upper class, and she is the only one on the train who does not belong there. She doesn’t have a ticket. I believe this can be tied to this painting of her, the earliest in her timeline, because she is distraught and hiding her identity. Wherever it is Six was running away from, she can’t risk being found out… and (a running trend you’ll notice) she feels out of place when surrounded by the upper class. Therein is her struggle with isolation and identity for this stage. Throughout Six’s story, there’s this repeated theme of her not belonging anywhere. She cycles through many Nowhere locations, is directly told she doesn’t belong in the LN1 comics, and as Cici, did not feel she truly fit into her new life.
Her not originally being from the Counties (the city where as of now, it seems the Nowhere takes either all or most of its characteristics from with DTN’s reveals) works wonderfully with this theme. On a sad note, perhaps this is why Six is shown to be quick, outpacing all other kids so far. She’s used to looking out for herself, she is very familiar with how to run away.
The Orphanage
The next painting of Six takes place when she has arrived in the Counties, and in the care of some sort of orphanage. She is no longer hiding her identity, her face is visible and she has access to stuffed toys. This painting of Six is again, clearly lower class. Her hair is long and messy/uneven on the outside lines, her nightgown is tattered, and her stuffed bunny is torn and the stuffing is pouring out. An important thing to note about this stuffed bunny, is that Six is holding it with obvious care. It’s tattered and broken, but she’s hugging it closely and sincerely. Her hair is messy and her gown is tattered, but we can see her face. While her situation is unpleasant, Six is herself in this painting.This will be important in a bit.
Little Nightmares 1 Interlude:
Before AE, I had this same theory for the most part thanks to LN1’s possible hints towards Six being adopted. We know that the places Visitors are put are “the best continuation of their journey.” Six is put on the Maw because, according to Mervik, there are characteristics that reflect her life and shape how she views it.
Looking at LN1 through a lens of how it could relate to characteristics and fears present in Six’s life, The Maw’s “childcare” facilities heavily resemble a twisted orphanage. What really stands out to me however, is the fact that the Lady, in files, is also referred to as “The Governess,” a woman employed in a private household to teach, train, and educate children. This isn’t simply an outdated title either, as it appears in LN3’s files again to describe new assets related to the Lady. In the infamous blogpost where Mervik debunks Six being the Lady’s daughter (or even being remotely motherly in her dynamic with Six), he notes that the two are unrelated and thrown together by forces against their will… and that the Lady “wants to keep the child (Six) trapped forever.” Given this… what fear/ element of Six’s life does The Lady remind her of? A wealthy female authority figure that reflects Six’s culture, a governess that rules over an orphanage, and the need to keep Six trapped forever… Since we know that “mother” is ruled out…. I think we have a good candidate. To Six, the Lady represents the head of her orphanage, and Six’s fear that she will be stuck there forever, unable to escape. This would also be why Six envisions her orphanage-self (long messy hair, white gown) at the Lady’s side in this painting.
(quick sidebar that I don’t think the Lady IS the head of Six’s orphanage (though In not against speculating it), just that this is largely what she represents in Six’s mind. In TLO, the protagonist is reminded of the angry faces her parents would make by the antagonist’s anger. This is how I see it.)
“Riches” - post adoption
The final painting of Six parallels the previous.. except her class has clearly changed. Her messy long hair has been cleanly cut and brushed, she now wears a large fancy white gown instead of a tattered nightgown, and as opposed to her old brown and broken stuffed bunny - she now has a white, perfectly intact bunny doll. In this painting however, she is holding the bunny doll roughly, without care, and her face is scratched out. To me, this can be read as Six not feeling like she belongs in this new life. Separated from her culture and home, given this clean hair cut, fancy gowns and dolls… it’s not where she fits. There’s the identity and belonging theme again. She’s technically better off now, but doesn’t feel like it.
Family
In AE, we get this family portrait, often next to one of the 3 Six paintings. I believe this is a Nowhere representation of Six’s adoptive family: the parents, and young Otto. It’s worth noting that there is a prominent room in LN3 in which young Otto might also be represented by a bully.
