[CW: mentions of speculated kidnapping/serial murder. Only speculations and not what actually happened.]
Setting: New Jersey, U.S., early 2025.
People are disappearing.
That's all the information we have. Through means that can't be explained by any realistic phenomena, there have been ten missing people reported throughout the state, specifically the North region, over the span of a month.
People go missing all the time, such is the extremely unfortunate way of the world. And these cases, like most others, have been sorely underreported. But these specific incidents have the same bizarre facts in common -- all victims are familiar with one another in some way, and all of them had disappeared so cleanly and so suddenly it's as if they were never in the places they were last seen at all. No signs of kidnapping, no proven implication of serial murder. Just leaving their homes and then vanishing into thin air.
The first two to disappear in this manner are aspiring game developer Dex Saberhagen and ... a forensics major, Alon Agbayani. The latter, being the only exception to the missing persons all having prior connections, is the prime suspect for right now. It's unclear whether Agbayani is behind the nine other incidents or a victim of circumstance alongside Saberhagen. Investigators simply don't know.
Dex and Alon, however, do: they are both victims of circumstance, and they also aren't currently on the same plane of reality at all.
They couldn't tell you where they are or why. The working theory is that through some arcane means, the real world and subconscious plane have begun to blur together. Avoiding danger in this world that almost mimics their own, but fails in every way it matters, has become a given in their new lives. The Labyrinth -- a name it's given itself -- takes the familiar and warps it, burns the air and splinters floors and gives intangible fears a physical presence. It grows more convoluted the further in they go, and each anomaly encountered is more threatening than the last.
But turning back isn't an option. Believe it; they already tried. They know by now that the only way out is through.
Number one priority: escape. Then, if they can pull that off: survive the waking world.
... Doubt sinks its teeth into your neck.
Is a normal life possible to achieve, given the circumstances? Was it possible before? Is returning home to such a hostile climate worth it? What does it mean to live normally? How can someone heal in a world that just won't seem to allow it?
... It's only natural to have questions. And that's fine -- try not to worry too much over trivial things.
Just keep moving forward. The maze has to end somewhere.
It is vital that you do not fall asleep.
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WHAT TO EXPECT
I don't typically write trying to stick 100% to one genre, but I did create and outline Window Window with surreal and psychological horror niches in mind. Derealization, the blending of an unconscious world with reality, that sort of thing is a feature of the story. As a result, things may not always make sense right away!
A lot of Window Window is also going to be experimental and pull elements from various horror subgenres, since I didn't go into this trying to stick to any one specific niche. It might feel all over the place as a result of that!
Window Window is as much of a slow-burn surreal horror as it is a political commentary. Intersectionality holds an inherently higher weight in the horror genre than in other fictional stories, I feel, and Window Window is going to be progressing along the primary storyline explained above -- being trapped in and attempting to get out of the Labyrinth -- through the lens of multiply marginalized people.
(Too often we see "representation" under the prospect of being the horror in the story and not experiencing it the way other characters do (especially in the context of disability) and that trend among horror as a whole is something I aim to examine intently. I say all this as a heads up: in Window Window, the horror elements and the political themes are overtly intertwined. I cannot, and will not, remove the latter from my story.)
More specific content warnings can be found here.
Additionally: the storyline will NOT be linear the whole way through! Events may be scattered around, perception might be deliberately unclear, and unreliable narration is my specialest most favoritest literary device in the world. I plan on leaning into the surreal aspect of surreal horror as much as I possibly can, so if that's something you're into, then you're at the right place!
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WHEN IS WINDOW WINDOW GOING TO COME OUT?
I Don't Know (AAAAAAUUUGH)
As of when I'm writing this (spring 2025), I have no timeframe for when specifically this will be ready. I'm still reviewing the plot, and I don't want to rush a project this important to me to come out before it's ready.
I also want to get more experienced with writing different types of horror before I start a comic. I want to really be sure I'm doing it right! You can find my other horror projects here:
Once these are all complete or mostly ready and I have a better grasp of what I'm doing, I'll be able to give a confident estimate of when Window Window will be published! I will update this section as soon as I have that information.
[POST IN PROGRESS]
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WHERE WILL I BE ABLE TO FIND WINDOW WINDOW?
Tapas! And additional lore and art right here! I will not be posting on Webtoon.
I will also be compiling the content of these posts on Neocities for archival purposes in the event that I lose Tumblr or any of these accounts for any reason. That isn't up yet, but if and when it is I will update you!
