((Or maybe I'm an idiot and everyone else knew all this time))
THIS IS A CEMETERY.
This is as much of the space as I could make out
It kind of depends in whether the red poles are the entrance [left] or if it's a single one [right]... but I don't know what purpose it'd serve? Refrence point? Utility marker? Pending grave?
There are flowers on the ground.
To me, they look like holy on the right and on the left carnations and... a golden horse petal
Also, PINK LANTERN
I'm positive about it. So sure, in fact, that if I'm wrong when the game comes out, I'm piercing my tits Leander-style
The rest are assumptions and guesses, BUT;
located in Hightown, tall buildings = easy to hide
I'VE PLAYED THIS DEMO OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN
BUT NEVER HAD I EVER PICKED THE "HESITATE" OPTION FOR LEANDER
I'M A DUMB BITCH HOLY SHIT
BUT I CAME INTO A NEWFOUND REALISATION:
THE MC'S CURSE PROTECTS THEM, IN SOME WAY
(unless I'm the last person in the fandom to notice that, good job me)
If you pick the "Touch him" option, he only says "I told you there's nothing to worry about"
BUT HERE, he comments "That's one hell of a curse :D" meaning he definately feels it and it possibly affects him
Yes, the MC surely has ptsd of some sort and could assume Leander's hand was going for their neck like mrChocky but i highly doubt he was initially going for their shoulder
I believe the MC's curse doesn't affect whoever they touch, but whoever touches them
It's quite a bit of a strech, yes, but still a possibility:
Leander doesn't do the dramatics above if the MC touches him first
MrChocky was the one who touched the MC first and got he affected
And thus I bring in another question: What about Oracle!MC?
"The priests claimed your touch bestowed enlightenment, but a visiting mage revealed your curse for what it is."
It wouldn't be illogical if the priests' words were true; if the MC touches someone, they are "bestowed enlightenment", but if the MC gets touched forcibly/accidentally, the one who touches them goes mad
But that would also mean we'd have the choice of giving Leander more power if we choose to touch him
Also, somehow all the backstory mages seem to have a good understanding of the MC's curse [have seen it/it has been recorded before], or are at least able to recoognise it in order to reveal it to them. Plus, the Alchemist!MC's mage [who was "exiled from the Senobium"] planned on cultivating them as a test subject, meaning not much must be known about said curse.
"It's unlike anything I've ever dealt with," says Leander, a mage who has never stepped foot in the Senobium.
"We can find answers together," Leander promises later on.
Then he stops
He waits for them to touch him
Then he freely unwinds their bandages, allows them to touch his hands, his cheeks, he moves his hands over theirs because they've already accepted him touching them
He could have figured how the MC's curse works, or he could have dark-magic-ed his way into the Senobium files before the MC returned to the Wick again.
We shoud call Leander and Ais "Long Lads," ha! Not funny? Oka
"Aw, the Amaryllis district- Oh, they changed the curtains. Oh, WAIT they made it... greyer? Aahh.. Makes more sense"
Noting the lilies down for later
[Narrator voice: This right here is the calm before the storm. You can clearly see me completely unprepared for what is about to follow. Innocence is a frail thing, that is easy to corrupt and easier to manipulate. Leader did both.]
Leander, in this demo, is more... captivating. The first things we hear him talking about is joking why he's unfit for the Senobium (all that about paperwork and white robes) ((yeah, sweatpea, they didn't know you'd come out with those massive honkers, OBVIOUSLY the coats don't come in your size smh T-T))
Where do, WHRE DO I START? You can clearly see there is NOTHING left of the silly man we had on the previous demo.
Leander was way less tense, introduced with a magic trick which only served as just that - a showing off.
But here, he's channeling the flower to make a point. From the Eridian's standpoint, he's breaking some kind of 'law' set by the Abbess that refrains mages to cast spells.
And let's take a look at his little speech without the scenery descriptions;
"If you want nothing but guidelines, impractical policies, and needless bureaucracy, you know where to go.
But I'm not going to wait for word from on high.
And unlike those clerics, I don't need the Abbess's approval to cast a spell or two.
These are our streets. We make our own luck here."
He's literally, shamelessly, publically defying her
Side note; "That's the thing about flowers [...] right?" - Was he talking about the MC or himself here?
Okay, ma'am, I'm trynna find a way to, idk, SURVIVE without guilt and fear?