The Hunter’s stuffed family that is also present in the mansion level has the same structure of mother, father, and son. The tables and other assets throughout the mansion are designed for four people. This is a family of four, but Six is left out.
LN2 interlude:
I don’t think the stuffed family is merely asset reuse, I think it shows that Six’s capture by the Hunter was thematically connected to her life in the Counties. Six is alone and trapped in the basement of this house, while a rough replica of her family structure (parents and brother) “eats dinner” above as a family. Isolation, even with her new family.
Interestingly, the stuffed dad has the son on his lap. This is similar to how in the family photo, the son is all the way on the father’s side instead of in the middle or by his mother.
Perhaps with her husband and son already having a tight bond, the mother latched onto Six as a perfect daughter to treat essentially like a doll. Ripping her from her old life and culture, and forcing one into a world where she doesn’t feel like she belongs. The mother gets the most emphasis, and shares traits with quite a few antagonists Six is put up against. Her face looks similar to the Pretender’s, with the circular blush and small face, while her neck is like the Teacher’s. This could help explain why Six is initially put on the nest, and is constantly put up against the upper class. The Pretender to her represents the type of child her adoptive mother wanted her to be.
For the school, I think it’s the clearest in terms of how it relates to Six’s story. While it calls back towards some moments in LN2’s school chapter, I think the implication goes deeper- Six was bullied in the Counties. There’s a locker you can open where you can see a plushie strung upside down just like Six, with gashes (remember the painting?) in it leaking cotton, and a drawing of a spiral and girl with her face crossed out next to it. Six is both being mocked for being strung up in chapter 2, and implied to have been bullied in her previous life as well.
The main emphasis seems to be on the Teacher however. Perhaps the Teacher treated her worse than most students in the Counties, or Six was reminded of her adopted mother in some ways by the Teacher’s strict demeanor. Whatever it is, Six’s new life in the Counties was fraught with identity issues and bullying at school.
Cici and Otto:
Visitors have been officially described as “kids who felt out of place in the world.”
I believe Six’s tragic tale of being forced to leave home (possibly on the run based on the hidden identity) and eventually being adopted by an out of touch upper class family could tie in really well with her feeling out of place and isolated in her Counties life. In terms of her dynamic with Otto, it explains why he never truly knew or understood her. Even though she clearly was kind enough to him to tell him about the Nowhere and seemingly look out for him, she had a whole realm of baggage and untold stories that he wouldn’t be able to grasp at that age… and so she chose the Nowhere. When Noone accuses Otto as being the reason Cici left, he remarks that he was “just a boy.” as a self defense coping mechanism. Based on the bully Otto, perhaps there was a point where he joined in, or did not stand up for Cici in the way she did for him. Otto says himself that he has always been cowardly… So at the end of the day, to her, he became just another bully.
Cici was someone he looked up to, but could never understand. She had already been through so much, and still felt alone, emotionally neglected, and out of place. The Ferryman told her she would belong, somewhere safe and whimsical, somewhere she could just be herself again, not a perfect child or older sister.
Six’s character:
I’ve always disagreed with the popular interpretation of Six as this very icy character. I could go into it for a long time so I’ll try to keep this section clean, while Six is ominous and strange at times, she is also very whimsical. She’s a bold and intelligent kid who struggles with loneliness, identity and self destruction. Due to her hardships in life, she had to become someone who looks out for herself at a very young age. Just because this is the way she’s learned to be though, does not mean it is what she truly wants. Based on LN2, and the devs consistent comments about Six feeling vulnerable and alone in LN1, she *does* crave companionship, and for someone to care. During togetherness 2, Six seems genuinely shocked that Mono came back to help her - it’s a moment that clearly means a lot to her on a personal level. When you consider Six having been an isolated, self sufficient child, emotionally neglected by her family and relied on by her spoiled little brother, this makes a lot of sense.
