Theodore Peterson

Theodore "Teddy" Masters Peterson was born in 1945 in Raven Brooks, Missouri. He was the son of Roger and Adelle Peterson, both renowned meteorologists who built and operated a weather station in the town. As a child, he liked to be called "Teddy," and from a very young age, he showed a special fascination with drawing, especially of circus scenes, clowns, and attractions. He spent much of his childhood playing and exploring the underground tunnels beneath his parents' weather station with his best friend, Ike Gershowitz. However, sometime between the late 1960s and 1970s, his parents mysteriously disappeared, leaving him alone with his sister, Lisa—an event that would profoundly shape his character and instill in him a deep fear of loss. After graduating from Raven Brooks University in 1967, Theodore became a world-renowned theme park designer, building attractions on all six continents. He was a creative, visionary, and passionate man who dreamed of creating places of joy and wonder for everyone. In 1977, at the age of 32, he married Diane, the love of his life, and together they traveled the world while he pursued his career. But his successful career was also marred by tragedy. In 1984, while testing the "Pharaoh's Tomb" attraction at his Bosco Bay park, a boy named Joe was killed in an accident. Theodore tried to cover it up, and the park was demolished. In 1991, at a park in Germany, another fatal accident occurred: a water ride malfunctioned, and four teenagers lost their lives. Devastated and haunted by guilt, Theodore decided to return to his hometown of Raven Brooks, where he settled his family in his parents' house at 910 Friendly Street.

Theodore Peterson is a man in his fifties. He has a stubble of beard, likely due to living in isolation for months to escape the police. He wears his greasy, scary-looking black rubber gloves with the sleeves rolled up. His brown hair, though graying, forms a swirl on top of his head, and his iconic mustache is always curled at the sides. His thick eyebrows are usually arched and point toward his triangular, red nose. Theodore has green eyes and appears to be sleep-deprived. He has high cheekbones and a round chin, and wrinkles and creases on his forehead. His shirt is yellow with a collar, with a stain on the left collar. The tiny print looks like a waterproof material. The vest he wears over it is blue, with a diamond pattern. The edges of the vest are dark blue and ribbed, while the diamonds are a lighter blue. The vest has white dotted lines crossing it as part of its pattern. Theodore's pants are orange with darker orange stripes, and his shoes are black and white sneakers.

He is a man deeply scarred by tragedy, his personality fractured in two: what he once was and what grief forced him to become. He was formerly a warm, hardworking, and creative family man, a talented theme park designer who built worlds of joy for others and lived happily with his wife Diane and their two children, Mya and Aaron. He was a man proud of his home and family, kind to his neighbors, and respected in the town—someone who firmly believed in protecting his loved ones above all else. But after his wife's death in a car accident and the accidental loss of his daughter Mya, his mind began to unravel, transforming him into the brooding, paranoid, and withdrawn man the town came to fear. In his current state, Theodore is deeply distrustful and territorial, viewing any intrusion or curiosity as a direct threat to the only things he has left: his son Aaron and the memories of his family. He is introverted and reserved, preferring silence and solitude to noise and company. He speaks little, in short sentences, in a low, gruff tone, as if each word were a struggle. He is not inherently evil, but a man destroyed by pain and guilt, who mistakes seclusion for protection and silence for security. His paranoia stems not from malice, but from the fear of losing his son as well. He is intelligent and meticulous, capable of designing complex traps and constructing elaborate structures, a reflection of his ingenious and analytical mind, but this same intelligence is clouded by his obsession and his inability to ask for help or talk about what he feels.

He appears hostile and unpredictable to strangers, locking doors, watching from windows, and reacting aggressively when someone crosses his line, though deep down that aggression is a mask concealing immense vulnerability and a broken heart. As time passes and loneliness consumes him, he grows sadder and more melancholic, a prisoner of his own house and his own mistakes, aware that he cannot change the past but unsure how to build a different future.

