Shout Out / Love Nikki - Dress Up Queen

Anime & Manga

• The evolved form of the "Miss Jellyfish" dress is called Princess Jellyfish.
• The description for the "Sailor Suit" top reads that it "reminds Nikki of the time when she watched Sailor Moon."
• The description for the "Snow White Kitty" dress reads "What will Nikki look like if she costumes herself as Doraemon?"

Classical Art

• The Western Treasure dress is almost identical to the gown worn by the queen in Edmund Leighton's 1901 painting The Accolade◊.
• The Grace dress is identical to the gown worn by Marie Antoinette in the painting Marie Antoinette in a Muslin Dress◊ by Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun.
• The Pigeon Manor dress and Her Majesty coat are lifted directly from an 1890's tea gown designed by Charles Frederick Worth/ the House of Worth.
• The Stars in Thorny Night suit contains a ground item, "Endless Performance", which is decorated with dead branches and a melting clock — a shout-out to Salvador Dalí's painting "The Persistence of Memory".

Fairy Tales

• In order to dispel the effects of the "Sleep" skill, a player must use the "True Love" skill - a reference to Sleeping Beauty, where true love's first kiss breaks the enchantment on the sleeping princess.

Cinderella

Cinderella receives several shout-outs:

• The fairy tale is referenced by several in-game mechanics:
  • Crystal Shoes and Crystal Shoe Shards are one of the currencies used in the pavilions, and can be exchanged for a limited selection of exclusive items in the "Room of Cinderella" attached to the Pavilions of Mystery and Fantasy.
  • The "Clock" skill unequips an opponent's shoes for a short period of time. Several NPCs reference Cinderella when they make use of the skill — opponents Bobo, Timi, and Mela directly reference "Cinderella's crystal shoes" when they use the Clock skill against the player. Additionally, the "Clock" attack can be rebuffed by using the "Cinderella" skill, which redirects the attack towards the one who first cast it.
• There's a pair of shoes called "Cinderella's Clock" which reference both the above-mentioned equipable "Clock" skill and the fairy tale. Their description reads "Crystal high-heels are not exclusive to Cinderella. Nikki, when did you acquire this skill?"
• Chapter 2, Stage S1 is called "Cinderella's Sister." The opponent is a member of the theater troupe performing the show "Romeo and Cinderella."

• The "Disney Fairytale Event" of 2020 included a "Cinderella" suit that showcased the dress, hairstyle, and pumpkin carriage of Cinderella in the Disney animated film.

• The recharge suit "Crystal Lunar Song" references the Cinderella fairy tale. The item descriptions tell the story of an orphan girl who works as a servant to support herself. She receives the miraculous gift of moonlight threads that she uses to create a design for a competition, winning a set of "Crystal Slippers" as her prize. Some items in the set include:
  • "Moonlit Slumber" - a white dress embroidered with a horse drawn carriage and roman numerals. "She lost the protection and love of her family after her parents died and had to work as a servant to stay alive."
  • "Clair Invitation" - a wistful makeup. "The design school competition is tomorrow. She has nothing to make a dress with and is doomed to miss it."
  • "Moonlit Heart" - earrings that resemble a pumpkin. "Moonlight falls on her face like a gentle reply. She lifts her hand, and the light turns into pristine strands."
  • "Interwoven Light" - a black choker, similar to the one worn by Cinderella in the Disney animated adaptation." Surprised, she uses her nimble fingers to weave incessantly, creating a cloth infused with gentle light."
  • "Sparkling Pace" - a crystalline slipper. "People will remember how the silent girl gets the top prize in the academy and receives her crystal slippers."

Snow White

There are a couple dresses that reference Snow White in their names and description:

• "Excellent Student" - a short dress with a blue bodice, white skirt, white collar, and red halter neck tie. The description says "Princess Snow White reincarnated in the Miraland, and became an excellent student in Lilith Apparel School."
• "Snow White Waitress" - a short white dress with a blue vest, red tie, and matching cuffs. The description says "Princess Snow White reincarnated in the Miraland, and became a cafe waitress after her graduation."
• "Little Snow White" - a puffy white dress with a red belt. The description reads "There is a princess with hair as black as ebony, skin as white as snow, and lips as red as blood..."

