“If you really want to see Mary again” message (possibly) solved

[The Adversary]

I always thought there was something more to the second message James comes across in Neely's Bar.

If you really want to see Mary,
you should just die.

But you might be heading to
a different place than Mary, James.

Of note, of course, is the seemingly random capitalization. This has always kinda haunted me in that the book House of Leaves is loaded with hidden messages in how it's presented, so much so that Johnny Truant, Pelafina's son, receives encoded letters from her like this.

And I think I just solved this one.

The capitalized letters in the above message are as follows:

I R L E E M O U D E B Y I E N A E M A R Y J S

At first I thought this was an impossible task because how are we supposed to know whether the first letters of pronouns should be used, such as the M in Mary, or J in James.

I didn't get far with that.

But using every letter, it leaves a clear message.

Be real, Mary. I need you. -James

or, conversely,

Be real, James. I need you. -Mary

Either way, it’s kind of huge.

There is a slight caveat to this: There is an 'I' leftover. However, I take that as not using the 'I' in 'If,' because it is written differently than the capitalized 'I' in 'mIght.' Additionally, it's hard to tell if the 'S' in 'James' is capitalized, though it looks as if it is.

Regardless, I'm absolutely positive this is not a coincidence or a case of pareidolia.

[KiramidHead]

It's cool that we can still find new things in the game after so much time has passed.

[The Adversary]

What I think is significant about this is that it could be a message to James from Mary. There was a brief conversation in the Discord about Mary’s involvement in the Otherworld (one that I’ve been suggesting for years), and how Mary felt guilt for how she treated James toward the end of her life.

Meaning Mary, or her spirit, much like Ernest, may also still be in town, and able to communicate with others.

[WaffleMaker]

The Whalestoe Letters are the best part of that book. Moved me so much I phoned my mom immediately after reading it and told her I loved her lol

[Herr Shaun]

Your posts absolutely astonish me Tom. I wish I could do the kind of deep dives you do. The only thing that bugs me about this one is: does the Japanese version have similar wordplay going on? Is this just for us English speakers?

[The Adversary]

Your posts absolutely astonish me Tom. I wish I could do the kind of deep dives you do. The only thing that bugs me about this one is: does the Japanese version have similar wordplay going on? Is this just for us English speakers?

Hey thanks! Just one of those things I'm pretty good at, I guess.

As for the Japanese version: That I wouldn't be sure of. However, as far as I know, the Japanese version is all in English outside of subtitles, so the on-screen reading may have the same emphases. Burning Man may have a better answer.

[Burning Man]

>As for the Japanese version: That I wouldn't be sure of. However, as far as I know, the Japanese version is all in English outside of subtitles, so the on-screen reading may have the same emphases. Burning Man may have a better answer.

That's correct. In-game texture is in English in any version. The Japanese subtitle does read as a normal sentence. No particular emphasis. The Japanese language doesn't really have a concept of capitalization. Hiragana is sometimes replaced by equivalent Katakana to give an otherworld-ly feeling, but it's not done here.

[Chris Sunderland]

Your posts absolutely astonish me Tom. I wish I could do the kind of deep dives you do. The only thing that bugs me about this one is: does the Japanese version have similar wordplay going on? Is this just for us English speakers?

Hey thanks! Just one of those things I'm pretty good at, I guess.

I watch a ton of SH related YouTube videos and people use your timeline all the time and I don't think you've been credited once.

[The Adversary]

>I watch a ton of SH related YouTube videos and people use your timeline all the time and I don't think you've been credited once.<
I'm entirely not surprised.