#off the cuff

"You're not thinking of jumping, are you?" the stranger asks, yanking you out of your reverie as you suddenly become very aware of your vulnerable position; a girl on a bridge in the quiet part of town...at midnight.

He's just some businessman in a suit and trench, cutting a sharp profile as he leans on the railing and looks out over the water, trying to see what you might be looking at, most likely failing, because no matter how shiny that diamond ring is, no human eye could possibly see it laying among the round stones of the stream below, and certainly not in the dark.

"Just came to get some air and think," you say, stepping back from the rail and turning to go, "and it's only knee deep down there, but thanks for the concern, anyway."

"He probably wasn't worth it anyway," the stranger says--stopping you in your tracks, his voice so low you shouldn't be able to hear it--and when you swivel back to confirm that he's not breathing down your neck, you find him leaning casually against the bridge railing, a dripping hand holding the very ring you'd just thrown away, his face dressed in warm eyes and a cocky smirk.

There's something about him that screams for you to run, but there's also something alluring that dares you to stay, and since you're making foolish choices tonight, you step closer, noticing how loud your heart sounds in your ears, almost drowning out the question you're finding that you're already guessing the answer to, "How did you find that and get it so fast?"

The disarmingly handsome stranger takes your hand, placing the ring in your palm and gently curling your fingers around it, and your heart races faster--not because his hands are cold or barely hiding the fact that they could break you before you can blink--when he draws you in to whisper, "They say a diamond is forever....but would you like to learn what forever really means?"

MIND FXCK is an 18+ ‘horror survival’ game that I’m developing, set in a universe where most of the population is born with some kind of special ability. The demo is scheduled to release late 2026, and you can follow along with updates over on my free patreon - link in bio!

Now for the lore:

Ronan is the main antagonist of the game, attending the same university as The Player. One unfortunate evening, you cross paths with him in the courtyard and bond over the fact that you were both born powerless. Despite the GLARING red flags from this initial conversation, you find yourself gravitating towards this stranger. He has an oddly magnetic pull, and you can’t help nodding along to whatever he’s saying.

Due to an unfortunate series of circumstances, you join him at his off-campus rental. However, after he shows you to the guest room, you get the sense that something is very, very wrong. By then, it’s too late. Ronan does have an ability after all—Mind Control—and he’s all too eager to show you how it works.

Survival becomes the main goal for The Player. However, with 15 different death endings, this won’t be an easy feat. Strategize, fight, and seduce(?) your way to one of three different ‘true’ endings.

reading dunmeshi and im struck by this title page. the theme of it to me is "something little you care for" because every set is a character with someone smaller/younger than them they try and take care of. laios seemed the odd one out to me for a moment, and given the theme of the others, id have expected him with one of his dogs. then i realized, thats kensuke.