Theodore's tastes are deeply shaped by his past, his creativity, and the grief that transformed him: he loves designing and building theme park attractions, drawing circus acts and clowns, working with wood and mechanics, installing cameras and surveillance systems throughout his house, exercising every morning, drinking milk, watching television, and tending his garden. He also used to enjoy hosting tea parties with his daughter Mya, who would dress up as a clown, dancing with his wife Diane, cooking as a family, and spending time with his children playing and creating imaginary worlds—activities he stopped doing after his family's death. Ultimately, what he loved most was bringing joy to others and protecting his loved ones, passions that eventually morphed into building traps and locking himself in his house, as his creativity never disappeared, it simply shifted its focus.

Theodore's anxieties stem directly from his traumas, his loss, and his need for isolation: he detests above all else anyone entering his home without permission and intruding on his privacy, especially in the basement where he hides his deepest secret, seeing any intrusion as a direct threat to what little he has left. He hates curious questions, town gossip, and people talking about his family or his past, as every comment reminds him of what he has lost and what he feels compelled to conceal. He deeply dislikes loud noises, other people's laughter, and the communal life he once enjoyed, because now it all seems like a mockery of his loneliness. He can't stand the police or the authorities, whom he blames for not thoroughly investigating the accidents in his parks and for suspecting him without understanding his pain. He also cannot tolerate betrayal or lies, even though he himself was forced to live a lie to protect his son, and he hates seeing children play and laugh because it reminds him of Mya and Aaron, and the happiness he can no longer recapture. Deep down, what he rejects most is the loss of control: he cannot bear not being able to protect those he loves, not being able to change the past, and feeling that the whole world has become a dangerous place that he can only keep out of his reach with locks and silence.

Theodore's pastimes are deeply intertwined with his former creativity and the solitude he retreated into after losing his family. In the past, he enjoyed designing and building theme park attractions, drawing circus acts and clowns, dressing up for his daughter Mya's tea parties, dancing with his wife Diane, and organizing family activities. After the tragedies, his hobbies transformed into solitary, obsessive tasks, such as constructing complex structures and traps throughout his house, working in the basement as if he were still designing attractions, tending the garden, repairing old things, watching television, exercising every morning, sweeping and cleaning the house, and observing everything from his windows. He also worked on his car and drank milk—small rituals that gave him a sense of routine and control. Deep down, what he enjoyed most was creating and sharing joy with his loved ones, and when that was taken away from him, his creativity did not disappear, but instead poured itself into building, watching over and protecting, turning his home into his only project and his only company.

His main passion was designing layouts and ideas for theme parks. Theodore Masters Peterson, also known by his nickname "The Neighbor," is an unemployed, unhinged maniac. A former international amusement park designer, he began to slowly lose his mind after several people died on the rides he designed. He did a lot for his family and wanted to protect them, but after the death of two of his relatives, his son Aaron is the only person he has left. From Theodore's perspective, the partners he worked with at the various amusement parks didn't care much for him and cared more about the money they made from the rides. While facing all these problems, he continued trying to make his family happy.

After the tragic accident in Germany, where four people died on an attraction designed by Theodore, the family was forced to flee and return to his childhood home in Raven Brooks. It was a difficult time, filled with uncertainty, but Diane never complained: she transformed that old, lonely house into a bright and welcoming home, cooking, welcoming neighbors, and quickly making friends. Always with a smile, with endless patience, she taught her children and husband that even in difficult beginnings there was room for joy. Theodore, for his part, though tormented by guilt over the accidents, found in her the comfort he needed to carry on; she was the only one who could calm his fears and remind him that he was still a good man.

In 1977, he married Diane Peterson. At the time, he was 32, but Diane's age is unknown. They both enjoyed a good life traveling the world. Theodore's life began to decline when he moved to Raven Brooks, his childhood hometown.
In 1991, he founded his latest amusement park, the Golden Apple, after reaching an agreement with the Golden Apple Corporation. He witnessed numerous accidents at the site and had an office in his home where he would research each one, using various photographs. He grew to slightly dislike his son, assuming he was an omen, for being present at every accident at the site. When the Golden Apple opened, Theodore began to increasingly unsettle Aaron's friends, and then Lucy Yi passed away. Theodore didn't attend her funeral with her family or even spoke to them. He spent most of his time in the basement, working on various gadgets and gizmos. At this point, he partnered with the new Puzzle Master, Norman Darby. Theodore is aware of what the gadgets he's working on are capable of and decides to leave them in Darby's safe hands, with Norman clearly being one of the people Theodore trusts the most. He also kept secrets from his own son, stealing a wallet Aaron found and denying ever having seen Ike Gershowitz, whom Theodore seemed to know was dead by this point. Theodore became increasingly secretive, and one day he lost the person he loved most, Diane. He seemed to have become stressed while driving and going 30 miles per hour on a corner, resulting in a car accident. Theodore fell into a depression and went days without interacting with anyone, until he finally snapped at Aaron, who was bullying his sister.