At the end of LN2, the Transmission shows Six a fantasy- and if I had to guess what it was, I’d say a place where she feels like she belongs and is safe. When it’s ripped away, this creates a hunger. She needs to chase down that feeling again. In LNAE, Six (literally) runs away from her memories and the person she was up until her capture in chapter 4. As she runs away, these memories fade into what the files call “oblivion.” Massive black holes that absorb her memories… she’s shutting them out and trying to get rid of Dark Six. My read of this is that Six rejects herself at the end of LN2, she rejects her past along with that. If there is nowhere she belongs, maybe the Nowhere’s next plan for her will involve giving her the twisted ability to forge her own at the cost of identity and warmth.
If I let myself talk more about Six in AE outside of just the theory beats this post will be a monstrous size so I’ll cap it off here! I have a lot more thoughts and speculation regarding this stuff and I hope that even if you hate Six = Cici, you enjoyed reading this perspective!
I was thinking yesterday about the implications of the yellow raincoat being so recurrent and at the same time the fact that all the holders of this raincoat being so diferent, as well the incosistence with the aparently Cici's portrails in Altered Echoes
Im putting in mind the LN 1 portrails since Six and aparently Cici are conected to it, as well the Hypnotist is too conected with VLN and LN 1 [the statues of the outside the Nest and the hand thing in the LN 1 TV were we can also find the Veronica song] this makes even stuff a little bit more messy to me since one of the aparently Cici's portrails looks similar to the raincoat girl and the other one really looks like a complete diferent character...I think i can finally explain myself...
Otto talks to much about Cici but maybe he is slowly forgeting her own aparence and this is reflected in the nowhere in some way, for the
inconsistent and mounstrous raincoat holders of The Maw to the more lose looking gils of the pictures in Altered Echoes. This idea just gives me chills…imagine that Cici could be anyone, becuase for Otto she is only a concept more that a person, a thing to justify all his actions, deshumanize his own sister…
This point can be validated since besides mentioning that Noone in TSON wasn't like his sister stills says the "This time i will protect you", reflecting his sister into someone that maybe was really similar in some instances like Noone.
Im not a strong believer of the Six=Cici theory, but i can see the points, only this little tiny details makes me consider other posibility like Cici being more that a "ghost" or force of the nowhere that a person, so blurry in the only one who knew her that we can't trust in him in any way.
Wait you're cooking. I really like the idea that Otto's projection of Cici and his obsession with the Nowhere technically created some sort of symbol or ghost in the Nowhere, that being the yellow raincoat. It explains why it appears so many times but on different people. Cici could be anyone by now or even long gone, echoing in the Nowhere bc she's just a vague memory of someone.
I was thinking yesterday about the implications of the yellow raincoat being so recurrent and at the same time the fact that all the holders of this raincoat being so diferent, as well the incosistence with the aparently Cici's portrails in Altered Echoes
Im putting in mind the LN 1 portrails since Six and aparently Cici are conected to it, as well the Hypnotist is too conected with VLN and LN 1 [the statues of the outside the Nest and the hand thing in the LN 1 TV were we can also find the Veronica song] this makes even stuff a little bit more messy to me since one of the aparently Cici's portrails looks similar to the raincoat girl and the other one really looks like a complete diferent character...I think i can finally explain myself...
Otto talks to much about Cici but maybe he is slowly forgeting her own aparence and this is reflected in the nowhere in some way, for the
inconsistent and mounstrous raincoat holders of The Maw to the more lose looking gils of the pictures in Altered Echoes. This idea just gives me chills…imagine that Cici could be anyone, becuase for Otto she is only a concept more that a person, a thing to justify all his actions, deshumanize his own sister…
This point can be validated since besides mentioning that Noone in TSON wasn't like his sister stills says the "This time i will protect you", reflecting his sister into someone that maybe was really similar in some instances like Noone.
