I agree with Masq, I think that Thomas was in the playroom at the time, but what about Nicholas and Xavier? I think they must have been out front with the others, but maybe those two, along with Diana, weren’t as close as the other childern, so Gregory didn’t go after them immediately.

Masq wrote:

But if that were the case, where do you think the “missing” orphans got killed?

Do you think maybe where we see drawings of Stray Dog may be sort of indicators?

That comment is actually what got this theory of mine started. At the beginning of the game, you can’t go in through the front gate, you have to go around and in through a side gate, where there’s two drawings of Stray Dog. I’m a bit forgetful, so correct me if I’m wrong, but I think that there’s only three drawings of Stray Dog at the orphanage – the one in the playroom, and the two by this side gate. To be able to get to the front yard after entering this gate, you have to turn right and go through a door in a wood fence.

I think that between Diana, Nicholas and Xavier, one of them might’ve run back inside to try and hide, while the other two might’ve started to run towards this fence to try and escape. If they did run towards the fence, they must’ve made it through – maybe they even got close to the gate – before Gregory caught up with them.

Assuming that the Stray Dog drawing in the playroom across from the “Thomas” doll does mean that the drawings indicate where an orphan died, then the drawing closest to the fence must be where Gregory caught up with them and grabbed the first one. The second kid, probably scared out of their mind at this point (I know I would be!) probably just ran, running right past the gate and over to the other Stray Dog drawing (to the left of gate) where Gregory caught them, too.

Of course, that theory is based on a lot of “maybe”s, so feel free to knock it down. ^^

This topic is going to intrigue me for quite a while…

Or, would Jennifer have blocked those orphans from her mind?

If Jennifer didn’t block Diana from her mind after all the horrible things she did I can’t imagine her blocking the boys… Some of the things they did? Maybe. But the boys themselves? I rather doubt it.

Are we sure that means they were there, though? To me it seems more likely that the laughter is imagined, more than it is that she simply didn’t recall or blocked out seeing the boys after that…

What makes you think she’s “blocking” them? I said before that it is not inconceivable that the boys played alongside but separate from the girls. If this were the case, they may not have had a key role in the destruction of Brown/Jen’s self control. After that, there are a few key people that need to be dealt with in Jen’s head. If they did not have a key role with the Red Crayon Aristocrats, I can imagine they were not on Jen’s list of “to come to terms with” at the moment. After all, we never see what happened to Hoffman and Clara for sure. Seems Jen has no problem dealing with “they disappeared from existance to me.” However, she does have a problem with Brown’s disappearance and the ones responsible for it. (During the cutscene she points out a few specific people and tells them she hates them.)

If the boys were not in direct association with the Red Crayon Aristocrats or Brown’s Death, it’s possible they’re missing as a pardon of sorts. When we hear the screams in “Lying Princess and Stray Dog” (December) I notice a few key ones. Diana’s for sure we hear. Meg’s as well. I believe I hear Eleanor (but it’s hard to imagine what she’d sound like screaming so…) But I can’t pick out the others for certain and certainly no male screams.

I for one, when I was a kid, did not like the sound of screaming in fear or agony. If Jennifer heard the screams of the other orphans, why is she replaying Diana’s and the other RCA high ranking members’ in her mind right now? And no one elses’? I think it may be a sign of her state of mind at the time at or just before the attack. You simply don’t stop being angry just because people apologize. Especially if you’re a child. You can forgive them, but the anger doesn’t simply vanish that way.

So I can think of only two explinations for it. The RCA were the first ones out to make fun of Wendy for screaming Stray Dog is coming and they got attacked before Jen could hide/pass out. After she hid the others died, possibly running from him through the orphanage. OR, she’s simply blocking the screams of those who were, in her mind, innocent (like seeing bags instead of animals?).

Diana, at the very least, was at the age where kids start to scoff at fairy tales…wouldn’t she or some of the others dared Wendy to ‘prove’ Stray Dog’s existence?

