hey everyone,
after lurking for a while (and finally creating an account), i’m finally gathering the courage to share my project with you.
✦ title: Stillwater
✦ psychological horror | thriller | dash of romance
✦ 50k words so far
✦ wander a town stitched together by half-remembered dreams
✦ uncover the pieces of a life someone tried to make you forget
✦ hold onto yourself—or disappear into something else
✦ about:
You wake up in a place that claims to know you.
The floors are warm, the tea tastes familiar, and the people smile like they’ve practiced it too many times. No one says the wrong thing. No one remembers the wrong thing. And when you start to notice the cracks, the world rearranges itself to keep you comfortable.
But comfort is a script. Repetition is a trap. And something in the walls is keeping score. The longer you stay, the more the town learns.
About your habits. About your mind. About who you used to be — and who you’re being rewritten to become.
✦ romance options:
• a man who shares your room and notices everything you try to hide
• a silver-tongued survivor who lies when it matters most—and tells the truth when it hurts worse
• a stranger with cigarette ash on her fingers and ghosts in her throat
• a spark of chaos in a crooked grin, daring you to burn the system down with her
• a quiet soul carrying hurt like it’s the only language he still speaks
• a companion erased from the script, still waiting in the margins for you to remember her name
✦ feedback:
i’m very open to constructive criticism and suggestions! anything you catch—bugs, typos, pacing notes, or just general thoughts—would help a lot as i continue building the project.
✦ play the demo
✦ tumblr for updates or silly stuff (i’ll be posting dev notes and answering asks there!)
thanks for reading—and i hope you enjoy your stay in Stillwater.
88 Likes
The tone of this is so intriguing! I’m here for whatever happens next. I also really love the way the player chooses their appearance and how that appearance is described on the stats page.
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thank you so much!!
i’m really glad you enjoyed the tone. it’s only going to get weirder from here.
also really happy you liked the appearance section! wanted it to feel a little more personal (and more integral than just aesthetics)
can’t wait to throw even more strange things your way soon.
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This was super interesting! I really can’t wait for more!
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My seat is buckled and my arms are raised.
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…damn, what a fantastic job with the tone. Definitely looking forward to updates 
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thank you so much, seriously. tone was something i was really nervous about getting right, so hearing this means a lot 
i’m so excited (and a little terrified lol) to share more soon. thanks for taking the time to read it!
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Don’t worry, you got it right!
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Have to agree with the other posts, the tone is dead on. It was surprising that I found myself actually getting unnerved when the glitches happened. Well done. Well done indeed.
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Really appreciate it, thank you!!
dev log #01
[April 15th, 2025]
- finally figured out how to calculate the total word count
- rewrote scene transitions for a smoother narrative flow
- adjusted stat variable balancing (the game will now judge you more efficiently)
- expanded early dialogue to include new response paths
- introduced more second-person body horror (you’re welcome)
- more variety in tone
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dev log #02
[April 23rd, 2025]
so… i may or may not have fully rewritten stillwater from the ground up. turns out my adhd wasn’t gonna let me sleep until i fixed the structure, the pacing, the tone, the dialogue, the Everything™.
good news: it was worth it
bad news: my whole body hurts
if you’ve played the demo before, this version is going to feel like a whole new experience. tighter, weirder, more immersive. more glitchy goodness. more emotional damage.
(if you haven’t played it yet… now’s the perfect time to dive in. wink wink)
more updates coming when i’ve recovered!
9 Likes
Just finished the update/rewrite and wow, it was totally worth it! So first, was the disobedience tracker new, or did I not notice it last time? If so, it was a nice addition. I tried to resist without raising it at first, but then I started thinking I needed to raise it. I also love how you describe things. Somehow, you put into words what the human mind can’t comprehend what it saw, but it has the same effect…if that makes sense. I’ll spoiler this just in case…
I chose to follow Orla into the exit, and the description of the the ‘thing’ that passed by was perfect. It sounded like if a human tried to describe an eldritch entity, or a dimension that we have no senses to perceive…I guess
Anyway, I love it! If I had one suggestion, it might be when I chose to go with Orla, it said something like “we’ll go in two days.” Immediately, it said “two days pass” and that felt a little sudden. I don’t know if it’s possible but maybe you could some filler about how you go about your daily routine and then mention it’s been two days? Maybe it’s not even needed.
Keep up the great work!
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ahhh thank you so much!
i’m really glad the update landed for you. and yeah, the disobedience tracker is new! i’m hoping to make playthroughs feel more spicy with this new tension.
also i’m so glad you mentioned that description. that’s exactly what i was going for! like trying to describe something your brain refuses to process properly. eldritch glitchy nonsense (and a metaphor for something, perhaps 
)
and yeah, that transition with the “two days pass” line? totally fair. i’ll definitely keep that suggestion in mind. i think a short moment of downtime could help smooth that pacing and add some breathing room.
seriously appreciate you playing + leaving such thoughtful feedback! <3
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This was horrifying, I absolutely loved it! Will definitely be keeping my eye on this. I love stories about stories and I always thought they’d be horror to the characters trapped inside so this is scratching quite the itch!
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i’m glad to scratch that itch for you! i’ve been wanting to delve into horror for quite some time, so this is also pretty self-indulgent to me 
I have no idea whats happening and I love it.
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i won’t lie, i have no idea what i’m writing either
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This is such a novel concept and you executed it so beautifully! Like others have mentioned, the tone is so on point. I’ve never been so unnerved by a work of fiction before - I love that the story is so relentless with building paranoia and uncertainty. Incredible work so far, will be watching closely.
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