WOOOHOOO I finally did it! I finalized my design for Roulette Boy! I've also included my backstory for him below the cut, I hope you enjoy!
(TW for child neglect, possible internalized ableism, sewerslide, and general mental health problems).
Even if, at first, Roulette Boy’s life as a human was not quite as terrible compared to other guests, that still doesn’t mean it was the greatest. Originally known as Bae Ra-Yeon, he grew up in a seemingly positive environment. He was originally from South Korea and lived there up until his decent into the Lost World. His parents were the owners of a major casino and were extremely wealthy as a result. Ra-Yeon grew up in a beautiful large house with all the games and toys he could have ever wanted, however, Ra-Yeon was also extremely lonely growing up. His parents paid little attention to their son, claiming they were too busy with their work to be with him. However, his parents did have plenty of spare time outside of work, they just didn’t bother to spend any of it with their son. They believed he could take care of himself and find company elsewhere, such as in school.
Unfortunately, Ra-Yeon also had multiple undiagnosed developmental issues, most namely ADHD, which made it extremely difficult to make any friends at school. He would watch the other children at school play with each other and quickly grew jealous of them. Not only was Ra-Yeon never invited to play any games himself, but nobody would want to join any games he hosted personally. He tended to act somewhat aggressive and ‘clingy’ while playing games, often accidentally hurting others in the process, leading to the other children to dislike Ra-Yeon. This aggression was never out of a place of malice however, rather just Ra-Yeon misjudging his own strength and emotions, always feeling guilty about what he did afterwards. Ra-Yeon didn’t understand why he was like this, even beginning to wonder if his behavior was the reason his parents didn’t bother to give him any attention.
The only comfort Ra-Yeon found in anything was through playing games. Although he already owned several games himself, he could never find himself to fully enjoy them without the company of others.
The only place where Ra-Yeon found any happiness was at a local arcade. He had discovered the arcade one afternoon while walking home from school and decided to pay it a visit. That arcade soon became the only place Ra-Yeon was able to relieve his loneliness. Ra-Yeon adored the arcade, spending long hours there playing and enjoying himself. Although he still struggled to make any friends at the arcade, what captivated him about the place was the publicity. Even if he wasn’t directly playing with others, he was still surrounded by people doing the same thing he was, along with viewing the names of other people on the game leaderboards. Even if he wasn’t directly involved, the fact he felt like a part of something was enough to at least somewhat satisfy his desires. Additionally, he found the older and wider variety of games at the arcade to be far more interesting than the more modern ones he owned personally. Unfortunately, everything would eventually come crashing down.
One fateful day, Ra-Yeon happily went down to the arcade as always, only to find all the arcade machines inside to be missing. When he asked the arcade manager what was going on, he was brought to the horrible truth that the place had gone bankrupt and was shutting down. Ra-Yeon was completely devastated, the closest thing he had to a haven was suddenly gone without a single warning, and he ran away in tears. As he ran off, tears falling from his eyes, Ra-Yeon failed to notice the world around him starting to shift. It wasn’t long before he suddenly found himself in the Lost World, soon coming across the Gregory House and becoming a guest.
Upon arriving in the Lost World, although Ra-Yeon was understandably terrified and confused as to what was going on, he quickly grew used to his new environment, his fear becoming replaced by curiosity and wonder.
Ra-Yeon connected well with the other children living at the hotel, especially James, becoming the first people in Ra-Yeon’s life that he considered to be his friends. Additionally, the other guests of the hotel didn’t seem to mind Ra-Yeon’s unintentional aggression, something which greatly surprised him. Getting hurt and dying horrifically repeatedly was expected in that world, so Ra-Yeon accidentally kicking or smacking someone while innocently playing with them was practically nothing. Unfortunately, this also inadvertently lead to Ra-Yeon not caring much anymore about accidentally hurting others, his aggressive tendencies becoming more extreme.
Interestingly, Ra-Yeon lasted the longest in the Lost World before becoming corrupted compared to the other child guests, lasting around a whole year before succumbing to corruption. Ra-Yeon had entered the hotel sometime around the end of 1996, and had become corrupted about a year later, at the end of 1997. Normally, it didn’t take long for most children within the Lost World to be driven insane and become corrupted, thanks to their weaker minds. The reasoning behind his resistance to corruption was that, despite everything, Ra-Yeon’s feelings about the Gregory House were…mixed. While he did view the hotel as his perfect paradise where all his dreams would come true, the thought of his parents was still barely keeping him sane. Ra-Yeon didn’t fully know or understand how the Lost World functioned and believed that he was missing in the Living World. As a result, he wondered if his parents were worried about him and missed their son. However, deep down, while he loved his parents dearly, Ra-Yeon also subconsciously knew that abandoning the hotel for them wasn’t worth it. His parents never really loved him, so why would they love him now, and why should Ra-Yeon love them in return?
While Ra-Yeon was initially not fully aware of this unconscious belief, he became so after receiving a particular judgement from Judgement Boy, who proposed that Ra-Yeon would more than happily never see his parents again if it meant staying in the Gregory House forever. Not long after this revelation, Ra-Yeon had finally spiraled into insanity. Meanwhile, in the Living World, his desires translated into Ra-Yeon’s still living body deciding to consume drain cleaner and died as a result. Upon his death, corruption took a hold on Ra-Yeon, triggering his transformation and becoming Roulette Boy. Although Roulette Boy no longer remembered much of his past life, he was finally no longer lonely, and to him, that’s all that truly mattered. Roulette Boy now continues to roam about the Gregory House, now forever having people to play with.
So what’s your favorite Gregory Horror Show guest and character? Mine is Second Guest and Dr Fritz
Thank you for the ask, Anonymous! & sorry for not having answered it before💧
—HONESTLY? I’d have to pick Haniwa as my favorite guest.
He really reflects some fears of mine; leading an unfulfilling life just to make it out in the world, forgetting/not being able to care for my loved ones, & getting tired of living because of it.
So I almost find a sort of connection with his character by that. Plus, he’s a cutie, look at him!!!
—As for my favorite character?… Um!
Yeah… he’s definitely not the greatest, but for whatever reason I developed an attachment towards him & he turned into a comfort character…
Might be some issue I have or might just be the fact that this skrunkly old man is someone who would HAVE TO accept you into the Gregory House when you’re at your worst, (even if the only reason he accepts you in is to steal your soul), BUT we’ll never know ig☝️
I remembered I like history sometimes so have these :))
JB is a roman patrician during the roman republic, on track to become a lawyer but prefers being a full time nepo-baby philosopher
Cathrine is an american civil war nurse, but not a very good one.,, because of where I live there are a lot of historical civil war parks and as I kid I was obsessed with how they would amputate people back then, and I think cathrine would like that also
the cactus siblings are 1920s-30s gangsters, tired of the mob terrorizing their hometown they attempt to assassinate the head of the family. this does not work