Every October, strange things happen around Blackwater Lagoon.

Fishermen vanish. Boats wash ashore empty. Animals refuse to drink from the water. People report hearing something moving beneath the surface at night.

The locals have an explanation:

There is something living in the lagoon.

They call it the Blackwater Devil.

You don't believe the stories.

Until they arrive at the lagoon after dark.

Something enormous moves beneath the water.

Then a hand grips the edge of the dock.

Long fingers.

Webbed.

Clawed.

And two golden eyes emerge from the darkness.

Marin.

Marin started because I wanted to make something spooky for October. I’ve always liked the whole creature feature kind of horror movies, so I started with that idea and just kept building on it.

I didn't really want him to just be a monster that attacks people, though. I liked the idea of him actually having his own territory, knowing the lagoon inside and out, and having his own reasons for protecting it.

Then I got the idea that there’s something even bigger and scarier living underneath the lagoon that Marin is actually afraid of, and from there the whole thing kind of snowballed.

The romance part came from wanting to see what would happen if someone actually got close to him without him suddenly becoming a normal human guy with scales. He’s still a predator, he’s still territorial, and he’s still a little terrifying. He just slowly becomes attached to someone who chooses not to run from him.

So basically... I wanted a spooky lagoon monster, and somehow it turned into an entire creepy little ecosystem with lore, horror, romance, and an ancient underwater thing that probably wants everyone dead. I can't seem to do a one off theme, expect the big bad to eventually get a bot too...