This scene is SO important and I cannot stress this enough
This actually shows how the Bloodhounds Adders take care of eachother. And of course they'd be protective of their leader against outsiders [and we know MC sticks out like a sore thumb]
And Kuras's referall is the thing that gets us to him! It makes much more sense, instead of it being another little fun fact. And also him talking about Kuras like that feels a little...
We also get a taste of the information exchange policy - we look at leander's scar, he looks at our bandages
[this is a little mix-and-match of the options, I apologize]
Kay, so;
He's using himself as an example, telling us the story of his youth and his realisation of the Senobium's unfairness [having, persumably, seen both sides]
He's offering help, and actively proving himself trustworthy
He's painting himself as a saviour, offering the MC "everything they've ever wanted"
Awwww he's such a good and helpful guy! So good and nice!
WHAT HAVE YOU DONE
"Two lifetimes," I humbly REFUSE to believe this was just a saying to convince the MC. He's lived twice, has reincarnated with memories, has been necromance-d soMETHING IS FISHY AND IT'S NOT COMING FROM THE RIVER
Aw and our room is so pretty... and messy as fuck.. but totally salvagable and homely sooner or later, right?[!!!]
But... why is the window green? *stares at leander*
Demo 2.0 Notes [1]; Oracle Main Route - Soulless and Kuras
Alright, there is NO WAY one post will be able to handle ALL the screens I got. But anyway, here we go!
! Spoilers, duh
"I could've had a home" - This line really piqued my interest. I wonder if it's the same in the other two backstories? I'll play them in the following days!
Also, the theory that the Soulless was trying to "save" the MC seem very much possible to me now
In regards to the beloved doctor; respectfully, DAMN.
"You're soooo very pretty... Are you missing a belt?" (No, he's not)
But he IS more smily now :3
The MC is much more honest to him. And he, too, reveals he KNOWS? I kinda feel betrayed, but he's an otherwordly doctor. Of course he knew.
Also, WHAT DO YOU MEAN "FAMILIAR"? WHA-- HUH????
ahem
Aw, he's so-- JESUS SAVIOUR
I shat my pants, kinda. I do NOT want to get this man angry. I GET why Vere is scared of him now. I remember the sprite, but it took me off :')
I SCREAMED. WHY, RED SPRING STUDIO, WHY?! I mean, as if lore is important smh /j
My game kinda crushed here because of me taking too many screenshots T-T but it was kinda funny, so here
Before I explain, there are a few issues to keep in mind:
The first Fogfall happened a century ago (“Is Eridia the last city?- The previous largest city, Lovent, was the epicenter of the first Fogfall. In the century since [...] )
We don’t know exactly the LI’s true natures or origins (yet), so monster, human, cursed, whatever their natural state is or however many beings are in one body, the oldest one has the advantage in this...well, 'age line' (?).
Kuras
In his character lore drop, “The Divine Teacher”, it is mentioned his figure has been present since “the earliest civilisations”. But if he’s a Monster, how did he escape the Shroud before the rest of the Monsters?
Vere
We know he’s had over a hundred celebrations (Birthday post ‘23) but also that the Senobium “bound a dangerous beast with a magic collar centuries ago” and the reports of the beasts’ first appearance were “ancient”—for something to be considered ancient, is must be “older than 2,000 to 5,000 years.” Make it make sense. It doesn’t, unless I’m taking the exact words too seriously. (Or he, like the MC, is cursed, and the beast inside him is seperate from Vere, like Ais and Ocudeus)
Ais
Either Ocudeus or him were alive and active before and during the first Fogfall (“As Monsters continued to abandon the Shroud” - character lore drop “Death Knell”).
I believe that this was Ocudeus, but we don’t know when it made the deal with Ais, so I’m putting both of them here.
Mhin
I want you to keep an open mind with this. If Lovent was destroyed during the first Fogfall and Mhin was there, it makes them at least a hundred years old.
Leander
He “came of age and packed his bags to chase his dreams twelve years ago”. The only straightforward thing about this man is his age.
This post translates directly to @musas-sideblog's about how Touchstarved ties with Victorian horror and implicit/metaphorical sex, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it, so here is a lengthy theory. Enjoy :)
Note 1: Victorian era authors used an unholy amount of ways to imply sexual feelings/acts etc, so I here I will include only the ones that are of interest.
Note 2: I've highlighted the "most important" parts.
Note 3: I'm not an expert at this, so please bear with me and feel free to correct me.
