The Lonely Shore
Meet me at the cabin. Please.
You weren’t sure what to make of it. A cryptic late night text sent from your younger sibling, begging you to meet up at your family’s old lake home. The plea for help was as concerning as it was confusing. As far as you knew, neither of you had set foot in the cabin in a decade. You had your hesitations, but Willow seemed desperate. You couldn’t help but oblige.
Everything goes downhill fast when Willow’s research into childhood ghost stories lands you in a town that doesn’t exist. A town where people go missing at an alarming rate, where things that aren’t quite human run businesses with hungry eyes, where time runs differently.
A town you can’t leave.
Something about Easthaven is wrong. A supernatural fog permeates the town, so thick you could choke…but you’re one of the only people who seems to notice it. You’re quick to realize the fog keeps the residents ignorant, keeps them passive, keeps them trapped. When people who have long since gone missing start coming back home, you realize Easthaven’s mysteries go deeper than you could have ever imagined.
Explore the magic and the horrors of the small town of Easthaven, team up with the few others who can see through the fog, and do everything you can to make your way back home.
The Lonely Shore is a horror story about how sometimes places can feel like people, how easy it is to do terrible things for those we love, and how small towns have a way of eating you alive.
Genre: Horror / Supernatural / Mystery
Wordcount: 114,296 (without code)
Tumblr: LINK
Demo: HERE
Hello! I’m Theo, and I’ve loved both interactive fiction and horror ever since I was a kid, reading the Goosebumps CYOA books. A few months ago I decided to combine those interests with my eternal fondness for creepy small towns, and The Lonely Shore is the result. It’s my passion project and now that I have the prologue at a point I’m (more or less) happy with, I figured it was about time to post a WIP thread!
Features
FEATURES:
- Play as male, female, or nonbinary; trans or cis. Choose up to two sets of pronouns or input your own. Customize your appearance and develop your personality throughout the game.
- Romance or befriend a cast of characters. Options for ace and aro routes, as well as three polyamorous paths.
- Customize Willow, your younger sibling. Select their gender and determine what your relationship with them is. Will you rebuild a broken relationship? Or let a good one go down in flames?
- Explore the world of Easthaven, a town that exists outside of time, separated completely from the rest of the world. A place where tragedy is mundane and death is around every corner. Encounter the Fog, the source of all of Easthaven’s horrors.
- Build up to one of five distinct magic styles as your character comes to life; including necromancy, clairvoyance, manipulating the fog, becoming something monstrous–or suppressing your magic instead, having it come out in uncontrollable bursts.
- Solve the mystery of the Returned: citizens who have been missing for months, years, decades but who have recently started coming back home.
Characters
Jaylen ‘Jay’ Jones (M/F): a veterinarian-in-training and member of the town’s Search & Rescue team who has seen Easthaven’s horrors firsthand. A kindhearted but wary person who cares more about keeping people safe than they do about solving the town’s mysteries. They’re tired of losing people.
Yasmin Bakir-King (F): the local librarian, a fiercely clever widow with very little patience for nonsense. Very outgoing, she’s one of the most well-known figures in town. She starts the story unaware of Easthaven’s dangers but very quickly gets thrust into the middle of the town’s latest mystery.
Amir/Amara “Croft” (M/F): a reclusive, ill-tempered horror author who just so happens to be the town’s latest newcomer…until you show up. Croft came to town with their share of secrets, and there’s nothing in the world they want more than to escape Easthaven.
Beck Dawn (genderfluid): fun-loving and reckless, Beck is an adrenaline junkie who can’t seem to stay out of danger…despite being completely unaware of the town’s secrets. A magnet for trouble, it’s no surprise Beck lands right in the middle of Easthaven’s latest mystery.
Ravi Singh (M): Easthaven’s local mortician. Ravi is easygoing and quick to laugh; though sometimes his humor leans towards the macabre. But his easy smiles don’t cover up his almost chilling comfort with the Fog; nor do they get rid of the pile of skeletons in his closet.
Perri Loveless (M/F/NB): runs one of Easthaven’s three radio stations. In the day they play music, and at night they host a supernatural-themed call in radio show, The Lonely Shore. Perri is an enthusiastic (if a bit awkward) person whose theories tend towards the unbelievable. It’s unfortunate that, despite all of their theories, Perri has no idea what’s actually going on in Easthaven.
And…
“Willow” (M/F/NB): your little sibling. Flighty, impulsive, and outgoing; their fascination with the occult is what lands you in Easthaven. Your relationship can range from best friends to sworn enemies. Will they be able to save you from the mess they’ve made?
Content Warnings
A constantly-updated list of warnings
Prologue: Drowning, Mentions of Death/Dying, Blood, Hospitals.
Chapter One: Mentions of Death/Dying, Unreality, Self-Harm, Hand/Nail Trauma, Panic Attacks.
Future Content: Death, Gore, Body Horror, Sexual Content, Grief, Child Death/Children in Peril (teenagers), and more to be added when necessary.
Feedback
Currently my feedback priorities are:
- Grammar issues, bugs, incorrect pronouns.
- Right now I’m not entirely convinced by the personality stats I have. They’ll likely be tweaked in the future. If you have any thoughts on better combos (you’d rather see outgoing/shy vs animated/stoic, for example) please let me know!! I’n trying to figure out the best stat combinations for distinct personality building.
- Pacing issues, repetition, or anything else that doesn’t quite seem to flow right.
- First impressions of the characters, the story, etc. Any thoughts!
