The Freakhouse: A Touch Of Lilium

… O__________________________________O

You got to be kidding me! How did you notice THAT?!? :disappointed_relieved: :scream: :dizzy_face:

Seriously, ya’ll have to start explaining to me how you notice these things, because they’re dead on accurate! :persevere: And it’s not like it’s so obvious… right? :disappointed_relieved:

I like your guesses: so you won’t trust Lyssa at all? :wink: How can you call her dangerous, she didn’t have enough time to do anything :laughing: Same with Roxanne: what are your thoughts of her? After all she was with Vex, watching him have fun :open_mouth:

Also, don’t worry, in this game no one is going to suffer that kind of assault! Tortured, maimed, injured, killed… yes! But not sexual assault! :confounded:

@Moferiah rats, I sent this message too early :confounded: well, it’s true that there are some things we can’t do in text-based games (same wiht horror books: it’s very hard to do one of these well). But I love what you said here :blush:

You’re right about Dagger in some things, but who knows what he’s really thinking of, in that little head of his :wink: Soon you will discover that no one is 100% honest with the MC :smile: But remember this bit:

:wink:

2 Likes

I almost could’ve swore I detected sass in that reply. Must’ve been my imagination.

No, I wouldn’t trust her at all. She may not have done anything overt to confirm her craziness or diabolical nature. She did smile and watch with glee however as somebody dismembered a head. Also she’s been here long enough to see this kind of behaviour happen regularly. Also the drugs are hers as well. One of those reasons would be enough to be worried about her. But all three? All three makes me terrified of her. The least amount of time I can be around her the better. At least with vex they’re plain with being threatening. Her on the other hand, she seems too smart to show her insanity. She’s the Dexter of this story.

Roxanne…I don’t think very much of her as of yet. Obviously not someone safe to be around but she doesn’t strike me as immediately life threatening to my situation. She’s Daggers friend in some respect (possibly) so she probably won’t try to murder me because of the association between me and him. Though it could easily switch to Karla Homolka and Paul Benardo situation where a couple captures and murders someone. Which does make me stay wary of the two. But I also find this possibility unlikely as of now.

And yay!! At least my MC won’t have to worry about someone gunning for his booty.

1 Like

[quote=“Lycoris, post:867, topic:15123”]
Soon you will discover that no one is 100% honest with the MC :smile: [/quote]
Can’t say that unexpected. The Freakshow doesn’t exactly looks like the most trusting and friendly work enivonment. Bonding experience with collective dissecting of human head aside :smile:

Actually decided to rate how much I trust different Freaks we met from most to least:
Voice - for some reason I can’t even begin to feel intimidated by her
Vex - still dangerous though
Roxanne - but she kind of combines stuff that I dislike on visceral level so…
Lyssa, Dagger, Cassius - can’t deside how to rate those three in order. But they are in a top 3 for now

[quote=“Lycoris, post:867, topic:15123”]
But remember this bit: [/quote]
Don’t tell me none of them are. :joy: His dislike of Cassius seemed genuine enough if nothing else.

1 Like

@Lycoris - writing horror is much more difficult than showing it on tv or on film. Writing horror could also lead to much more nuance and subtly as well and that is what you are building up.

Dagger is an unknown in the beginning, regardless of his sweetness or bitterness - we fear the unknown … we also know that to survive, Dagger is dangerous to his enemies or he’d not have survived.

As your scenes roll out you will layer on the horror and we, as your audience will feel it more intensely - no worries there.

3 Likes

@Razgriz sass…? Sorry, I’m not really cheeky on the internet, though I tease when it comes to spoilers and such :wink:

I like how sharp eyed you are in some things, like Vex’s anger: I thought that the players would just see him as a grumpy demon, instead someone who’s internally seething :smile: And I’m glad you’re suspecting Lyssa! It’s fun to see how different characters are under the radar :blush: About the drugs: I won’t deny or affirm anything, but you have to keep in mind that:

  • It’s Dagger the one who said they were Lyssa’s: he may be wrong :wink: After all he’s just a worker; his word is not absolute, because he’s only saying what he knows :smirk:
  • Even if they were Lyssa’s property, the meaning of “ownership” may be very broad :grin:

And just saying, while Lyssa enjoyed seeing the head getting torn apart, Roxanne was laughing out loud :wink: And it’s not like a freak won’t do anything to you only because you happen to be on friendly terms with someone they like/are on good terms with/put up with :smile:

Yes, but there are so many more things than just that :wink: Actions, words, expressions… some freaks are good actors and then some of them are professional performers :smirk:

How funny, for you Lyssa is one of the most trustworthy characters whereas @Razgriz wouldn’t even dream of it :joy: By the way, what’s wrong with Roxanne? You don’t like her flirty attitude? The red make up? :open_mouth: I’m curious :blush:

@Zolataya thanks! :blush: You said you were salty, but you’re quite sweet yourself :wink: Making a very nuanced game was one of my main goals, but it’s not really working :wink: There are people with very sharp eyes here :persevere:

Who knows, maybe Dagger just got lucky and managed to stay alive in that murderhouse :joy: It wouldn’t be the first time someone (surprisingly) makes it out alive even against all odds :wink:

1 Like

Seriously - It is working. I’d tell you if it wasn’t. Many people are writers in this community - we are going to follow you easier than the general population.

I’m cheeky, salty, grumpy and innocent … now which of those don’t belong, I’ll let you figure out. Sweet? bah.

1 Like

[quote=“Lycoris, post:871, topic:15123”]
How funny, for you Lyssa is one of the most trustworthy characters whereas @Razgriz wouldn’t even dream of it :joy: By the way, what’s wrong with Roxanne? You don’t like her flirty attitude? The red make up? :open_mouth: I’m curious :blush: [/quote]
No-no the other way around. She is amongst the top three I trust the least. :joy:

It’s… kind of all of these things combined. Almost everything in her portrayal. It’s hard to explain really, but from the very first description of her (in the head scene I mean), she left the most negative impression. And it kind of confirmed when she appeared the second time. I wouldn’t fault character for this though, it’s more of an emotional response, not very logical. :sweat:

1 Like

I suspected that was the case for Vex. He’s showing his pent up rage the way volcanoes show when they’ll erupt. Small bursts of intense fire frequently then one day the volcano will explode with such ungodly force that nothing can stand before it. He’s showing his rage in short bursts right now. Which is why I desperately want to be in the safe zone when that volcano erupts.

Lyssa is my prime source of danger right now given her position and her lack of empathy towards other living creatures. She seems too smart to manipulate into being my ally whereas Roxanne does not. I’m beginning to think that her pets are actually a representation of her mental state and that the ram is her true self. Terrified of what she’s become and the people she’s around. Thus given this train of thought I very much doubt she’d strike at me without provocation. I believe she may simply be putting on a false front so that others do not detect her weakness. Would she kill someone to prove that? Oh yes I believe so.

Now Indeed Dagger may not know everything about the drugs and he could be lying to me about them. Either way I’m still left in the dark as to what they do other than keep the headaches away and likely keep my memories away (memories of possible victims? The person from the start?). Now everyone seemingly(as far as we know though. Dagger could be lying.) has these drugs. Which means someone in charge must be the one supplying them. Given how no one else has the ability to get them to everyone except the circus masters. Now if Daggers lying then we may be in trouble, though I highly doubt it. He gains nothing from lying and he can easily be caught up in his lie if we asked anyone else about them. I very much doubt he’d ruin his credibility with us for nothing.

1 Like

I like Dagger >> I’ve already chosen him as my first RO------I’m hoping he’s an RO, anyway

4 Likes

I like dagger as a character. He seems to mean well but I can’t help but feel like he doesn’t have the mc’s interest at heart or more so their safety. While he did “care” when Mc feels ill I still feel like he’s not really preparing us for all the horrors. I feel like he’s trying to sugar coat the worst so Mc doesn’t freak out and run for the hills. (Which seeing as he is sort of in charge of Mc might mean he’d get punished for losing a new freak) it just feels like he’s taking Mc in this stroll though a nightmare he’s come to see as a “dream”. I don’t think he intends to harm the Mc but am I sure he’d tell us that vex monkey has rabies before it bites us? Meh maybe maybe not.

