#minikin

I get the implications that he based his current business model on the Maw, which explains why he is a fan of The lady, yet the implications that he took all her belongings after her death, recorded her voice and might be the owner of that one apartment in pale city are insane.

Is interesting commentary, The Lady was an awful person, but she worked hard to make the Maw a renown place and her real self was a very reserved person, that got enraged when her privacy was compromised (Six and RK intruding in her quarters).

I’m under the impression that her personal belongings and voice are now being used as cheap attractions, she must be rolling on her grave.

The Tower being there as well is very funny too. No one really knows or is aware of the Thin man aside from the children? It seems like only the outside of the tower and the transmission/Tvs are known.

Is so interesting and ironic that The person who was so desperate for connection and companionship (Thin man) is completely unkown aside from what he is able to give to society: entertainment. But people know of the Transmission/Tower not the person behind it.

The Lady was a very private person in real life. But her success made her known by many even though not many people got to know the person behind the mask. The downside is that her privacy and legacy got disrespected after her death. She was so desperate to control how she was perceived too, only to have her possessions and voice to be stolen and displayed, alas.

(Following this post)

I wouldn't go that far as to say they are the ones responsible for the eye spying in her room -- we know the Maw operates independently from mankind, so I'd wager the security system was there long before either Kin or the Lady herself even existed -- but at the end of the day, isn't what he did the same in essence?

I completely agree with you that the Lady is undoubtedly evil and despicable, but this dude... something about him is so... slimy. Probably because his is a much more familiar picture.

I've touched on gender in Little Nightmares before and how the Lady is the essential rappresentation of what womanhood is in this universe. She presents a poised image of a woman to be revered and adored: she is THE woman, after all. THE Lady. Who better than her can rappresent the feminine ideal? But by pursuing "womanhood", she lost her personhood. This is her greatest plight. However, one of her many characteristics is being resourceful: if this forceful isolation is something she must endure, then so be it. Instead of suffering for it, she's turned it into a refuge.

(... the fact that her main power entails the ability to get lost in the shadows and hide within a crowd of mannequins that look just like her is NOT lost on me...)

As you've said, the Lady is a private person. She likes to mind her business and not be disturbed. Better yet, most of the time, she would rather not being perceived at all. Every time she's shown to us in the games she's either minding her business away from the crowd or actively leaving the function.

Her position as the Lady of the Maw goes against this desire of hers, however: she is nothing if not perceived and scrutinised at all times. The Maw is everywhere and so is she. There is an item referencing her directly in every single game thus far. She was put in a position where she became not only the Maw's mascot, but the Nowhere's, too. Her ambition has brought her immense success, but it has also caught the eye of the outside world she so fiercely tries to avoid, one she doesn't understand.

And even then, when she's the most important person in the Maw (and arguably a relevant figure in the whole of the Nowhere), she still remains a cog in the machine. She is expendable. Replaceable. And her image, no matter how much she tries to control it, can be used however one wishes, because it's not the woman behind it the world cares about - it's the concept which she rappresents.

To the world and even to the Maw, she's an object. Quite literally, considering the consistent presence of statuettes made in her likeness...

(The achievement you get once you break all the Lady statuettes in the Carnevale. There's 10, apparently. The name of this achievement refers to what I was saying about her being everywhere in the Nowhere -- but also in the Carnevale itself.)

... Which brings me to Kin, and whatever he's got going on with her.

Putting the two side by side, it's not hard to see the similarities at all. Both are prolific business owners with several underlings all working together to keep the charade going, exploiting children as active parts of the "machine" as either workers, food or performers, figuratively and literally feeding off their guests. Even the imagery of broken mirrors and Kin's brutal disposal of the nome is a callback to the Lady's modus operandi.

The vital difference between them is their depth, or lack there of.

Because, simply put, Kin is what the Lady appears to be at first glance. There is no facade with him. He's a vain, egotistical, self obsessed man who profits off of the talents of others because he has none of his own -- and that's all he is.

Everything he has built, he has stolen from someplace else. He put his (and Minikin's) face on it, sure, but without the business model he stole from someone else and the hard work of his employees, he'd be nothing. And I think on some level he is aware of this.

(From episode four of The Sound of Nightmares.)

We know from this same episode that the man (as a whole, so both him and little "ego" puppet) is prone to envy and jealousy. Because of the rather strong split between Minikin and Kin, however, I want to throw a leg out and say that this specific situation may be more complex. There is far too much direct Lady memorabilia for it to be a simple case of envy, though I do think that it plays an important role.

In his hands, she's reduced to an object in it's most basic definition. She's a dressed mannequin he can keep in his collection; she's a broken statuette he could salvage. She's a figurine he can buy, lose and break over and over again. Hell, she's even a disembodied voice he can choose to listen to whenever he desires.

(There IS a point to be made here about how this might not be a recording but a radio station, which I think only exacerbates just how easily her life is pried into for the entratainment of the Nowhere, but the point stands.)

In the business world, they could be considered as two colleagues by virtue of being in the same field, that being entratainment. One where she is infinitely more successful than him, but also one where she is objectified far more than he will ever be. Especially now that she's gone and cannot do or say anything about it.

At the end of the day, this is nothing if not a display of cowardice from a mediocre man who could never shine on his own. Kin can comfortably be "inspired by" (read: plagarize) her without having to degrade himself as someone "inferior". She is put in a position where she physically cannot threaten him and his fragile ego.

Behind a great man is always a great woman, right? (Eugh)

With this in mind, I think of the place where the game forces you to find a Lady statuette...

... and how she's quite literally surrounded by visibly female mannequins. Objects in the shape of a woman.

(Five, and an ambiguous one that doesn't fit in... haha... ladies theorists... hahahahah...)

The same mannequins can also be found backstage on the very same stage Kin and Minikin are forcing children to perform. These mannequins have a practical reason to be here, see as the Seamstress is still lurking around somewhere within the location -- these are most likely hers -- but I think the symbolism here is far more interesting... especially because this guy just... really doesn't seem to be normal about women. Like in general.

(?????????????????????)

To conclude this on a more amusing note... While the references to Thin Man are... admittedly nonexistent (as they should be! Him being ignored is the point!), I will actually point out this scene down here:

While not a direct callback... I suppose you could argue it's meant to be... SOMETHING.

But it is sort of tragically funny that even someone like Kin, who leeches off of others and their talents, would not take an interest in him.

Public release of an old Patreon piece, my redesign of the Mini-Kin from LN3. I'm not exactly a 100% fan of his zombie-like appearance in the game so I combined his bulgy appearance from the painting and his lanky body from the concept art with the sunken eyes from his canon appearance. I also gave him a blue tie to contrast the Kin's red one.  mmmmmmm feral stick leg old man pookie

I've been thinking that maybe I'm (alter-specific) fairykin

only about an 3 inches tall. Like the size of a calico critter. I'd like to make a little mini bedroom to imagine myself in :] I wanna figure out what my wings look like too!!

I’m unable to read the name of the artist and would appreciate help finding them. I wanted to ask them permission to write a fanfic inspired by it, and credit them, but I’ve had no luck in my search.