wyldemoon

[wyldemoon]

Here is the first post. The next one (of this type) will be going over Overture. Spoilers for the base game.

Rosa Isabelle Street:

This area is my favorite. I wish it was longer. I love its interpretation. of the Land of Toys from the original story and I think it is a great conclusion to the puppet frenzy story line. Its the bloodiest area in -my opinion- and really reflects how hard this area was hit by the puppet frenzy.

My favorite portion is the opera house. The design is stunning. The red carpets contrast well with the white walls and gold and brown accents. It exudes wealth and opulence. I find it to be an interesting take on the Land of Toys, but I'll be talking about that in a different post.

It introduces new puppet enemies so its not stale. I do not understand why they would have spider women for opera singers, but I think they are neat. The music is gorgeous. Its simple, yet so haunting, I always turn the volume up when I first open the doors.

I want to talk about the bosses separately, so I won't go into the King of Puppets and Romeo here, but he's one of my favorite bosses.

Lorenzini Arcade / Grand Exhibition:

This isn't my favorite area, I'm not going to lie. When I first played it, I didn't like it. At all. I hated the platforming and the drill puppets (in the Grand Exhibition). Once I figured the area out, I grew to be very neutral about it. Its fun, but its not the area I prefer to spend a lot of time in. Its not forgettable, but its not memorable. For me, its always been a bridge between the beginning and end of the game and I think it serves this purpose just fine.

Beyond that, Lorenzini Arcade just stresses me out lol. I feel genuine dread when I reach the one jester puppet. I am not afraid of clowns. But I am of this one. His design and laughs are fantastic. And that's why I hate him. The distorted music that plays when leave the Arcade makes me feel deeply uncomfortable. I also, hate it. I can never get inside fast enough.

With the Grand Exhibition, while it similarly isn't my favorite area, I like how we meet Laxasia, Simon Manus, and get to see what the alchemists are actually planning. Plus, I think its a fun take on the World's Fair.

Barren Swamp:

This place is fine. I always forget the path to take and I end up lost lol.

There isn't a lot for me to say here. It is the soulslike poison swamp. You cannot call yourself one without it.

One thing I find it interesting, is that its implied that everyone knows about this place, but refuses to talk about it. Its an illegal dumping ground, but people still dump faulty and broken puppets. No one acknowledges it.

Krat Central Station:

I love the re-use of the train station and the Parade Master. It gives perspective on how the story has changed (going from the primary focus being the puppet frenzy to the alchemists and the petrification disease). All the puppets we fought in beginning are now horribly mutated. And there are now alchemists and carcasses in addition to the puppets. I like to imagine some of the carcasses we see are people who didn't make it to Hotel Krat.

Then there is an escalation. Things were bad in the station, however the collapsed street is far worse. I love how the overgrown kroud deposits that have tore through the streets and buildings, leaving this area of Krat well and destroyed. It adds a level of urgency, in a way. The alchemists are furthering their plans. Simon Manus is growing more powerful. There is not much time left.

Relic of Trismegistus:

There isn't much to be said here. Its a short area meant to connect the hotel to the Alchemist's Isle.

I saw reason to believe it might have been a proper area here. In one of my last posts, I mentioned how the physical relation between the Zelator Labs and the Relic of Trismegistus. Looking at what this person found, I think its very intriguing how similar the labs look to this.

Arche Abbey:

This is my other favorite area with Rosa Isabelle Street.

Its so vast and is the most stressful area for me. Especially the first portion. The Broken Elevator part makes me feel like adrenaline and fear were injected directly into my veins. Mostly because of the dreaded jester puppet.

I find it very climactic. Its giant and dark and old. I don't know how to describe the aesthetic, but I'm in love with it. When I first got there, I could my blood pressure raise. Not out of stress, but out of excitement to make the final climb. I still feel that way. I think its a great ending area.

I mentioned Rosa Isabelle Street being a take on the Land of Toys, and I think Arch Abbey is the same. Both represent it but in two different ways. Again, different post.