Little Red Riding Hood

There are two outfits that reference Little Red Riding Hood:

• "Red Hood's Adventure" — items from the set include:
  • "Little Red Riding Hood" - a short, Girlish Pigtails wig tied with red ribbons. The description says "Long ago, there was a cute and gentle girl." Later evolutions include "Red Hat * Rare" and "Red Hat * Epic."
  • "Red Cloak" - a red hood with a short cape attached and pompom closure. Funnily enough, evolved forms of the "Red Cloak" veil have animal ears stitched in. The description reads "It's a gift that granny gave to Red Riding Hood for her birthday."
  • "Red Vest" - a puffy white shirt with a red vest over top. Later evolutions include "Red Vest ** Rare" and "Red Vest * Epic," both of which add frills, bows, and length to the shirt and vest alike.
  • "Red Apron" - a puffy red skirt with a white apron. Later evolutions include "Red Apron * Rare" and "Red Apron * Epic."
  • "Fairy Tale" - stockings with lace on top. Evolved versions include "Fairy Tale * Rare" and "Fairy Tale * Epic."
  • Leather Shoes" - red shoes with a platform built in. Later evolutions include "Leather Shoes * Rare" and "Leather Shoes * Epic."
  • "Red Hat's Basket" - a wicker basket containing a loaf of bread and a bottle of wine, likely for Little Red's grandmother.
  • "Fantasy Shotgun" - a pink and white long-barreled gun decorated with ribbons and lace. Apparently this version is a Little Red Fighting Hood.

• "Bad Hunter" — items from the set include:
  • "Golden Dream" - wig. "Have you heard about the story of Red Hood? Every story has a villain and in this one, it's the Bad Wolf."
  • "Fire Fantasy" - breeches. "The drama club prepares a perfect debut for the actors. Everything should be faultless!"
  • "Villain" - a wolf tail accessory. "What role to play the next time? This troubles the little villain recently."
  • "Evil in Fairy Tale" - red cape. "It's not that easy to perform a villain. The story needs innovation and the villain cannot be too stereotyped."
  • "Silver Ballad" - shirt. "Every villain has its own target. Sometimes, they have to be braver than the hero."
  • "Crescent Badge" - socks. "In songs and dance, a sincere question is asked. What did we lose and gain after crossing the forest?"
  • "Choices Matter" - shoes. "When fear and doubt falls, what will you choose before the unknown abyss? Different choices bring different endings."
  • "Forest Poet" - red hat. "Not everyone needs to be a warrior. We should be open to all the choices."
  • "Fantasy Realm" - an elaborate, lacy cravat. "The villain in the story transforms into the hunter in the forest. She bows with hat off, smiling smartly."
  • "Fake Toy" - a stuffed animal of a wolf dressed in an old woman's clothing. "The little dog who dresses up like a wolf cub barks at her feet. They are the best partners on the stage."
  • "Night Whisper" - wolf ear accessory. "As the show ends, the audience bursts out loud applause. She smiles and a pair of wolf ears appears under the hat."
  • "Bad Hunter" - posed top. "Maybe one of the viewers has experienced a fairy tale of her own. After all, we are the hero of our own life."
  • "Vintage Hunter" - an old-fashioned rifle. "The drama club had another successful show. A touching story with a devoted crew makes it a timeless enjoyment."
  • "Red Hat Messenger" - a puppy accessory wearing a hooded red cloak, carrying a basket of breads in its mouth. "Many years later, the story of the red hood has become a legend that encourages every new member of the drama club."

Literature & Theater

• There's a ballerina-inspired set called "Red Shoes" that references the Hans Christian Andersen story of the same name.
• A vest with military-style epaulets called "Roland," with a description reading "The spirit of chivalry will never die on the European continent..." seems to be a reference to The Song of Roland.
• In story 4-5, Momo calls Toto's newest boyfriend "totally a carbon copy of Christian Gray."
• The "Black Forest" top (available in Volume 2, Chapter 4, Stage 3) was originally decorated with the famous opening line "light of my life// fire of my loins// my sin// my soul" from Nabokov's Lolita. Prior to the release on the English server, the wording on the top was changed to a line of poetry by Siegfried Sassoon, "in me the tiger sniffs the rose."

Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes gets several shoutouts in the game:

• The "Great Detective" Arena theme references the famed address of the detective: "The simple detective dress always reminds one of the elegance of Baker Street."
• The "Foggy Street" capelet has a description reading "With this jacket, Nikki feels that she became Sherlock Holmes, who is investigating the kidnapping case of Momo."
• "221B Baker Street" and "Baker Street No. 221" were presented as competition themes in September and October of 2018 respectively. (Not the first time the developers have offered up similar themes in a short period of time.)
• The "Detective X" suit makes references to Sherlock Holmes with a" cape, pipe, pocket watch, and monocle."