Im not a strong believer of the Six=Cici theory, but i can see the points, only this little tiny details makes me consider other posibility like Cici being more that a "ghost" or force of the nowhere that a person, so blurry in the only one who knew her that we can't trust in him in any way.
Wait you're cooking. I really like the idea that Otto's projection of Cici and his obsession with the Nowhere technically created some sort of symbol or ghost in the Nowhere, that being the yellow raincoat. It explains why it appears so many times but on different people. Cici could be anyone by now or even long gone, echoing in the Nowhere bc she's just a vague memory of someone.
I‘ve been in this fandom for a while now and mischaracterization has always been a problem in this fandom (which is inevitable, given the lack of dialogue or any speech narration) With the full release of DTN SOME people decided to give either Hush or Mono the “Six treatment“. While I don’t want to dive too deep into DTN or Hush, I just wanted to share some thoughts on Six and Mono and how I think they reflect each other. I don't do these types of posts often, so please excuse my bad wording or scattered thoughts. Feel free to add on, correct me or just share your own thoughts.
Well one thing that connects all the children in this franchise is that they are young kids forced into a world that does nothing but trick, haunt and torture them, giving them no option to escape or find any peace without a prize. They are forced to become violent in order to even survive in this hostile environment (shocking). Cherry on top, they are children at the end of the day so projecting any ethics and morals onto them and judging their actions based on these is of course possible but almost pointless. This is the most obvious conclusion anyone could come up with, however people just… don’t?
Well...Six and Mono both fall into this category like I said they are two sides of the same coin. They both have the need for safety and companionship, both want to survive, both showed that they've been shaped by the Nowhere and as a result acted violently (also towards each other).
Sixs needs like comfort, escape and company are shown with the Music Box, the Nomes and very subtly in the secret ending of LN2. In the 2017 Comics it was already implied she has a thing for music and in LN2 there is no doubt that she finds some kind of escape in the tunes of her Box. She also shares this Box with Mono when she was distorted and shares it with a group of kids in the 2017 Comics (not sure how canon they are tho).
She hugs herself after the events of LN2, she needs a goddamn break. Sixs nature IS actually very emotional and childlike. Her acts of kindness just got scarce as we progress with her story. Basically until she doesn't even attempt to save other children (the bread kid, the kid in the cage).
Mono on the other hand isn't that social at first.
While still helping Hush here and there, he was NOT feeling her. He prioritised his own survival and even sent Hush forward, endangering her.
But as Hush decided to not help him either when he needed it the most, Mono took notice and realized one hand washes the other. So when his curiosity led him to Six, he made sure to give more care into this connection, which is seen by his stubbornness to get Six to trust him (even tho they did not have a great start either lmao) and to rescue her whenever she needed it. And he was risky too when he gave her a head start at the broken bridge in the woods, not knowing if she was actually going to return the favor. But as the new contents heavily imply that Mono is a Resident, he has every reason to do so.
Compared to Six, Mono is rather curious and actually very static at first (which is also shown by the idle animations), it's almost like he had to (re-)learn to be kind. Which isn't surprising, he's convinced the world is against him and his mask is the thing that's holding him together. But at the end he makes the realisation that it's actually nice to have a hand to hold. We can actually see their bond grow throughout the game, it's very subtle but sweet. Well until Thin Mans appereance.
Carrying on to how they actually act out their violence ->
Mono is often shown to use weapons and that A LOT. He doesn't shy away from making the school hallway look like a massacre. Using his full force he just crashes everything that dares to stand in his way. He even parries the Nuns attacks in DTN like he played tennis in his previous life.
On the other hand Six makes great use of her environment, this can be seen in the ending of VLN where she pushes a boulder down the cliff as an attempt to safe RCG or when she used the door to safe herself from the Janitor. And when she doesn't, she just uses her bare hands which does make her look scary. Just look at the scene where Six (well-deservingly) smashes the Bullys head or...the Nome scene.
Even if they kill together, Mono is the one pulling the trigger while Six is the one aiming. When they killed the Doctor, Six entraps him and Mono is (again) the one to pull the lever. They complete each other perfectly. Almost.