Note 4: Do I need to add a TW? I think it's obvious-
Overview: What is Victorian Horror?
Victorian horror refers to the genre of horror literature, art, and culture that flourished during the Victorian era, roughly from the mid-19th century to the early 20th century, coinciding with Queen Victoria's reign from 1837 to 1901. This period was marked by a fascination with the macabre, the supernatural, and the dark aspects of human nature, reflecting the anxieties and societal changes of the time.
Key Themes and Characteristics
Supernatural Elements:
Ghosts and Spirits: Tales of haunted houses and spectral apparitions were central to Victorian horror. Charles Dickens's "A Christmas Carol" (1843) and Henry James's "The Turn of the Screw" (1898) are notable examples.
Monsters and the Gothic: The era's literature is filled with monstrous creations and gothic settings, such as in Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" (1818), Bram Stoker's "Dracula" (1897), and Robert Louis Stevenson's "Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde" (1886).
Science and the Unknown:
The Victorian period was a time of great scientific advancement, but also of fear about the implications of these discoveries. This is evident in works that explore the dangers of unchecked scientific experimentation, like "Frankenstein" and H.G. Wells's "The Island of Doctor Moreau" (1896).
Exploration of the Human Psyche:
Victorian horror often delved into the darker aspects of the human mind, including themes of duality, madness, and the hidden, sinister side of human nature. This is seen in "Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde" and Edgar Allan Poe’s works, such as "The Tell-Tale Heart" (1843).
Social and Moral Anxieties:
The literature frequently reflected Victorian society's fears and anxieties, including issues related to sexuality, class, and the role of women. Gothic novels often contained subtexts about societal norms and the consequences of transgressing them.
Urban Fear and Isolation:
The rapid urbanisation of the Victorian era contributed to themes of isolation, alienation, and fear of the crowded yet lonely cityscape. This is evident in the settings of many horror stories, such as Arthur Machen's "The Great God Pan" (1894).
Sexual Content: Victorian literature is renowned for its strict moral codes and conservative views on sexuality. Explicit depictions of sexual activity were considered taboo and were subject to censorship. Consequently, authors developed subtle and nuanced methods to imply sexual scenes or themes.
Literary Techniques for Implying Sexual Scenes
✧ Symbolism and Imagery:
Sexuality was often conveyed through symbolic imagery. Objects, actions, or natural phenomena could serve as metaphors for sexual activity or desire. For example, in "Dracula" by Bram Stoker, blood and biting symbolise sexual penetration and the exchange of bodily fluids, infusing the act with a sense of forbidden desire and eroticism.
Clothing and Undress:
Gloves: In Victorian culture, gloves were highly symbolic. The act of a woman removing her gloves in the presence of a man, or a man assisting her in this act, could signify a moment of intimacy or vulnerability. Similarly, a man giving a woman his gloves could be a sign of affection or a deeper connection.
Hats and Bonnets:
Corsets
Objects and Personal Items:
Locks of Hair
Jewellery
Books and Letters
Touch and Physical Contact:
Kissing Hands
Hand-Holding
Food and Drink:
Wine: Sharing wine or a meal in an intimate setting often suggested a prelude to deeper connection. Descriptions of characters drinking wine together in private could imply a romantic or sexual undertone.
Fruit: Certain fruits, like apples, grapes, or peaches, were laden with sexual symbolism. Eating or sharing fruit could represent temptation or indulgence. For instance, in Christina Rossetti’s poem "Goblin Market", the act of eating the goblin fruit is rich with sexual symbolism.
Flora and Fauna
Flowers and Gardens:
Roses: Roses were often used to symbolise love and passion. A red rose might suggest romantic or sexual attraction, while a wilted rose could imply lost innocence or sexual ruin.
Lilies: Lilies, especially white ones, represented purity but could also suggest a contrasting theme when associated with a fallen or tarnished character.
Garden Settings: Scenes set in secluded gardens or amongst lush, overgrown vegetation often hinted at secret or forbidden encounters. Descriptions of characters wandering through or tending to gardens could imply sexual exploration or awakening.
Flowers Blooming or Opening: The blooming of flowers often represented sexual awakening or the act of losing one's virginity.
Nature Imagery:
Rivers and Water: Flowing water and rivers often symbolised sexual desire and the act of lovemaking. For instance, in "Tess of the d'Urbervilles" by Thomas Hardy, Tess's encounter with Alec d'Urberville is often described with metaphors of nature and fluidity.