Everything has finally come together and all you have to do is defeat Manus and save whats left of Krat. When I first played the game, I knew of the Nameless Puppet but I didn't know anything about him. After I killed Manus and started the ride down to under the abyss, I remember feeling something I can only describe as excited dread. It was great lol

[wyldemoon]

Tiktok's censorship of words like rape, kill, murder, abortion etc. etc. as well as censoring hard to hear topics, over the past few years has deeply contributed to the sanitisation of the internet and therefore directly resulted in the birth of "fandom purists" and the destruction of old fandom culture (the death of "don't like, don't read", "ship and let ship" mindsets as well as safe spaces for dark and "immoral"/unethical storytelling i.e "dead dove: do not eat") in a way that has fundamentally changed the mindsets of people who are new to fandom spaces and now view these such topics as wildly inappropriate for any social space as well as deeming anyone who is intrigued by them narratively or creatively as "immoral" and a bad person. In this essay I will

[wyldemoon]

I finished Overture again and there is something I noticed about the Zelator Labs and Trismegistus.

They are effectively in the same space, right?

Both are accessed directly though and are beneath Hotel Krat. But something I find a little confusing is how they are both beneath the hotel.

There's a few possibilities as to how this is:

The labs were built under Trismegistus.

The labs were built over Trismegistus.

The labs were built into Trismegistus.

The labs could have been built to the side of Trismegistus, But I'll rule this out due to how Trismegistus and the labs are accessed through the same elevator.

I'm not quite sure how it works, but I think its interesting nonetheless. Last I checked, Trismegistus is the ruins from the ancient civilization that was there before Krat. So Trismegistus has to have been there longer than the alchemists. This means the labs are comparatively recent.

So where were the labs built?

Let me know your thoughts, I'm curious!

[wyldemoon]

Karl Hussow - "The Old Man's Treasure" (1876)

[wyldemoon]

dlc made me go insane

[wyldemoon]

[wyldemoon]

I think one thing I've realized about why Lies of P's ending hits so hard is because it's essentially a test, both of your mechanical skills in the fight against the Nameless Puppet and your understanding of the themes and ideas the game is presenting to you in your choice to give up your heart or not.

Because when the game offers you the choice, it's essentially asking you: Do you trust Gepetto despite all the red flags you've uncovered? Are you going to be obedient and good and follow the rules, even when you've seen the harm and damage that blind obedience can cause? Do you still see yourself as nothing more then a puppet, an object, a vessel, for the 'true' Carlo? And are you willing to give up everything you've gained along the way in service to becoming 'a real boy', or following your maker's (father's) wishes?

Or have you learned to think for yourself? Have you learned to mistrust the good intentions of your supposed creator? Have you learned that the rules are fallible because fallible men made them, and sometimes the right thing is to lie, or to kill, or to disobey? Have you realized that, weather you are Carlo in a new shell or a new creature entirely, your life has value? Do you understand that you don't need to be made 'real', you already are- your pain and your joy and your connections make you real, make you human, regardless of if your heart is clockwork or flesh? That the gift of creation, the gift of humanity, is the ability to say no, to defy, to choose your own path, not just the one your creator (father) laid out for you?

Anyways Lies of P is an amazing videogame and everyone should play it send tumble.

[wyldemoon]

I am in love with the environments. They are so well done. Even the ones I hate, I love. I have a lot to say about each area and you're going to listen.

In this post I'll be going over the environments from chapters I to V. The next one will be VI to XI. I'll do Overture eventually.

(This is going to be my longest post yet lol)

Spoilers, I guess.

Cersani Alley:

Its short, simple, and a great introduction into the game. P wakes up in a random train care, grabs a lamp in a mysterious pool of blood, you open the door and the first thing you see is a corpse at your feet. Its silent, the only things cutting through that being the rain and groaning of the puppets.