Also I’m curious to find out why Vex is so angry. Is he angry with his situation? The way the circus is run? Or is it something more personal?

As for Roxanne. Her liking of the gory display has me wondering how far into “madness” this place has driven her. Or does she just know how to act in order to fit in and not cause suspicion?

And now the question of all questions. When sooth sits. Is she sitting on her butt eyes?

1 Like

With everyone saying that they like Dagger I wanted to clarify. I do like him too. The fact that I don’t completely trust someone has nothing to do with how much I like their character. :grin:

Ok, so I kind of promised to write about the rest of my theories. Here goes nothing. :sweat_smile:

[spoiler]
Fair warning it’s mostly disorganized thoughts and at times contradictory theories. And as usual I likely forgot something important. :confused:

MC. It’s interesting how we don’t know almost anything about the main hero. As in even before awakening in the camp MC isn’t clear minded (Boys doing?), so everything can be falliable. Even looks (though i guess if we take lilium through injection it doesn’t fit with this).

What is also interesting is, on one hand MC is clearly not the only one at the start (are all the other freaks came from this place or not?), but it looks that they are specifically needed (at least to the boy). So maybe that’s a signifier that Balding One and Boy don’t have exactly the same goals, even if Balding One doesn’t know.
And what is exactly important about MC: the fact that we are the ones with whom boy had the chance to interact and do something? Or is it this ‘dark thing’ inside us? Are those two things connected or separate?

Lilium, what it does and how it works. The fact that Boy expresses desire to see our soul before we take lilium makes me think… Is it maybe something that lilium does in a way? Makes surface some things visible that are on the inside. And I think it kind of fits with Boys distaste if Lilium was injected trough syringe - because then our freakishness seems rather different in nature.

And other freaks actually is their freakishness connected to their ‘inner world’ (and on topic of connections - their perfomances too)? Because I still have my doubts they are freaks from their childhood. But I don’t really know what’s possible and what isn’t in this world.

Why is it important for freaks to carry lilium around? Do they still need it in certain situations, or just holding it close to you enough to have some effect?

What is this liquid in the green flask? It both lowers the delirium and lilium addiction. So if the goal of lilium really was to just calm nerves, it would seem like a better option wouldn’t it? And why Soothsayer felt the need to make us drink it at the start? And is this dark mass is separate being or not - because Dagger only mentions Soothie?

Oh, and also despite that pellets look the same, we still don’t really know if lilium and Lyssa’s candy are the same thing.

Cassius. He sure knows a lot about the situation. But is he actually a fortune-teller (especially considering Roxanne’s comment)? Even the fact that he knows our names (both of them) doesn’t fully convince me, because it might just mean that he has means of procuring information.
But even then it doesn’t mean his ‘prediction’ is necessary false, since one way or another he clearly has some information about what is happening. But at the same time it doesn’t mean we can fully rely on it, be it actual prediction or not. Because obviously it would be biased towards his goals and we don’t know what they are and if they are the same as ours.

How in general he plays into all of this? Like Boy at the begining mentions siblings - those might be Furor and Lyssa (description of Furor in general, thin lips of Lyssa), but it’s not necessary they are the only ones? He at least have cold hands in common and Cassius eager to meet us? Or it’s might be not even familial connection here. So either his goals are the same as Boys, or he simply has his own and we needed for them.

Oh, and back on topic of the Boy, when we see him he looks young, but at the same leaves impression of being much older. Is he actually eighteen? And for that matter Lyssa is she really so young? Like Dagger was in freakshow for years (presumably), and if I can somewhat imagine her being ringmaster at fifteen, but say at ten? How long does this freakshow exists anyway?