Storms and Weather: Storms, with their intense energy and sudden outbursts, were frequently used to symbolise sexual passion or climactic moments.
Birds and Beasts:
Animals, especially those that are wild or predatory, often symbolised primal sexual instincts and desires. The taming or interaction with these animals could imply a character’s grappling with their own sexuality.
Fire and Heat
✧ Phrases and Sayings
Euphemistic Language
Descriptive Phrasing
Dialogue and Confessions
Private Spaces:
Secluded or Dimly Lit Rooms: Scenes set in private, darkened rooms often suggested clandestine sexual encounters. The privacy of the setting allows authors to imply what could not be explicitly stated. In Wilkie Collins’s "The Woman in White", many key interactions happen in secluded spaces, hinting at secrets and hidden desires.
Dreams and Fantasies:
Dream Sequences:
Dreams and fantasies were used to explore a character’s subconscious desires and fears, often revealing their suppressed sexual longings. These sequences provided a socially acceptable way to delve into erotic themes.
Hallucinations and Madness:
Moments of madness or hallucination could serve as a metaphor for overwhelming passion or uncontrollable sexual desire. These states allowed characters to express forbidden feelings in a way that was metaphorically safe.
Physical Interactions and Horror
Touch and Proximity as Menace:
Unwanted or Forced Touch: In horror, touch that is typically a sign of affection or intimacy becomes a source of fear.
Physical Closeness in Horror Settings: Close proximity in dark, secluded places amplifies the sense of claustrophobia and vulnerability, turning what could be an intimate setting into one fraught with terror.
Undress and Exposure in Horror:
Loosening Corsets and Vulnerability: The act of undressing or loosening clothing, which can be a prelude to intimacy, in horror often leaves characters vulnerable to attack or exposure of their deepest fears.
Food and Consumption in Horror
Cannibalism and Vampirism:
Blood as Sexual and Vital Fluid: The act of consuming blood, as in vampirism, blends the themes of sustenance and sexual exchange. The vampire's bite becomes a metaphor for both sexual penetration and the transfer of life force.
Example: "Dracula" is a prime example where blood consumption is deeply eroticized, with Dracula’s victims often portrayed in a state of ecstatic submission as he drains their blood.
Food as a Lure: Food and feasting, typically symbols of pleasure and indulgence, in horror contexts can be used to lure victims into dangerous situations.
Example: In "Goblin Market" by Christina Rossetti, the goblins’ fruit is both irresistibly tempting and dangerous, representing a forbidden and potentially fatal indulgence.
Plot and Character Dynamics in Horror
Power and Domination:
Common Dynamics with a Dark Twist
Predators and Victims: Characters who prey on others are often literal monsters in horror, representing the loss of control or innocence.
Secrecy and Concealment:
Hidden Desires and Monstrous Revelations: Characters who conceal their true identities or desires often find these hidden aspects manifesting as monstrous or terrifying in horror narratives, suggesting that repression can lead to dire consequences.
Clandestine Meetings and Forbidden Encounters: Secret meetings and forbidden relationships, often tinged with sexual implications, add an element of danger and fear, suggesting that transgressing social norms leads to horror.
Common Themes in Victorian Horror
Duality and the Doppelgänger:
Theme: The concept of duality, where a character has a hidden, darker side, or encounters a double (doppelgänger), often symbolises the internal conflict between good and evil within individuals.
Connection: This theme reflects Victorian anxieties about identity, morality, and the consequences of repressing one’s darker impulses.
Gothic and Supernatural Elements:
Theme: Victorian horror is rich with Gothic elements such as haunted houses, dark landscapes, and supernatural beings. These elements create a sense of dread and evoke the mysteries of the unknown.
Connection: The Gothic setting often serves as a backdrop for exploring human fears, isolation, and the impact of the supernatural on everyday life.
Decay and Degeneration:
Theme: The fear of decay and degeneration, both physical and moral, is a recurring motif. This theme often examines the decline of individuals, families, or societies and the consequences of corruption and vice.
Connection: This theme mirrors Victorian concerns about the erosion of social and moral values amidst rapid industrial and social changes.
Madness and Psychological Horror:
Theme: The exploration of madness and psychological horror delves into the fragility of the human mind and the terror of losing one's sanity. This often includes hallucinations, obsessions, and the thin line between reality and delusion.
Connection: This theme resonates with Victorian fears of mental illness, the limitations of medical knowledge, and the impact of societal pressures on mental health.