All the bodies, the carriages, suitcases, and blood set you up perfectly for what is happening. You don't need to be told the puppets are killing everyone, it shows you through the environment. You see the bloodied red-eyed puppets and the bodies. One of my favorite bits is when you find the note warning about a puppet killing people and when you look over the balcony you see a police puppet bludgeoning corpses.

Elysion Boulevard:

A great continuation of Cersani Alley. Its dark, broken down, and it is very red. Windows are broken, doors are boarded shut, and many of the street lights are broken. The pools of blood add a lot to the atmosphere. In the cinematic after you kill Mad Donkey, the way P looks at his blood covered hand and then the slow pan up to see his face and the turn to face Geppetto is so good. The thing that stood out to me the most in this area (and Cersani Alley) is the clear evidence of people having tried to escape. You see so many carriages, horses, and cases. You can tell from the environment people desperately tried to escape but ultimately failed.

Venigni Works:

This isn't my favorite area, but I still adore it. I really like that we get to see where all the puppets are coming from. I think the artists nailed the "Late Victorian Factory" aesthetic. You can clearly see work hazards and OSHA violations.

Venigni is a gem. He is such a strange man and I love him for it. I love how he talks about Polendina and Fuoco. He talks about Fuoco as though he were a human, which is an interesting contrast as he is one of the least human looking enemies in the game. The Fox and Cat make a good introduction. They thought Venigni's request was cringy and abandoned him for it. Cat immediately tries to scam you. Fox just stands there and stares at you. They don't even try to help if you fight the Puppet of the Future, they just watch.

Lastly there is Arlecchino. I hate him, but damn if he isn't charming. He's this weird guy who calls you at random to ask you a riddle, monologues, then gives you some key before leaving without any explanation. Last thing to note, we first meet Arlecchino in the same place we meet Venigni. I'm not sure if there is anything to that, but its interesting nonetheless.

St. Frangelico Cathedral:

I hated this are in my first play through. I kept getting knocked off by the carcasses and falling to my death. Once I got passed them I'd inevitably get run over by the giant electricity balls and or slammed by the carcass(es). Overall, it was a very negative experience. But once I figured out how it works and how to manage it, I started to really enjoy it. Its still not my favorite area but I love the lore behind it. The cathedral is rather recent. You can see the scaffolding where there was still more to be built.

I think the introduction to the carcasses is great. You're fighting puppets one minute and the next... blue zombies. There's no explanation. No transition. You're just thrown at one. And then several more. In case anyone was wondering,

The bridge leading up to the cathedral is beautiful. The mountains surround the towering cathedral and the spires that transition upwards to the pale blue sky with pink tinted clouds. It all so beautiful. A great contrast to the corpses, carcasses, and puppets that

Malum District:

I like how rundown and old the slums look. Elysion Boulevard, while bloody and broken, still looks new and shiny compared to the Malum District. The wealth is obvious. If Gemini or Geppetto didn't say anything about this place, you would still be able to tell this is the slums. I feel like this is one of the areas where there isn't any survivors, same goes for the Cathedral. I think that adds a lot to the area. It almost feels hopeless. You could salvage Elysion Boulevard, Venigni Works, maybe Rosa Isabelle Street... but the Malum District?

My favorite part of this place is the Red Lobster Inn, without a doubt. The music softly plays as you enter the inn illuminated by the moonlight. Streaks of blood and carcass fluid are smeared across the floor and walls. Corpses of humans and carcasses lie on the floor. Not to mention the poster we find that had notes from Carlo and Romeo. Its so haunting. Its my favorite place to grind because of its atmosphere (its mostly the music for me).

[wyldemoon]

Harald Slott-Møller - "Night scene with boats"

[wyldemoon]

Mauritz Frederik Hendrick De Haas - "Nocturnal with barque at full sail"

[wyldemoon]

Hans Fredrik Gude - "The Strait by Malmøkalven" (1875)

[wyldemoon]

drew some Lies of P characters being attacked by geese

[wyldemoon]

(Spoilers for Overture and main game)

Ive been going through Overture again and I just defeated the Anguished Guardian and I was thinking about how Carlo died.