Oh, and not exactly a theory, but subject of meaning of names is kind of interesting in and of itself. Especially when characters chose those themselves.
Like ok Roxanne is ‘Dawn’. Maybe simply cause she likes red colour. If it’s something deeper there is no way to know yet.
Cassius ‘empty, vain’ - this one is interesting, considering the meaning of the name isn’t exactly a flattering one. So what is it some kind of self awareness or sarcasm? Or maybe it’s meaning has different flavour in the context we don’t know?
Vex - on one hand it might be pretty simple and literal. But the fact that Dagger calls him Vexas, since aside from Latin word, there is also galician one and the meaning is different (though I guess it says more about Dagger?).Or maybe it doesn’t mean anything at all.
And Lyssa… it’s interesting because it literally means ‘madness’ (though Furor’s name has similar meaning too, this one slightly less obvious?). And if she used Alyssa it would mean the opposite.
But maybe I’m looking to much into this.[/spoiler]
So something like that, my apologies if this sounds completely stupid. :sweat:

1 Like

@Zolataya how about bittersweet? :wink:

@Moferiah oooops, I misunderstood :sweat_smile: Well, there’s nothing wrong with disliking Roxanne: after all your perception of the characters is your own, so it’s natural that you dislike some of them :relaxed: Though I believe that her second appearance was rather tame compared to the decapitated head scene? :joy:

[spoiler]The MC, of course, is in for something big, but that’s spoiler! So I can’t help you there :grin: But it’s good that you notice the little details. Like, if you have Lilium injected into you, you can’t get the “unusual pigmentation” trait, whereas you get the “malignancy” one :wink: What could it mean? :smirk:

The Boy (Let’s call him Mystery Man, MM for short :grin:) is in the prologue for special reasons, and even his relationship with Baldy is… enigmatic. And the interest he has in the MC is a big fat flag :wink: It’s intriguing you believe his siblings may be Lyssa and Furor (those two are obviously brother and sister, I said so myself, no use in lying!), mostly because the description of the older Ringmaster was really vague! There had been users who believe(d) that MM is the same person as Furor, and I didn’t affirm or deny it :grin:

Roxanne’s comment about Cassius’ abilities (him being a bullshit teller) are due to her relationship with him, it’s a… back stabbing friendship of love-hate-sass :smile: And it’s a very good supposition you have there about him and his true colors :smirk: Also his (possible) connection with MM, because that’s gold!

I’ll just say this about Dagger: his orientation skills suck big time and he couldn’t, for the life of him, tell someone’s age correctly. Guess it’s the same with chronological time :wink:

And about names: they have a lot of power, don’t they? :wink: [/spoiler]

I can’t really reply to a lot of your theories because they are so good and spoilery, I feel bad :confounded:

@Razgriz I will need your brain, because the way it works is wonderful, like @Moferiah’s :grin: I love how you see Vex, though I won’t reveal anything :speak_no_evil: But yes, the demon looking man has a lot of bite, but not the same one as Cassius :wink:

We haven’t seen much of Lyssa, but we can say for sure she seems to lack empathy; her intelligence and manipulative skills remain unknown, tho, and she may be putting a false front, like you say with Roxanne :smirk: (A little question: are you implying that the pink skinned lady is stupid? :scream:) And I must say, I like the fact that you mistrust Lyssa so much, but if you think of her like that, I wonder what will you say about Furor :joy: But a little clarification; those animals are Vex’s property, not Roxanne’s. She’s only grooming them for him as a favour :grin:

I didn’t mean that Dagger could be lying to the MC; just that his info may be… faulty. Like he’s a bit misinformed, thus giving the MC wrong information unknowingly.

@ashestoashes018 yup, Dagger is a RO :wink: There are a lot of ROs in this game :grin:

@Zsero interesting perception of his character! :blush: I think it’s the first time that someone has told me that the think that Dagger is trying to groom the MC into a freak rather than being plain concerned bout them. Why do you think that of him? Like, what gave him away for you to believe that he’s not being 100% altruistic? :wink: Also, It’s very intriguing that you believe he’s (unofficially) in charge of the MC!

The reason Vex’s so… mad is a secret you can find out in his route :wink: There are a lot of things to be angry over when you’re in your 30s and surrounded by brats that can’t handle themselves :laughing: And Roxanne… I wonder why is that she’s liked and thought of as a poor victim of the circumstances whereas Lyssa is the baddie :open_mouth: And… I have never thought of that detail for Sootie :confounded: I think she won’t have eyes there for… plot (comfort) reasons :smile:

Just saying, I can’t believe how much some of you can read between the lines with so little story! And as I said, sooner or later I will explain in the game how Lilium works :wink:

3 Likes

[quote=“Lycoris, post:878, topic:15123”]
Though I believe that her second appearance was rather tame compared to the decapitated head scene? :joy: [/quote]
Oh. it certainly is. :smile: And for the decapitated head scene itself (as in for the participation), all who were involved got equal amount of red flags. As I said with her it’s mostly little things in her portrayal and how they add up. And it’s silly how they they affect my perception of her. :confounded:
Who knows maybe when I see more of her, I’d change my mind.