Forbidden Knowledge and the Faustian Bargain:
Theme: The pursuit of forbidden knowledge and the resulting consequences is a central theme. Characters who seek power, immortality, or forbidden truths often pay a heavy price, reminiscent of the Faustian bargain.
Connection: This theme highlights Victorian anxieties about scientific progress, moral boundaries, and the potential hubris of human ambition.
The Uncanny and the Unknown:
Theme: The uncanny involves the strange and unfamiliar becoming eerily familiar, often unsettling the reader and characters. It blurs the lines between reality and the supernatural, invoking fear and discomfort.
Connection: This theme taps into Victorian fears of the unknown, the foreign, and the otherworldly, reflecting broader anxieties about social and cultural boundaries.
Death and the Afterlife:
Theme: Victorian horror frequently grapples with themes of death and the afterlife, exploring the fear of mortality, the possibility of an afterlife, and encounters with the dead or undead.
Connection: These themes reflect Victorian preoccupations with death, the spiritual realm, and the possibility of life beyond death, often intensified by the era's high mortality rates and interest in spiritualism.
Isolation and Alienation:
Theme: Isolation and alienation are prevalent themes, often highlighting characters who are physically or emotionally detached from society, leading to their vulnerability and descent into despair or madness.
Connection: This theme resonates with the Victorian experience of industrialization and urbanization, which often led to feelings of disconnection and loneliness.
Class and Social Anxiety:
Theme: Victorian horror often explores themes of class and social anxiety, including the fear of losing social status, the consequences of poverty, and the tension between different social classes.
Connection: This theme reflects the rigid class structures of Victorian society and the fears and tensions that arose from social mobility and economic disparity.
Moral Corruption and Hypocrisy:
Theme: Victorian horror frequently critiques the era’s moral standards and exposes the hypocrisy of societal norms. Characters who appear virtuous often harbor dark secrets or engage in morally dubious activities.
Connection: This theme mirrors the Victorian concern with appearances and the underlying tension between public propriety and private desires.
The Five Pillars of Victorian Horror & The Five Love Interests
The Supernatural and the Gothic (Ais)
Essence: Victorian horror often revolves around the supernatural, blending Gothic elements to evoke a sense of dread and otherworldly terror. This includes ghosts, vampires, haunted houses, and curses, which create an atmosphere where the boundaries between the natural and the supernatural blur.
Impact: The use of Gothic settings and supernatural phenomena provides a backdrop for exploring deeper themes of fear, mortality, and the unknown.
Psychological Depth and Madness (Vere)
Essence: Victorian horror delves into the complexities of the human mind, exploring themes of madness, obsession, and the psychological effects of fear and trauma. Characters often grapple with their sanity, facing inner demons as terrifying as any external threat.
Impact: This focus on psychological horror allows for a deeper exploration of character motivations and the impact of societal pressures.
Moral Corruption and the Double Life (Leander)
Essence: Themes of moral corruption and the duality of human nature are central to Victorian horror. Characters often lead double lives, presenting a veneer of respectability while concealing dark, sinful secrets. This tension between outward appearances and hidden truths reflects the era’s social hypocrisy and fear of scandal.
Impact: These themes critique Victorian society’s emphasis on propriety and the dangerous consequences of repressing one’s true nature. The idea of a double life or hidden self adds to the horror by suggesting that evil can reside within anyone, masked by a facade of normalcy.
Decay, Degeneration, and Disease (Kuras)
Essence: The themes of physical and moral decay, societal degeneration, and disease permeate Victorian horror. These motifs symbolise the fragility of human life and the inevitability of decline, reflecting the anxieties of a society grappling with rapid change and uncertain futures.
Impact: By focusing on decay and degeneration, Victorian horror underscores the transient nature of life and the ever-present threat of corruption and decline, whether through ageing, moral compromise, or societal breakdown.
Isolation and Alienation (Mhin)
Essence: Isolation and alienation are pervasive themes in Victorian horror, often depicted through characters who are physically or emotionally cut off from society. This separation heightens their vulnerability to external threats and internal fears.
Impact: Isolation serves to intensify the psychological tension and sense of dread, as characters confront their fears alone. It also reflects the era’s social and existential anxieties, including the fear of being disconnected or outcast from society.
Generally, I believe each LI connects with a pillair (as seen above). Perhaps by looking at the archetypes we could deduce propable endings and route elements.