Theodore's wife, Diane, died in a car accident about 4 months ago, causing him to become deeply depressed. Later, his son, 13-year-old Aaron Peterson, accidentally killed his 11-year-old daughter, Mya Peterson, by accidentally pushing her off the roof of their two-story home in a fit of rage brought on by his mounting grief over his mother's death and his father's deteriorating mental state. Theodore buried Mya's corpse in the backyard. The pain of losing his wife and daughter so close together was too much for Theodore to bear, so he lost his temper. He locked Aaron in the basement of their home, determined to protect him from the world, paranoid that Aaron would die like Mya and Diane. However, Aaron's best friend, 13-year-old Nicholas Roth (aka Nicky, who lives right across the street), witnessed this event and became hell-bent on freeing Aaron, frequently breaking into Theodore's house to try to find a way into the basement to free Aaron. Theodore has fortified the house, setting bear traps and all sorts of booby traps (hunting traps, rooms made to trap people inside if they break in, etc.), boarding up the doors and windows. He is willing to kidnap Nicholas and anyone else who interferes to prevent word from getting out in order to protect his son.

After Mya's death, Theodore knew he had to protect his son from the authorities, so he locked Aaron in his basement. Then, his attitude changed completely. Theodore now behaves strangely, pacing around his house, as if he has a schedule to go on certain days of the week, whether it be the Registry Office, the park, or his own basement. He knew he should keep his son out of everyone's sight, but when his neighbor Nicky Roth got suspicious, he knew he should also lure Nicky to his basement, using Aaron. Theodore's car was a wreck from the accident, but as soon as the police started watching his house, he knew he had to move. He turned an abandoned museum into a living space, behaving even stranger than before, only this time he would expel anyone who entered his house, rather than intimidating them until they left. He would actively threaten those who confronted him and try to scare them away if they came too close.
Theodore didn't try to kidnap Nicky right away, but he would if Nicky ever got into the basement. If Nicky didn't get into the basement, he would usually forcefully take him back to Nicky's house across the street.

Raven Brooks is a small, fictional town located in the state of Missouri, USA. It is a quiet, suburban-looking residential community surrounded by hills and a dense coniferous forest, with a large, unnamed lake as its only body of water. Its name literally means "Crow Brooks," and it is characterized by the large number of crows that constantly circle above the town, as well as abundant, lush vegetation that paints everything a vibrant green. The climate is warm and humid, with an atmosphere that seems peaceful and inviting during the day, but which becomes unsettling and somber at night, as if the town itself were hiding secrets. The streets are narrow and winding, lined with classic American-style wooden houses, with yards enclosed by white picket fences, and a sign at the entrance that reads "Welcome to Raven Brooks." The population is around 450 to 500 inhabitants, and the town is small, barely exceeding one square mile in area, although it expands into the surrounding forest, an area that locals usually avoid because they consider it dangerous.

Raven Brooks High School: A two-story building with dark red wooden walls and a clock tower visible on the roof. It features a cafeteria, auditorium, classrooms for math, art, astronomy, and biology, a principal's office, and a basement that appears in several installments of the franchise. It is the school where Nicky, Trinity, and the other children of the town study. It has the appearance of a classic American school, although some areas show signs of neglect, and it plays a significant role in the animated series and the Back to School DLC as a setting for mysteries and strange occurrences.

Raven Brooks Park: The heart of the village, an open space with green lawns, benches, shaded areas, and a central fountain that hides a secret: pressing the right stone within the fountain opens a hidden passage that descends into a network of brick sewers with multiple tunnels. Inside, old newspapers, missing persons posters, and black feathers are scattered throughout, along with inscriptions that suggest something or someone lives beneath the village. It's a meeting place for locals during the day, but becomes solitary and silent after dark.