So why are they perceived so differently by the fandom? (Gender)
Most of Sixs actions are passive. Nobody chose to eat the Nome, nobody would've done it or even expected it whereas Monos actions were always the deliberate choice of the player. Many people didn't bat an eye when they chose to kill the distracted Bully but when Six got him first, many reacted like: "...You're weird." There was no button to eat anything, there was no button to suck the life source out of the guests. But we control Mono when he fought the Thin Man, distorted the Pale City and broke the Box. As a result he was let down by his once trusted companion, the one he worked so hard for and she turned his world around like on the flip of a coin. I guess that's why people usually relate with him more, which probably is also the cause why people antagonize Six.
It's like Mono is in the hands of the player, he has no say and is trapped with your decisions. I think that's a nice point of view, giving that he is also trapped in a neverending cycle.
For Six there is a lack of the players autonomy. When we play as her, our control is taken away, and that from a little girl. That could make it hard for players to sympathise with Six. Maybe I'm a little biased here but that's one reason or a nice add-on in my head why I don't believe the "Six becomes the (next) Lady" theory. I just think that she doesn't belong there. But that's another conversation.
I‘ve been in this fandom for a while now and mischaracterization has always been a problem in this fandom (which is inevitable, given the lack of dialogue or any speech narration) With the full release of DTN SOME people decided to give either Hush or Mono the “Six treatment“. While I don’t want to dive too deep into DTN or Hush, I just wanted to share some thoughts on Six and Mono and how I think they reflect each other. I don't do these types of posts often, so please excuse my bad wording or scattered thoughts. Feel free to add on, correct me or just share your own thoughts.
Well one thing that connects all the children in this franchise is that they are young kids forced into a world that does nothing but trick, haunt and torture them, giving them no option to escape or find any peace without a prize. They are forced to become violent in order to even survive in this hostile environment (shocking). Cherry on top, they are children at the end of the day so projecting any ethics and morals onto them and judging their actions based on these is of course possible but almost pointless. This is the most obvious conclusion anyone could come up with, however people just… don’t?
Well...Six and Mono both fall into this category like I said they are two sides of the same coin. They both have the need for safety and companionship, both want to survive, both showed that they've been shaped by the Nowhere and as a result acted violently (also towards each other).
Sixs needs like comfort, escape and company are shown with the Music Box, the Nomes and very subtly in the secret ending of LN2. In the 2017 Comics it was already implied she has a thing for music and in LN2 there is no doubt that she finds some kind of escape in the tunes of her Box. She also shares this Box with Mono when she was distorted and shares it with a group of kids in the 2017 Comics (not sure how canon they are tho).
She hugs herself after the events of LN2, she needs a goddamn break. Sixs nature IS actually very emotional and childlike. Her acts of kindness just got scarce as we progress with her story. Basically until she doesn't even attempt to save other children (the bread kid, the kid in the cage).
Mono on the other hand isn't that social at first.
While still helping Hush here and there, he was NOT feeling her. He prioritised his own survival and even sent Hush forward, endangering her.
But as Hush decided to not help him either when he needed it the most, Mono took notice and realized one hand washes the other. So when his curiosity led him to Six, he made sure to give more care into this connection, which is seen by his stubbornness to get Six to trust him (even tho they did not have a great start either lmao) and to rescue her whenever she needed it. And he was risky too when he gave her a head start at the broken bridge in the woods, not knowing if she was actually going to return the favor. But as the new contents heavily imply that Mono is a Resident, he has every reason to do so.
Compared to Six, Mono is rather curious and actually very static at first (which is also shown by the idle animations), it's almost like he had to (re-)learn to be kind. Which isn't surprising, he's convinced the world is against him and his mask is the thing that's holding him together. But at the end he makes the realisation that it's actually nice to have a hand to hold. We can actually see their bond grow throughout the game, it's very subtle but sweet. Well until Thin Mans appereance.