[quote=“Lycoris, post:878, topic:15123”]
I’ll just say this about Dagger: his orientation skills suck big time and he couldn’t, for the life of him, tell someone’s age correctly. Guess it’s the same with chronological time [/quote]
Yeah… Thought that might be the case.

Don’t feel bad! It’s enough for me to know that at least some of them might have something to them. :relaxed:

1 Like

Oh, they’re Vex’s? That’s…hmm interesting. I had thought they were hers. Now I suppose that eliminates the animals being a physical representation of her mind then. Thought I was on to something there. But that brings up a question I didn’t think of before, how did he acquire these animals of his? Circus provided or did he get them in another manner? Also I can’t believe I’ve not asked before but will we find out who it was that they were dismembering? I have some guesses but I’m curious what you’ll say on the subject.

Edit: as I was typing this I was directed to your answer. However I thought Freaks weren’t allowed to kill the other freaks because of the performance. Now this grows even more intriguing.

Stupid? No nothing of the sort. I was meaning that she’s simply…easier to cosy up to than Lyssa might be if we can solidify a friendship with her via Dagger. Also from my initial impression she gives off that feel that she’s…trying very hard to appear like those around her. The laughing makes me think she’s faking it so that she doesn’t become the one dismembered. Her performance so far also supports my idea that she’s faking it. She’s oddly friendly to a newcomer for a psycho. She’s helping Vex, she’s on good terms with Dagger and she seems accepting of the MC which makes me think that she’s trying to surround herself with people to protect her.

This sort of relationship works both ways, if she’s looking for another body to keep her from harm that’s fine, but possibly gaining another contact within the circus to feed me information/have my back is worth the trouble as far as I can see.

So my list of what to do so far is gain Vex’s mutual trust.
Have Roxanne and perhaps someone else be my eyes and ears in exchange for protection or a favour down the line.
Keep Dagger close, you know what they say about enemies .
See if Voice can communicate via other means such as writing or sign language. Given her medical position, I’ll probably need her in my pocket if any of my group is injured.

2 Likes

That’s a possibility :wink: I want to do that with several characters, make the reader confused and change their opinions of them :grin:

@Razgriz yup, some post ago I told someone that the animals were Vex’s (@Moferiah, I think? or it was @Zsero? ) The origin of the animals is a bit unknown because Vex is the only animal tamer in the circus, but if you pick the same show as him you will discover it :wink: But they aren’t regular animals; you will notice their behaviour is a bit unusual :wink:

And yes, we will kind of learn who was the victim of the demon’s wrath :smile: And why they were murdered :smirk: It’s not like it’s strictly forbidden to kill your peers, but it’s not your everyday thing. What’s 100% off limits is trying to mess with someone’s performance, but off stage? Everything is fair :wink:

Oh, so you think that Roxanne is the kind of person who would do anything in order to survive? :open_mouth: I can’t believe you got the impression of her only from a loud laugh and some of her actions (and her apparent nice personality, but oh well,) it’s impressive! :blush: But it’s an excellent guess, and very plausible! It makes a lot of sense :grin:

It’s a very good list :wink: But my question is: what’s your objective? Get out of the circus alive? Uncover the truth? Usurp the Ringmaster position? :grin: And yes, Voice can speak via other means, but what you have to worry about is her wanting to talk to you :laughing:

Edit: sorry to tell you this, but I won’t write anything on this game for a whole month; I’m taking part in this year’s CSComp, so… sorry :disappointed_relieved: If any of you want to beta test my other game, feel free to PM me; I don’t want to clutter this thread with unrelated things :grin:

2 Likes

Yes I believe she would. Your first impression of someone or something is always the strongest and lasting image you’ll have of them.