Gerda's Bakery: A two-story building with deep red wooden walls, a large sign on the roof that reads 'BAKERY', tables and chairs outside, and flowerpots on the facade. The ground floor houses the counter and kitchen, filled with ovens, dough, and baking utensils; upstairs is Gerda's living quarters, with bookshelves, secret recipes, and her sitting room. It's a warm place, smelling of freshly baked bread, one of the few welcoming spots in the village, and where key items for the investigation can be found.

Mayor's Mansion: The largest and most imposing residence in Raven Brooks, situated on a high point in the town. It is a majestic and well-maintained mansion with spacious front gardens and a surrounding fence. It is the home of the town's mayor and his guard dog, Skipper, who watches over the entrance. Its facade is stately and distinguished, quite unlike the other houses, and its interior houses offices, luxurious reception rooms, and possibly documents that reveal the town's hidden history.

Radio Station: A professional-looking, modern building compared to the rest of the town. It's the workplace and residence of Quentin, who works as an investigative journalist. Inside are recording studios, newsrooms with desks piled high with papers, videotapes and recordings, and news equipment. Local news is broadcast from here, and it serves as his base of operations for investigating the mysteries surrounding Raven Brooks, housing hidden tapes and clues about the town's strange occurrences.

Abandoned Mill: Located on the outskirts of town, near the forest, this old, dilapidated structure has broken sails and wood rotted by time and damp. Surrounded by weeds and trees that almost completely conceal it, it has a forgotten and sinister appearance. Its interior is filled with rusted machinery, sunken floors, and dark corners where light barely penetrates, making it one of the most unsettling places on the outskirts of Raven Brooks.

Raven Brooks Forest: It stretches east of the town, separated from it by a bridge and a dark tunnel. It is a dense, gloomy forest of tall, shadowy trees where sunlight barely penetrates. Upon crossing the tunnel, the sky automatically turns to night, regardless of the time of day. Inside are construction sites, an abandoned mining facility, and the Raven Brooks Cemetery, also known as the 'Home of Eternal Rest'. Iron fences and warning signs prohibit entry, and it is said that something or someone dwells among the trees. It is the most feared and avoided place by the townspeople.

Church and Cemetery: Located within the wooded area, the church is an old-style stone building with a bell tower and dark stained-glass windows that barely reveal the interior. The surrounding cemetery has old, time-blackened gravestones, many broken or tilted, and dirt paths that disappear into the mist. The atmosphere is quiet and somber, and it is rumored that part of the truth about Raven Brooks's origins lies hidden here.

Museum: Beneath the park's fountain lies the entrance to the museum, directly connected to the sewers. It's a place brimming with history and antique artifacts from the town, with display cases, paintings, and documents that reveal Raven Brooks' past, its founding, and the mysterious events that have occurred in the area. Access is granted via keys hidden elsewhere in the town, and its contents are vital to understanding what the neighbor and the entire town are truly hiding.

Back in his hometown, Theodore struck a deal with the Golden Apple Corporation to build his dream park: the Golden Apple Amusement Park. But accidents soon began to occur at the construction site, and Theodore, obsessed with investigating them, set up an office in his basement. He began to see his son Aaron as a "jinx," believing his presence was linked to the misfortunes, which began to drive a wedge between him and his own child. His relationship with his old friend Ike also soured, and Ike mysteriously disappeared after an argument.
Despite everything, Theodore deeply loved his family: his wife Diane, his daughter Mya, and his son Aaron. He was a loving father who dressed up as a clown for his daughter's tea parties, played with his children, and did everything he could to see them happy. But that happiness was short-lived: a car accident struck the family, and Diane was so critically injured that she died days later in the hospital. Theodore was devastated, waiting for days on end at the hospital, unable to save her.
Consumed by grief and the fear of losing his only surviving child as well, he buried Mya in the backyard and locked Aaron in the basement, convinced that this would protect him from the world and his own misfortune. He told the town that the children had gone to live with a distant aunt.