Carrying on to how they actually act out their violence ->
Mono is often shown to use weapons and that A LOT. He doesn't shy away from making the school hallway look like a massacre. Using his full force he just crashes everything that dares to stand in his way. He even parries the Nuns attacks in DTN like he played tennis in his previous life.
On the other hand Six makes great use of her environment, this can be seen in the ending of VLN where she pushes a boulder down the cliff as an attempt to safe RCG or when she used the door to safe herself from the Janitor. And when she doesn't, she just uses her bare hands which does make her look scary. Just look at the scene where Six (well-deservingly) smashes the Bullys head or...the Nome scene.
Even if they kill together, Mono is the one pulling the trigger while Six is the one aiming. When they killed the Doctor, Six entraps him and Mono is (again) the one to pull the lever. They complete each other perfectly. Almost.
So why are they perceived so differently by the fandom? (Gender)
Most of Sixs actions are passive. Nobody chose to eat the Nome, nobody would've done it or even expected it whereas Monos actions were always the deliberate choice of the player. Many people didn't bat an eye when they chose to kill the distracted Bully but when Six got him first, many reacted like: "...You're weird." There was no button to eat anything, there was no button to suck the life source out of the guests. But we control Mono when he fought the Thin Man, distorted the Pale City and broke the Box. As a result he was let down by his once trusted companion, the one he worked so hard for and she turned his world around like on the flip of a coin. I guess that's why people usually relate with him more, which probably is also the cause why people antagonize Six.
It's like Mono is in the hands of the player, he has no say and is trapped with your decisions. I think that's a nice point of view, giving that he is also trapped in a neverending cycle.
For Six there is a lack of the players autonomy. When we play as her, our control is taken away, and that from a little girl. That could make it hard for players to sympathise with Six. Maybe I'm a little biased here but that's one reason or a nice add-on in my head why I don't believe the "Six becomes the (next) Lady" theory. I just think that she doesn't belong there. But that's another conversation.
I’ve seen a lot of people talk about the stylistic differences between Little Nightmares 3 and the previous games, particularly how the designs and story structure differ, to the point they feel incongruous. But as I suggested in my initial analysis, I feel this all comes down to LN3 being a more personal story.
While the first 3 games partially served as different chapters in Six’s story, I think their REAL focus (esp. with the first game) was the worldbuilding, the social commentary, and themes of survival. However, LN3 takes a step back from this previously interconnected story in order to tell a completely new story that centers hope and cooperation, but also how this can devolve into codependence. The game serves as a character study and an examination of Low’s psyche. And in order to do so, it plays into the themes of childhood more, and adopts a different story structure to flesh out the character of interest.
After the game’s reveal, one of the main aspects people critiqued were the character designs, saying they were “overly detailed” or “too cute” compared to their predecessors. Which I get, because it's unfamiliar in a series that's known to emphasize the "horror" in "charming horror" a bit more. But I believe this is mainly to service these brand new characters and make them recognizable. In the early marketing, it was mentioned in interviews that “childlike curiosity” was a key element in the character design. This is evident in the items that Low wears: his mask, cape, beaded anklet, and hand-made bow and arrows. This signals to the player that Low is a determined, hopeful person with a crafty aesthetic, who displays his imaginative nature outwardly. Instead of letting go of his “inner child” and assimilating into the dreariness of Nowhere, he clings to hope and the things that bring him comfort, such as his creative hobbies and his best friend. Speaking of, Alone fits into this philosophy just as well with her bright colors, can-do attitude, and "incurable" curiosity about the world around her. She's the idealized best friend who's always there to pick you up when you fall, and she and Low have survived this long because of that. The same can't be said for all the other kids in the series.