Diana seems the sort that would use the situation to her advantage. “In the land of the blind, the one eyed man is king.” But she can’t really keep up with the charade when the cover is blown, can she? And also, she has to acknowledge that she did some terrible things under the guise of their story. That’s something that’s hard to swallow for anyone when they have to finally face reality. The reality they were blocking by playing their game was catching up with them and they finally realized they couldn’t hide away in a dream because truth would always out.

There were no imps; just children who were scared and childish, just like other children. Children who were at times mistreated. Children who were bound together by committing a terrible act. The murder of a teacher. To get away from punishment and acknowledgment of what theyd done, they “disappeared” on an airship to a far away place. But when one of them shatters their self delusion with the simple truth and the princess, lost in her greif of the one thing she wanted, turns and runs from the truth again, attempting to rekindle her dream.

But in her desparation, something went horribly wrong. Stray Dog went from being the tame puppy she’d planned to use to show them their dream could be real to the nightmare that would end up being the most real.

As for proving he was real before, I’ve always suspected that “proving he was real” wasn’t as important to them as proving they believed he was real. To a child, it’s usually the same thing. I always suspected that was why Wendy “had to give up” Peter the rabbit. To prove she believed her own story by sacrificing Peter. After she did, others higher in the ranking seemed to have to give up something as well to prove they believed in it. Eleanor’s bird which was precious to her; A mermaid, an image precious to Diana; As for “The Goat Sisters”, I’m tempted to say that Meg’s sacrifice may have actually been what Diana took from her. She was gathering information on Stray Dog. If she gathered too much, that would have been disasterous to their game. It would have taken away Diana’s power as well. So I think that’s maybe why Diana, in the real past, pretended Mary, who was the gift of the month, ate Meg’s notebook. Meg didn’t really have a choice wether or not she wanted to play. If she wanted to hang out with Diana, Diana wanted top rung. And she definately didn’t want Meg telling everyone Stray Dog was a lie.

The Stray Dog Lie gave the higher up RCA members power, while allowing them to humiliate the lowers freely when they couldn’t do the impossible things asked of them. Diana is the type who enjoys this type of power. And it allowed Wendy to keep Jennifer from making any other friends, there by securing her place in Jennifer’s heart. At least before Brown appeared.

Also, it gave Meg the superiority that a bookworm normally would not have in a family of this size. I imagine that since she did not make the highest marks in the class (Eleanor did) but was still a bookworm, that she probably got bullied before Diana invited her into the RCA. Hence, possibly, her love for Diana? The Bully who rescued the Bookworm?

I’m not sure what it gave Eleanor except the protection of warmth of belonging against the cold shell that she surrounded herself with. The quiet girl certianly would find it easier to be left alone if she were powerful in the RCA. She could be with people when she wanted and alone when she wanted. Perhaps what she got from it was a sense of control over her life?

Anyway, you can see where the illusion was more or less beneficial for the higher ranking members. Even if they didn’t really believe the fairytales, if they pretended they were true, they got something in return.

I’m reminded of a little cousin of mine. Last year he was nine years old. I asked him what he wanted Santa to bring him. He whispered to me because he didn’t want anyone else to hear, “I don’t believe in Santa Claus, but if I pretend I do, I’ll get better presents in the morning.” Later I heard his mother tell my sister that she doesn’t put out the big presents under the tree until Clayton (my cousin) leaves a plate of cookies and milk for Santa and goes to bed.

Isn’t it funny how kids make the strangest connections?

You are one of those that I missed welcoming when you first posted. Sorry about that.

If not, though, I’m curious as to how Wendy had all the orphans THAT convinced. Diana, at the very least, was at the age where kids start to scoff at fairy tales…wouldn’t she or some of the others dared Wendy to ‘prove’ Stray Dog’s existence?

Sorry if I’m bringing up points that have been addressed or I’m wrong…I’m intrigued though…

Or, would Jennifer have blocked those orphans from her mind?