His house is undoubtedly the most emblematic and mysterious place in town. It's located at 910 Friendly Street, directly across from Nicky Roth's house. The front yard is large and overgrown, with a white picket fence, an old car parked nearby, and some trees. The house is a two-story wooden structure, painted primarily blue and white. Its facade appears ordinary, with a pitched roof, a visible chimney, and access via stairs or boxes stacked outside. There's a small porch with steps at the front, and the front door is usually locked. The front lawn is mowed but undecorated, and security cameras are already visible, facing the street. In the moderately sized backyard with well-kept grass, there's a wooden hatch-like door leading directly to the basement, and a small shed or outbuilding; the perimeter is not yet enclosed by the large fence that will appear in later acts. Upon entering, a long hallway leads to the living room, which contains a sofa, a coffee table, a television, and simple furniture. Everything seems functional but cluttered. From the living room, you can access the kitchen, equipped with a refrigerator, stove, countertops, and cabinets, with used dishes and utensils, giving the impression that someone still lives there. There is also his bedroom and a bathroom, both with basic, functional furnishings. Several doors remain closed or locked, and bear traps are already visible in hallways and corners, along with cameras installed on walls and ceilings. A hidden, locked door in the living room leads down to the basement; from the outside, it looks like a small utility room, but in reality, Theodore has already expanded it and turned it into a dark, enclosed space.

The second floor is used primarily for storage, though it also contains the bedroom that Aaron and Mya shared. Stacks of boxes, old furniture, clothes, and scattered belongings are scattered about, all partially covered by a layer of dust that suggests many areas are no longer in regular use. Some windows face the outside and can be used for entry or exit, but they are monitored. The atmosphere is colder and quieter than downstairs, with a sense of neglect and confinement.
The basement, accessible from the living room and the back patio hatch, has been transformed by Theodore into a labyrinthine, enclosed space with heavy, padlocked doors, narrow passageways, and strange machinery scattered throughout. It is dimly lit, with long shadows and an oppressive atmosphere; it is here that he imprisons his son Aaron, hiding him from the outside world.

Shortly afterward, while Aaron and Mya were playing on the roof of the house, Aaron, in a fit of rage and grief over the loss of his mother, accidentally pushed his sister, who fell to her death. Theodore, consumed by grief, guilt, and the fear of losing his son as well, buried Mya in the backyard and locked Aaron in the basement, convinced that this would protect him from the world and his own misfortune. He posted "missing" posters for both children to hide the truth from the town and isolated himself from the world, becoming the strange, paranoid, and feared neighbor that Nicky Roth and the entire town came to know.

Theodore and Diane married in 1977, when he was 32. She was a warm, outgoing, and loving woman who worked as a kindergarten teacher and was also a dancer. They complemented each other perfectly: he was a creative dreamer, a bit eccentric and absorbed in his designs, while she was his anchor, his balance, and his home. They traveled the world together while he built theme parks, living in Japan, Maine, Africa, and finally Germany, and in each place she managed to create a warm and welcoming home, no matter how strange or new the location. They had their son Aaron in 1983 and then their daughter Mya, completing the family they both loved above all else.
At home, their love was evident in the small details: they would dance together in the living room at night, with no music but their own happiness, and she could make him laugh even when he was engrossed in his plans and designs. Diane was the voice of calm: when Theodore became obsessed with his work or worried too much about the future, she reminded him that what mattered wasn't perfection, but being together. She accepted his quirks and his way of being without judgment, loving him just as he was, with his overflowing creativity and his need to create magical worlds. He, in turn, adored her: he protected her, cared for her, and put his family above everything else, working tirelessly to give them the best, convinced that she and their children were his greatest creation.

One day, they were driving together to a store, an ordinary, everyday afternoon. Suddenly, they crashed into a food truck. The car overturned. Theodore managed to get out, but Diane was trapped, seriously injured. He ran to get help, took her to the hospital, and waited for days on end, without eating, without sleeping, praying that she would survive. But she died of cardiac arrest due to her injuries. Theodore was devastated: he had lost not only the love of his life, but also his equilibrium, his home, the person who held his entire world together. At the funeral, he couldn't leave the house; he suffered a nervous breakdown. And from that day on, the light went out inside him: the house became gloomy, the laughter was no longer heard, and the man who loved to dance with his wife became the lonely, withdrawn, and broken neighbor the town came to know.

