SO i’m kinda basing this off a dream i had (wow i base a lot of things off my dreams) back when i was… idk maybe 14 or 15??? plus an idea for an rpgmaker game i came up with in middle school

basically it starts off with this group of friends who locate an abandoned mansion (loloollololollol we sure haven’t heard that idea before) and just. run around and explore and take pictures and stuff for fun. the main character gets distracted by something Mysterious (in my dream they were sidetracked by a shadow, idk if it would be the same in the game), and gets separated from the group. the mansion, previously rotting and dull, slowly becomes more vibrant and lively the further the MC strays from the group, until it appears as though the mansion is just as it was when it was occupied. the thing is, though, is sometimes the mansion’s layout is the way it was, and other times, when the atmosphere is tense, the mansion’s layout is completely different, and it becomes a labyrinth. doors will lead to rooms they’re not supposed to, some even leading to areas that aren’t in the mansion, like rooms of smaller abandoned houses or fields. these random areas still hold significance to the overall story. 

what’s going on, is that the main character is reliving the memories of one of the mansion’s previous tenants in a really vague and confusing way. no memories are directly shown, though. you can only piece things together by various characters you meet, objects you find, etc. except everything’s, like, really fucking surreal or something u kno? gotta live up that Good Aesthetic mmmmm

what seems to be at the head of this Heckin’ Fun Time! is, you guessed it, crispy boy. 

the distortionist and this person (the previous tenant who’s memories you’re “reliving”) were good friends, or acquaintances, or some sort of non-romantic relationship idk. it was a one-sided relationship, though. the distortionist was Incredibly manipulative to this person, and they didn’t really have the guts to stand up for themself? or they just kept brushing it off as “i can tolerate this, i’ll be fine, it’s no big deal and i shouldn’t make it one”. until, finally, distortionist pressured them into a suicide pact. this was when it fully hit them that this entire thing is NOT ok, and so they devised a plan: they agreed to the suicide, but when the time came, they faked their part, while the distortionist went through with it unknowingly. 

because of this, his spirit stuck around at the mansion. at first he didn’t know why he hadn’t moved on. well, at first he didn’t realize he was dead. he ended up in the same place that the main character ended up in when they were side-tracked from the group. he didn’t know where his pal was either: he figured they had ended up in a different location, and once he realized he was dead, he even thought maybe they had moved on to eternal rest without him. he spent his time in limbo doing exactly what the main character is doing during the game: exploring, observing, and learning the story. he eventually realizes it’s VERY likely that his pal never died in the first place, and intentionally faked their suicide just to get rid of him. he never gets full confirmation of this, but it makes the most sense, it HURTS the most, so he goes with it. he spends so much time in this particular realm of limbo that he learns to sort of control it and how it presents itself. he can’t control everything, but he sure can do a lot. 

when main character comes around, the distortionist picks up vibes from the character that very strongly remind him of his friend because WOOO PLOT TWIST MC is a reincarnation of his friend. the distortionist doesn’t know this, though, and it’s really never stated that it’s true in the game. because he’s a lonely bitch, he attempts to trap MC in the realm. because they’re a reincarnation, that’s why they’re “reliving” these memories, despite the distortionist twisting the realm in his favor. 

so here’s the thing: the only obviously-stated story you hear regarding what happened and what IS happening is from the distortionist. he tells you that his friend was the one manipulating him, that they pressured him into suicide, and other Atrocious Things! he even gets rid of most of the evidence from that realm that would prove he’s lying, and turns it into evidence supporting him. 

the other side of the story, though, is mostly vaguely stated throughout the game via characters, objects you find, and events you witness. a few parts make it obvious the distortionist is lying, leading you to question his credibility, but other than that, it’s vague as hell, and you do have to go out of your way to figure out the other side of the story.

and!!! yeah???!??!?!? yeye ahayaha!

i have no idea if i’ll ever make it a game honestly: it’s probably a bit more likely to happen sooner than the queen of teeth and poppy since those two ideas are more plot-based, while this one is more exploration based (and turn-based fighting and maybe a few puzzles weeeee) and if i got some people to help with the programming and the tiles, it could. realistically be something i’d be willing to put some extra time into. hoooooooooooooooooooooooo

and ofc keep in mind i’ve only been thinking about the story since the day after i uploaded the distortionist, so it’s probably super flat atm LMAO