This makes for a noticeable contrast between Low and Alone's highly personalized designs and the visual simplicity of the previous 4 playable characters. They all have one, maybe two standout features. And I think this was the design philosophy of choice for these characters so you could tell the Nowhere has begun to leave its mark on them and wear them down. Even from the start of their respective stories, they've already developed some sort of ruggedness and grit. Unlike Low and Alone, who retain vague memories of their home, they don't have places they want to return to, if such a place existed for them at all. It's clear that Low still clings to certain stereotypical indicators of childhood, like playing with toys, drawing out his thoughts and (somewhat) untainted optimism. I’d initially assumed he was a bit older than Mono and Six because of his height, but I later started questioning how young he was actually supposed to be, thanks to the "Dreams On Paper" trailer. Low could be the same age as them, but if not, that means he’s not yet ready to grow out of that phase of life, as opposed to other characters who were forced to grow up faster. His character design and actions reflect this in a way that stands apart from the other kids.
[I think Mono is an exception, or maybe more of an in-between. He and Low both deal with a similar conflict: running away from their problems until they can't run anymore, and accept that they have to face the problem head-on. But until that turning point, Mono remains largely resigned to the idea of the world hating him, while Low continuously strives to return to the place he belongs.]
Worth noting that what ALL the game protagonists have in common are their obscured faces. It's a recurring motif that Tarsier has used since the beginning and likes to utilize into all their stories in different ways, to the point that people see it as an element of their personal brand. It makes sense that future LN works would keep up the trend, given that it's equally part of this one series' identity, but use it for a unique purpose that differs from Tarsier's current usage of it.
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This all isn't to say that LN3 abandoned the worldbuilding and social commentary, though. Low is still part of a collective like, say, Runaway was. He's one of many kids whose fears helped construct the Nowhere from the ground up. But unlike the rest of the gang, the way that Low carves out his unique identity is not that closely tied to the games' locations. (Except for the final chapter, but we'll get to that.) LN3's story centers more on his personal trauma, his journey, his friendship with Alone.
For the most part, Low and Alone traverse through different loosely connected landscapes that, while still grand, don't have any hard connections to either character. And I believe this is on purpose. As I wrote in a previous analysis, these locations don't need to be connected to Low's character, because he has one key reason to visit them: the mirrors. His primary goal in each location is to keep search for the mirror hidden within and take the next step towards the Waking World. (The other big reason for going on this journey is for the journey itself, which I believe is Alone's primary motivation.) And I may be reading into it too deep here, but I think this way of navigating Nowhere is a reflection of his severe depression. Living with the illness is often described as "going through the motions" so to speak: chasing the next high, looking for the next material thing that'll bring you temporary solace, days passing by until they all blur together but don't feel very cohesive. And Low only stays in one particular place as long as he needs to check another item off the list and then move on.
This pattern repeats for a few chapters until everything changes in chapter 4, the conflicts of which directly arise from Low's medical trauma. Low was subjected to institutional abuse in the CoPI, which he crossed into the Nowhere in order to escape from. But some semblance of that trauma ended up following him. The Nowhere's version Institute, which Low presumably broke out of later and is most intimately tied to his past, is ironically where the one mirror he actually needed was being kept all along. So until he faces his past head-on, he can't return home.
This is why I think the game doesn't have an overarching "main" antagonist. Low spends most of the game away from the Institute, running in circles, only to be dragged back to it to confront his fears. If he and Alone hadn't crash-landed on the shores outside the building, he may have just kept on running, either due to unknowing ignorance or complete denial. But he's instead forced to confront the Hypnotist, the manifestation of his past abuse, in order to get his ticket out of the nightmare and begin to move on.
Once Low returns to the waking world, he can begin to grow up, learn to live with his trauma and proceed towards a better life. But unfortunately, growing up doesn't come without leaving a few things behind. He sheds his mask, his cape, his delusions of grandeur. And after losing his best friend as he knew her, another piece of his innocence is gone.
Looked through my drafts and saw that I never posted this piece?? Atp it's like 2-3 years old but I still really like it. Technically it's rotten by now.
Seeing the color-difference of the tumblr background and the average tone of the piece, tells me once again that I use way too dark colors. ( I wrote that 2 years ago...)
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