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

The Alice Allusion is strong with this game, with plenty of visual references to the Disney version as well as the original text:

• The "Space Travel" skirt, part of the "Time Idol" set, has the description "Have you even imagined yourself chasing a rabbit and falling into a world of fairy tales someday?"
• The "Bunny Ears * Blue" hat has a description reading "Maybe it's the hat Alice took from the fantasy world. Nikki should have been in the fantasy world now."

• The "Alice in Wonderland" suit can be obtained in the Room of Cinderella exchange. The items that make up the set are as follows:
  • "Alice" - a short blonde wig, with the description "Alice is an innocent and lovely girl, she has the most precious attribute: curiosity."
  • "Alice in Wonderland" - a long sleeved blouse with an a matching cravat, with the description "Alice enters a kingdom through a rabbit hole. It reminds Nikki that she is going through the same story."
  • "Alice's Adventure" - a ruffled skirt with a large clock attached to the belt, with the description "Alice met the fierce Queen of Hearts, and the nice King of Hearts, and the arrogant Knave of Hearts in the large garden."
  • "Wonderland" - an asymmetrical pair of striped socks, with one much taller than the other. The description reads "Alice seems to be the only one who is sane. She keeps exploring and asking herself who am I."
  • "Rabbit Hole" - a pair of plain brown shoes with little rabbit decals on them, with the description "Alice chased a speaking rabbit which has a pocket watch. She dropped into a hole and started her journey."
  • "Mr. Bunny" - a headband with a slightly damaged set of rabbit ears sticking out of it. The description says "I'm running late! I'm running late!"
  • "March Hare" - a stuffed rabbit toy accessory, with the description "The march hare goes wild only in March, while the hat craftsman goes mad the whole year."

• The "Alice's Time Gate" outfit (a recharge suit) features a playing card card motif on the dress, bonnet, and necktie, as well as key and cutlery decorations. Items from the set include:
  • "Song of March Hare" - a long, curly wig with a blonde-periwinkle ombré.
  • "Contracted Cards" / "Alice Spacetime" - a pale blue dress similar in design to a hanbok, with trailing sleeves reminiscent of a furisode. Both the skirt and sleeves are patterned with playing cards, while a lacy overskirt features silver keys dangling from the hem. "Alice Spacetime" is a posed item, with the doll's hands redrawn holding a tea tray.
  • "Handmade Apron" - an apron decorated with another silver key and an image of a spoon and fork crossed.
  • "Black Pointer" - black shoes with diamond shaped buckles on the upper.
  • "Spacetime Tea Party" - an old fashioned bonnet, decorated with card suit symbols and miniature spoon and fork charms.
  • "Spade Tie" - a simple black tie with a spade design on the knot.
  • "Eternal Clock" - a background accessory consisting of a sparkly blue skyline, melting clocks, and playing cards.

• Another recharge suit, "Sea Mirror Journey", showcases a blonde girl in a blue dress with multiple Wonderland-themed accessories; a grinning Cheshire Cat wearing a top hat with a playing card tucked into the hatband; fluffy white rabbits sitting in a teapot and teacup emblazoned with clock motifs; mushrooms decorating the base of an upturned top hat that appears to contain a staircase leading underground; playing card suit motifs and clock imagery worked into the decoration of the dress.

• The "Red Heart Invite" suite's Red Queen is based on the Queen of Hearts, depicting a monarch with a heart-shaped scepter and an army of Card Soldiers.

• The "Military Alice" suit includes a blonde wig, blue dress with white apron and bunny ears hair bow. The item descriptions make reference to the Mad Hatter and Alice's various changes in size that occur while in Wonderland:
  • "Alice's Proof" - a blonde wig, with a description reading "Hatter said I'm the Alice they've been waiting, but I thought it's but a dream."
  • "Military Alice" - a short blue dress with white apron/ overskirt, a pocket watch slung around the waist, a playing-card shaped pin and a diamond-shape tie pin. The description reads "Sometimes big, sometimes small, I wear the clothes made by hatter and win the court match."
  • "Forest of Dream" - striped socks held up by a garter bearing a spade-shaped button, with a description reading "The moving kettle, talking clock, so scary. But I believe there is a way to set back the disarray."
  • "Phantom of Time" - Blue Mary Jane style shoes with a diamond-shaped button detail. The description reads "Is it a phantom or magic? The time was frozen at the crazy tea time forever."
  • "War of Nobles" - an oversized fork decorated with a bow. The description reads "After the competition with hatter over elegant style, I put noble manner into the egg tart."
  • "Brave Heart" - a hair bow and bunny ears decorated with a playing-card pin, with a description reading "The card warrior draws near, dormouse with a sword in hand charges towards them."
  • "Time Sailing" - a makeup that includes a small spade tattoo beneath the doll's right eye. The description reads "The deep blue ocean, and the white sail on it. It's time to break the storm of time."

