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JigglyPal

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Yeah, but...if the first wave of creatures/aliens/fungi/metaorganism was more threatening/lethal no horror stories would exist because all the humans would be wiped out easily and there would be no main characters fighting for survival. Survivable initial antagonists are both required for any horror story to get off the ground and also afterward to show plot/character development as the stakes gradually elevate with increasingly dangerous threats picking off core characters who survived the first wave as the narrative continues.
Yuuuuup. That's the big difference between a story about a crisis and an actual crisis. Imagine if Mount Vesuvius had ramped up to its eruption by sniping a handful of houses in Pompeii with lava over the course of a week or so.
 
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jI11jaCksjAkk

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Dev Update, January 6, 2026
TOXICity 0.14.0 update the second
View attachment 5603529
Man, that first render gives me real horror-movie vibes, where the character turns around or the camera angle pans for a big reveal like in TLOU when Sam is revealed to be infected in the morning :cry:. Like maybe one of the girls will turn into a Witch in the very near future because of prolonged moderate exposure, and MC will go looking for the missing member of the team when everyone else is ready by the door to head out and will see something like this before she turns around... :eek: I mean, she is 'looking' out of closed blinds...
 
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Ummmh

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:eek: I mean, she is 'looking' out of closed blinds...
So might you be if in her situation, assuming that the situation that she's in, is trying to see something highly dangerous outside the house without having it see her. She's very probably looking through the gaps in the blinds, which makes it possible to see out without things being able to properly see in.

She'd be well advised to have the lights off while doing so, tho (clearly, they are on, while it is dark outside, as we can see the gaps are far darker than the room), because her silhouette could still be seen through the blinds if they are plastic (such are not completely impermeable to light, although that problem goes away with wooden or metal blinds) and her silhouette would still show along the pattern of the gaps, at any rate, which could betray her if she moves while the thing is looking in her direction (it would be easier to spot the pattern of a moving outline then a stationary one).
 

Ummmh

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They only wear those because sheep can hear a zipper from a mile away... :p
Of course, the one about the *Irish* wearing kilts is a bit defamatory towards them, so I'll nae tell that one, here, but...

Q: Why do the English wear pants?
A: All their sheep are dead.

"Do-nald where's your troo-sers?"

"I don't know where you've been, but I see you've won first prize"
 
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Walter Victor

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So might you be if in her situation, assuming that the situation that she's in, is trying to see something highly dangerous outside the house without having it see her. She's very probably looking through the gaps in the blinds, which makes it possible to see out without things being able to properly see in.

She'd be well advised to have the lights off while doing so, tho (clearly, they are on, while it is dark outside, as we can see the gaps are far darker than the room), because her silhouette could still be seen through the blinds if they are plastic (such are not completely impermeable to light, although that problem goes away with wooden or metal blinds) and her silhouette would still show along the pattern of the gaps, at any rate, which could betray her if she moves while the thing is looking in her direction (it would be easier to spot the pattern of a moving outline then a stationary one).
Which means, since it is dark outside, the lights are on inside and the blinds are closed, she wouldn't see a Grendel, three Witches and 7 Burned Ones if they were all out there jumping up and down and waving their arms.

It's more likely that she's just meditating about something [wondering what posters on the ToxiCity thread are discussing? - since she doesn't have internet access], and picked that spot to do it.
 

Ummmh

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Which means, since it is dark outside, the lights are on inside and the blinds are closed, she wouldn't see a Grendel, three Witches and 7 Burned Ones if they were all out there jumping up and down and waving their arms.

It's more likely that she's just meditating about something [wondering what posters on the ToxiCity thread are discussing? - since she doesn't have internet access], and picked that spot to do it.
Actually, you can see out just fine.
You put your eyes right to the gaps and the blinds heavily filter out most of the room light, just like slitted goggles or squinting. Try it sometime. It takes a sec for your eyes to adjust, but it works, no problem.
 

jI11jaCksjAkk

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So might you be if in her situation, assuming that the situation that she's in, is trying to see something highly dangerous outside the house without having it see her. She's very probably looking through the gaps in the blinds, which makes it possible to see out without things being able to properly see in.
Could be, but as you point out you don't look out at something dangerous with the lights on, where your movement against the backlighting would easily catch even the peripheral vision of anything outside nearby. Plus, her pose is one of relaxation, not anxiety. So at best it seems like a lost-in-thought moment; at worst, she's a Witch who has been tapping on those blinds calling for someone to help her. And who knows? Maybe hearing a familiar voice calling for help is what prompted the MC to enter the room in the first place. :unsure:

I'm interested either way. (y) I have posted in defence of the (IMO realistic) slow build of the threat, but it does feel like we are now overdue for something bad happening to a member of our party instead of only to NPCs & the mist exposure threat not seeming too bad other than respiratory consequences. If only NPCs are killed off no horror story ever really feels threatening. I don't want them to go full GoT an kill off everybody, but most horror stories kill off a main character or two before the mid-way point in the story to amp up the realism. The sense of danger wanes quickly if it becomes obvious that all main characters have plot armor.
...are you sure that isn't a closet?
Could be, but I personally haven't seen any closets that start a foot above the floor (where a window would be set). And the louvers clearly open away/outward (their current angle & the trim overlapping them instead of visible hinges both imply this) like window shutters do. Closet doors opening inward and covering up some of the limited space for shelving/storage would be very inconvenient (you would have to put anything you were carrying down and close yourself inside the closet to use the shelving/space the doors covered up). So you may be right, but they look like windows to me. Plus, I am an idiot. :LOL:
 
4.60 star(s) 39 Votes