Ive seen people theorize that when Carlo got the letter to go into the mines, he went and it was an assassination attempt to get back at Geppetto. It was successful and the petrification disease was a cover up. I personally don't care if he died via the alchemist direct involvement (active assassination) or was simply collateral (victim of the incident). That being said I love the idea it was an assassination.

A few people have posited that the alchemists used the letter to lure Carlo to the deepest part of the mines to where the Anguished Guardian would be, who would subsequently kill him and it would be covered up. Personally, I don't adhere to this idea just on the basis that the Guardian seems rather fond of crushing and death rays, and Lea says she held his face after he died, and that doesn't quite compute in my head (also how would one cover up getting crushed with illness). However, I still like it. That interpretation paints a vivid image in my head:

The darkness of the mines as Carlo walks deeper and deeper into the mines. The large metal door screeching open and the vastness of the empty room, a massive cocoon hanging from the ceiling tied with chains. The realization as whats happening dawns on him. The growing horror as the Guardian descends from the cocoon. The helplessness as he cannot take the creature on, maybe he tries assuming he brought a weapon with him, but ultimately fails. A sword can only do so much and if he didn't have a weapon... I can only imagine him desperately trying to escape. Banging on the doors, trying to climb the walls, maybe he fights back with loose stones. Maybe its instant and he doesn't have the chance to try.

Its very hopeless, almost Lovecraftian.

My thought is that he was ambushed by alchemists, rather than the Guardian. They lured him deep into the mines, still likely where the Anguished Guardian is, and they either killed him beforehand and made it look like the petrification disease or killed him with the petrification disease. I lean more towards the latter, but I like both ideas.

I think this is such a fascinating thought as we are given little to no answers as to what happened (if Carlo actually went, if it was a targeted attack, how it happened, why, etc...). But I think that makes it so interesting. That is as equally plausible as Carlo having died during the Rose Estate incident.

[wyldemoon]

Executor’s cry

[wyldemoon]

I never noticed this!

Its plausible that in an early version of the story, we would've had to save Romeo from Markiona rather than Arlecchino (and maybe even fight her instead?).

Markiona says "I thought... I had no rival beyond Lea... It should have been the two of us... locked in a fight to the death..." when you kill her. And Lea is after Markiona before she finds out what happened to Romeo. So maybe there was history between them and Markiona was the one who kidnapped Romeo when he went to the zoo as a means of getting back at Lea for something.

I've been digging around and I haven't found anything yet that gives any insight into this, but its clear we're not getting answers to everything so I suppose we aren't going to know lol This is all conjecture, of course. But its a fun to mull around.

Plot wise, did they intend on Romeo getting captured by Markiona? Because the location of his scythe would change to the bar in the savanna map.

[wyldemoon]

Okay but I've been thinking of Overture mainly as the epilogue to the Rise of P ending.

But consider. Oveture as an epilogue/fix it/redemption for the Real Boy Carlo.

Real Boy Carlo getting the chance to slip beyond the bounds of Krat, beyond his father's control and empty clockwork prison. Getting the chance to see the truth of the past, not the sanitized mythologized lies Gepetto told him. To mend bridges with Gemini. To realize, oh, I was loved- by Romeo, by Lea, by Rosaura, Antonia, by Sophia. To realize oh, Gepetto failed me, this isn't love, this is guilt and shame and fear and control.

To grow his own humanity. To pull at the puppet strings.

To mourn P. Mourn Carlo. To wrestle with the horrible monstrous reality of what he's done to those he loved best.

To think, I'm an abomination, a simulacrum, a monster, but I can change it, I can change it, I can change it.

To face down Arlecchino thinking, this will be the end of me, I will unwrite the crime of my own existence.

To wake up in future and know, he failed, know why.

To be waiting for Gepetto's return, to exact justice for those who where murdered in the name of his creation.

[wyldemoon]

I still haven’t recovered from the Brain in a Vat quest 😵‍💫