For the reasons I’ve stated I think that Roxanne is a sheep in wolf’s clothing. She seems like she’s mentally stable (rational decision making I mean. Not going to involve morals) which means her desire for self preservation is very very strong. Her normal self probably collapsed upon itself and hid deep within the recesses of her mind to shield it from the horrors of this place. And what took this girl’s place was Roxanne. The twisted,ruthless and conniving Roxanne that we’ve seen. Hmm if I had to compare her to anyone I’d compare her to Mara’s character. A schemer,charmer,murderer. If it will keep her safe and help her towards her goal she’ll do it without hesitation. She’s scared, rightfully so, and she wants out of this accursed place. Which is what I believe I can help her with.

Oh so that’s her power! I was wondering if the string kept regrowing or some such.

You asked for my goal? Simply put I plan on destroying this place. I’ll start from the bottom gathering supporters. When I have the people I need I’d make my move. lyssa and Furor have to die along with pretty much every staff member in this place. Anyone above them or claims to be with them would also have to be killed. The performances would stop and the freaks would be free. And their freedom would lead them to killing most of each other. Those that survive probably would end up eventually nothing but a frothing mess of a person once the drugs are gone. Without the drugs memory inhibiting our minds I can only assume that without them we’d either go completely batty or die from the pain.

As for the fate of my MC, He’s no fool, chances are things will not end well for him. I doubt finding a way back to reality and to his loved ones lies in his future. A happy ending would be to simply watch the people and place that stole his future and the futures of so many others, burn.

Also awwwww! I was so excited too. :frowning: well have fun with the competition!

1 Like

Well Dagger feels almost like a salesman to me. He gives me the feeling that he’s trying to sell us a situation we can’t escape in the best possible way. I actually just learned about sales techniques in school and the way he talks and “pitches” reminds me of the yes, but method. He does his best in a way to keep Mc from focusing on all the possible ways they can end up dead and goes straight for showing off the “good”. Trying to maybe convince us that even though we are stuck it’s not only bad and playing along can be swell. As for him being in charge of the Mc even if he wasn’t officially put in charge I’m assuming sooth had a good reason to leave Mc in his tent and since a lot of freaks saw him showing Mc around he’s associated with Mc now so I wouldn’t be surprised if any wrong move the Mc made ended up dragging Dagger with them. Even if just used as an excuse for those who may not like Dagger anyways. As for Roxanne I don’t really get a victim vibe from her. I get the impression she just knows how to fit in and keep herself safe and on people’s good side. Now comes my thoughts on Lyssa. She obviously seems to enjoy the circus and freak life. Now I’m wondering if it’s not that she’s a bad person or crazy but maybe she grew up with all of this. I mean @Lycoris mentioned somewhere that Vex has 30 years or so in the circus. So it’s a reasonable thing to assume that she and her brother grew up not with our normal moral rules and guidelines but with the circuses. Also being in the ringmaster family would have put her in a position of power in a way and for a kid that is surrounded by freaks and all the other creepiness it could have become second nature to her. So yeah so far I don’t really see anyone (except for maybe the guy who we meet in the beginning) as bad or evil. I am very much excited to find out what motivates these characters and what lies behind the facades and masks they wear around others.

2 Likes

Soooo… a few things:

One, I will properly reply to you when I have more free time (school, the CSComp, etc.), and two, I need a huge favor not so related with the game and it has a lot to do with real life!

My friend’s kitty is very sick and needs help :disappointed:

If you can’t donate, please share, this way it will get to more people and Belus can get more help, please! You can help here -----> https://www.gofundme.com/228mrrj8

Thank you very much, and remember, if you can’t contribute, please share!

Edit: also, last week to volunteer as beta testers! If you have any doubts, go check this post :wink:

1 Like

-slinks from around the corner-

If you’re alright with picking up a straggler, I’d be more than happy to beta-test.:slight_smile:

Kinda off topic here…but that poor kitty. I can’t imagine an animal being in that much pain. :cry:

1 Like

I love your this story I check every two weeks to see if any new updates have came out I have falling in love and it’s only a few pages and I can’t wait to see the rest of the story thank you so much

1 Like