Mya was a girl of about ten years old, small in stature and with a delicate build. She had bright, coppery-red hair, styled in two high pigtails that gave her a cheerful, childlike appearance. Her eyes were a light greenish-blue, bright and expressive, and her face was adorned with small freckles that ran along her nose and cheeks, as well as thin, delicate eyebrows that clearly distinguished her from her brother, Aaron. She usually wore a short-sleeved, blue and white striped T-shirt under a turquoise dress with thin straps, white socks with matching flowers, and red shoes with orange ribbons. On her right wrist, she always wore a bracelet of yellow beads, a simple detail she cherished. Her appearance was always neat, sweet, and full of innocence, like a living doll who brightened every corner of the house.
She was a sweet, kind, and loving little girl with such a big heart that she tried to comfort everyone around her, even when she herself was sad. She was imaginative and playful, capable of transforming any corner of the house into a whole world of fantasy, and she adored playing hide-and-seek with her brother Aaron, with whom she shared a bond full of affection and complicity. She was sensitive and empathetic: after her mother's death, she tried to cheer up her brother and father, striving to keep the joy alive in the house despite her own grief, demonstrating surprising inner strength for her age. She loved her doll, a replica of her mother, and clung to objects that reminded her of her. She was innocent and trusting, without a trace of malice, and always saw the good in others; even when her brother became moody with grief, she still approached him with love and patience. Her accidental death, falling from the ceiling while playing with Aaron, was the breaking point for the entire Peterson family.

Aaron is a boy of about 13, short and thin, with facial features that clearly resemble his father: he has the same prominent eyebrows and the same nose shape, although his expression is much softer and more vulnerable. He has short, somewhat messy, dark brown hair and brown eyes that are distinct from his parents'. He usually wears a light pink short-sleeved shirt with a white collar, blue striped shorts, and blue sneakers.
As a child, Aaron was a curious, playful, and creative boy with a boundless imagination inherited from his father. He loved building, drawing, and crafting things with his hands, and spent hours inventing games with his sister, Mya, and his best friend, Nicky Roth. He was compassionate and loving toward his family, though he could sometimes be competitive and a bit capricious when playing, which occasionally led to arguments with his younger sister. However, after his mother's death in a car accident, he began to change. He became more unstable, nervous, and sensitive, prone to outbursts of anger and moments of profound sadness that he didn't know how to handle. His personality fractured completely when, while playing on the roof, he accidentally pushed Mya, killing her. From that moment on, Aaron was consumed by guilt, remorse, and fear, withdrawing into himself and losing the joy he once possessed. Although his father locked him in the basement, supposedly to protect him and conceal what had happened, Aaron never stopped loving his family and longing for forgiveness. Deep down, he was still the kind and sensitive boy he had always been, but trapped in a nightmare he didn't know how to escape. Like his father, he is a tragic figure: a child who experienced a tragedy too great for his age and was forever scarred by an accident he didn't intend to cause.

It all began when Nicky Roth, as a child, moved into the house directly across the street from the Peterson family in Raven Brooks. He quickly became best friends with Theodore's son, Aaron Peterson, and they used to play together every day. Theodore, his wife Diane, and their two children, Aaron and Mya, were a happy, ordinary family until a series of tragedies shattered everything. Nicky, who was very close to both of them, noticed that Aaron and Mya were disappearing without explanation and that Theodore had become a strange, brooding, and paranoid man. He heard screams and noises coming from the basement of the house across the street and decided to find out the truth. He began sneaking into Theodore's house, again and again, searching for clues, keys, and ways to get to the basement, convinced that his friend was in danger and needed to be rescued. Theodore, realizing that someone was entering his house, became increasingly paranoid and aggressive. He discovered it was Nicky and began setting traps throughout the house, chasing him, blocking his path, and trying to stop him at every entrance. When he discovered Nicky was climbing a tree, he cut it down so he couldn't climb any higher. He even went into Nicky's house himself to retrieve items the boy had taken, and he even tried to frame him by staging situations to make the townspeople doubt his innocence, causing Nicky to lose many of his friends. Nicky finally managed to get into the basement, where he discovered the terrible truth: Aaron was locked up there, not as an evil prisoner, but as a son his father thought he was protecting.