The Nowhere

An "atlas" of the Nowhere seen in the School in Little Nightmares II. It is unknown whether this is all of the Nowhere or only a part of it.

## Geographical Information

### Inhabitants

Residents
Animals
Nomes

## General Information

### Appearances

*Little Nightmares* (franchise)

**The Nowhere** is the universe in which the *Little Nightmares* series takes place. It is a physical world only accessible through dreams.

## Description

The Nowhere is a world filled with nightmarish places and inhabitants. From buildings to food, the world's environment and items are incredibly large in size and scale.

In this world, equally gigantic human-like beings known as "Residents" exist as predatory monsters that kidnap small children that are unfortunate enough to end up in their world. Many of them are grotesque and monstrous, with inhuman abilities, body proportions, and other nightmarish features. The Residents are aggressive and their behavior is primarily instinctual or desire driven to a twisted degree. Even the animals in this world are larger than children and can be just as dangerous. While Residents show hostility to even each other and the lands of the world are largely decrepit, there is a sort of society that operates within it and even possesses its own language.

### Transportation

To travel to the Nowhere, one must first dream in order to reach the Threshold, the space between the waking world and the Nowhere. Within the Threshold resides a door to the Nowhere. However, the door is guarded by the Ferryman. If the Ferryman permits a person passage, he will not only guide them through the Threshold, but also through the door where they will see numerous stairs and a giant pulsing red eye the size of a moon, circled by shining blinking eyes of every shape and size, before finally crossing into the Nowhere. Upon crossing over, the physical body will disappear from the human world into the Nowhere to complete the transition. In *The Lonely Way*, the Ferryman reveals there is another way to cross into the Nowhere.

### Requirements

Only a special kind of tormented child is able to travel to the Nowhere with more ease and permitted to receive aid from the Ferryman to guide them. Although visitors to the Nowhere are primarily meant to be children, it is possible for adults to receive permission to cross over.

### Repercussions

While some visitors are initially permitted to stay in the Nowhere for a short period of time before being returned to their original place of origin, others can remain trapped within the Nowhere for years. However, the primary objective is to have visitors stay within the Nowhere permanently through any means necessary. Any visitors who spend too long a time within the Nowhere will gradually lose parts of themselves and even suffer an obscure form of memory loss, losing memories that are both in regards to themselves as well as anyone they knew.

## Locations

### Locations in games

* The Maw
	+ The Prison
	+ The Lair
	+ The Kitchen
	+ The Guest Area
	+ The Lady's Quarters/The Residence
	+ The Depths
	+ The Hideaway
* The Nest
* The Pale City
	+ The Wilderness
	+ The School
	+ The Hospital
	+ The Transmission
* The Spiral
	+ The Necropolis
	+ The Fun Fair
	+ The Factory

### Locations in other medias

* The Guests' City
* The Grasslands
* The Abandoned House
* The Burning Building
* The Stone Giant
* The Bathhouse
* The Shopping Mall
* The Carnival
* The Sewer
* The Clothing Room

## Theories

* A recurring eye motif exists within the Nowhere, from the eye-shaped mechanisms, or as symbols found in paintings or drawings throughout the games, leaving speculations that the Residents and the children are constantly being watched.

## Trivia

* The world of *Little Nightmares* was originally not given a name. It was only until when *Little Nightmares III* was announced was **The Nowhere** revealed to be its name.
	+ Before the name the Nowhere was revealed, the *Little Nightmares* games were set in "dark places" according to Bandai Namco's website. However, in some translations such as the Spanish one, the term "La Nada" (which translates to Nothing or Nowhere) is used instead of "dark places". Other translations such as the Italian and French ones use names such as "Il Nulla" and "Le Néant" to identify the world of *Little Nightmares* rather than "dark places."
* Before its name was revealed, the Nowhere was described as "a distorted place that lives somewhere between dreams and reality". Through interviews and other hints from the franchise, the nature of the Nowhere has been alludes many times:
	+ According Dave Mervik, he stated that "All the children come from...They don't belong in this world" and that there is a "reason" why the children are in the Nowhere, linked to "Something that happened before in their lives that made them a good 'fit' for *Little Nightmares*."
	+ When questioned who built structures such as the the Transmission, senior narrative designer Dave Mervik states, *"The world of Little Nightmares doesn't work that way, creatures and places exist for a reason. In the first game, The Maw exists because the hunger exists, and here, The Signal Tower exists because the need for escapism exists."*
	+ In a promotional video for *Little Nightmares II*, Darren Brown describes nightmares as "the influence of an external, malevolent force" .
	+ In Chapter 4 of *The Sounds of Nightmares*, Noone describes the Nowhere as a place that is and isn't.
		- Noone states the places she has seen are not necessarily parts of a bigger world, but as levels to a single building. All the places she has seen are all connected to each other, yet they do not work together.
	+ In Chapter 4 of *The Sounds of Nightmares*, Noone reveals the world of Nowhere is physically real as she has been able to, touch, feel, hear, smell and sense a presence from those she meets as well as a presence from the environment itself. Her body additionally reacting to everything and everyone around her.
* In Chapter 4 of *The Sounds of Nightmares*, the Counsellor states there is a veil preventing him from seeing the Nowhere.
	+ The Counsellor states the Ferryman is evident of an existing connection between his world and the Nowhere, one he can find for himself in order to cross over.
* In Chapter 5 of *The Sounds of Nightmares*, it is stated that the Ferryman has been a myth among various cultures for many centuries. This could mean the Nowhere has existed for a very long time, long before any of the games take place.
* It is unknown if certain technologies like televisions were always a part of the Nowhere, or if its technology advanced alongside the real world.
* In Chapter 6 of *The Sounds of Nightmares* when the Counsellor begs the Ferryman to let him into the Nowhere, he says: "Too long in the tooth. I feed the spectrum's other end". The Ferryman means Otto is too old to enter the Nowhere, and he only takes children.
	+ The Ferryman, however, hints at another way to cross the Threshold and enter the Nowhere, stating that a quarter will be granted after a toll is paid.

## References

1. ↑ https://www.gamerbraves.com/little-nightmares-iii-will-have-a-friend-pass-says-producer-coralie-feniello/
2. ↑ https://en.bandainamcoent.eu/little-nightmares?\_gl=1\*7o3f1z\*\_gcl\_au\*MjA5MDA0NjE1NS4xNjkyNzMwMzc1
3. ↑ https://es.bandainamcoent.eu/little-nightmares?\_gl=1\*1o41epo\*\_gcl\_au\*MjA5MDA0NjE1NS4xNjkyNzMwMzc1
4. ↑ https://it.bandainamcoent.eu/little-nightmares?\_gl=1\*1l1rwim\*\_gcl\_au\*MjA5MDA0NjE1NS4xNjkyNzMwMzc1
5. ↑ https://fr.bandainamcoent.eu/little-nightmares?\_gl=1\*15fd04b\*\_gcl\_au\*MjA5MDA0NjE1NS4xNjkyNzMwMzc1
6. ↑ https://tarsier.se/games/little-nightmares-2/
7. ↑ Little Nightmares II’s Writer On How To Make A Scary Video Game
8. ↑ https://www.gamingbible.com/features/games-little-nightmares-2-ending-explained-writer-confirms-prequel-20210311
9. ↑ Little Nightmares II - Nightmares Explained with Derren Brown

**The Nowhere**
 **Chapters**
 **Comic-exclusive**
 ***The Sounds of Nightmares***
The Counties • The Stone Giant • The Bathhouse • The Shopping Mall • The Carnival • The Sewer • The Clothing Room • The Threshold