• The "Azure Afternoon" suit features many subtle accessories and patterns referencing Alice in Wonderland. These include:
  • "Azure Afternoon" - a blue dress with a white apron. The apron has a pin in the shape of a rabbit's head, while the dress is decorated with a line of embellishments in the shape of clubs, spades, hearts, and diamonds.
  • "Heartfelt Talk" - a shirt and tie worn over the dress. The tie is decorated with a Knight chess piece motif, while the cuffs have a chessboard pattern.
  • "Gifts of Reunion" - a mushroom-shaped hair pin.
  • "Fantasy World of Poem" - a choker with a small clock-face pendant.
  • "Sweet Scrolls" - a school bag with a decoration in the shape of a white rabbit's head pinned to the front.

Romeo and Juliet

• The Chapter 2 side quests reveal that the theater troupe working next door to the December Troupe is putting on a play called "Romeo and Cinderella." It provides the impetus for collecting parts of the "Troupe * Romeo" set, which seem to represent the costume the lead would have worn, if he'd been present to compete with Nikki. The title "Romeo and Cinderella" may also be a reference to the well-known Vocaloid song of the same name by doriko.
  • "Romeo" - a short blond wig with the description "Quiet! What's that light coming through the window? It's the east! Juliet is the sun!" A loose translation of Romeo's famous speech as Juliet appears on her balcony in Act 2, Scene 2.
    But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks?
    It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.
  • "Childe" - a shirt and tabard tied with a sash, with the description "Love is a cloud of smoke blown by a sigh; it purifies the embers in lover's eyes and arouses waves in lover's tears." This is a loose translation of a monologue done by Romeo in conversation with Benvolio during Act 1, Scene 1:
    Love is a smoke raised with the fume of sighs;
    Being purged, a fire sparkling in lovers' eyes;
    Being vexed, a sea nourished with loving tears.
  • "Montague Prince" - a half cape tied off with elaborate cording. The description reads "I'd rather die of my enemy's sword than live in pain without your love." It seems to be a loose translation of one of Romeo's lines from Act 2, Scene 2:
    And but thou love me, let them find me here:
    My life were better ended by their hate,
    Than death prorogued, wanting of thy love.
  • "Noble Childe" - Plain grey leggings to go under the tabard, with a description reading "The lover's voice is so gentle in the night It sounds like the most delicate music!" Another loose translation of Romeo's lines from Act 2, Scene 2:
    How silver-sweet sound lovers' tongues by night,
    Like softest music to attending ears!
  • "Warrior" - tall brown boots with more gold cording. The description reads "If you were out in a faraway seaside, I would run the risk to search for you." Also from Romeo's dialogue in Act 2, Scene 2:
    I am no pilot; yet, wert thou as far
    As that vast shore wash'd with the farthest sea,
    I would adventure for such merchandise.
  • "Rose" - a romantic red rose held in the mouth. The description reads "I swear I will give my entire life to you and follow you no matter where you go." Possibly a translation of Juliet's promise to marry Romeo in Act 2, Scene 2:
    And all my fortunes at thy foot I'll lay,
    And follow thee my lord throughout the world.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

• The "Adventure in Dream" suit, obtainable by completing Yvette's "Sugar Fairytale" Dreamweaver questline, resembles Dorothy's signature outfit from the film — complete with blue gingham dress, red pumps, and a little basket holding doll-sized versions of the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion.
• The "Puppet Fairy Tale" suit includes a large skirt decorated like a puppet theater, with a little doll resembling Dorothy running from a castle. There are also marionet items showcasing the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion.

Marvel

• Marvel's The Avengers (specifically, the Marvel Cinematic Universe version) has seen several ingame shoutouts:
  • The hairstyle for the Assassin's Faith outfit is a short, wavy, red wig called "Natasha," similar to Black Widow's hair style in The Avengers (2012).
  • Players who purchased recharge packs during Thanksgiving 2020 were able to send bonus diamonds to friends with a choice of three pre-generated messages. "Dear, I love you 3000" was one such message — a reference to the Signature Line Tony and Morgan Stark shared in Avengers: Endgame.

Other

• Lunar's "Clock" quote (when she uses the skill that temporarily disables Nikki's shoes and lowers her score) states that Cloud Empire people think "small feet" are beautiful. This is a reference to Imperial China's foot binding tradition.^note (Warning: there are some pictures of bound "lotus feet" and they're not exactly pretty)

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