#garden of bones if

[crownofefflorescence]

🥀 GARDEN of BONES

You, a mortal, awaken in an unfamiliar land of heat and sand, staring into the unfeeling mask of a spindly stranger who claims to rule the deathless kin of the air.

Beholden to an unremembered promise to assassinate their disgraced twin sibling, bound for an eldritch garden hidden somewhere in the arid plains, and compelled by an enchantment you do not understand, certain choices are beyond your control...

...yet even so, the power of life and death is forever fated to slip through immortal fingers. It lies within in your hands, and yours alone. Many questions plague you, but only one can you answer.

What will you do with it?

GARDEN OF BONES is a 17+ interactive work-in-progress with an emphasis on relationships, and includes some content that may be triggering; complete warnings will be included within the game and updated if necessary.

CHARACTERS

The Younger (M/F)

Weary of being disregarded and mocked for their aspirations, the Younger has their golden eyes set on not only their realm... but yours as well. Yet they need their disapproving sibling and crowned ruler out of the way, for good, and only a mortal can kill an immortal. Will you be their weapon?

The Elder (M/F)

A banished king haunts a garden removed from the flow of time; they had not considered that their beloved twin would stab them in the back... and now they are doomed to rise and fall by your hand. How far will you take this lie?

The Mortal (N/A)

A forgetful assassin, sent to dirty your hands on behalf of an immortal ruler from another realm. Cling to the past with bitterness or longing, or abandon it all if you wish. Forge a path built on vengeance or mercy. What will you sacrifice?

Note: as the siblings are identical twins, both ROs must be set together, so you will have the opportunity to play the game with immortal sisters or immortal brothers as your romantic options and potential allies.

FEATURES

CURRENT FEATURES

⮞ fey-adjacent immortal folk ⮞ 2 M/F selectable romance options (one of them is very ill-advised) ⮞ customize your appearance ⮞ shape your personality ⮞ 30 minute playtime ⮞ decisions

PLANNED FEATURES

⮞ a curse (may or may not be discovered) ⮞ bones (quite a lot of them) ⮞ angst ⮞ finished romantic route ⮞ platonic route ⮞ more creepiness ⮞ riddles ⮞ revenge

Everything here is subject to change.

LINKS

DEMO (TBA) | ITCH.IO | RO INTROS

Current word count (with code): 45,000.

I find friendships to be equally as captivating and fulfilling as romantic affection (and also fully support your right to antagonism and arson if desired) so expect me to do my best to ensure that each route is as lovingly detailed as possible!

There is a plan and intent to release the demo soon. Thanks for your interest and I hope to craft a most distressing and positively delightful journey for you.

Ask me anything!

~ Effie

[cinnamon-flame]

Hello I am back with more Viva Piñata doodles! Turns out if you think enough about fluffy piñatas you can force your way through art block (at least for a while)

The typical Viva Piñata experience, I love you Pretztail but why are you like this I drew so many Pretztail as a "do over" of my first Viva Piñata drawing from 2018

that's when it all started

[grimfolks]

bees' counterattack 🐝

[jellolegos]

Everything’s growing in our garden, you don’t have to know that it’s haunted

-

Print store :)

[doc0bill]

no cause the idea of Zoya telling Genya about the garden... them burying a flower together for David...

don't mind me, going to sob in the corner

(also which flower would they choose please share your thoughts)

[onenicebugperday]

No ID needed, just wanted to show you this friend I've met at the cafe! Had a very cute face, sadly I only have this photo.

I was worried for it's safety inside because while the baristas are all very chill, other patrons are a mixed bag when it comes to insects, especially wasps. So I took the little guy outside with me and it flew away after hanging out on my hand for a bit!

I'm glad they were removed safely! Definitely most people are not chill about wasps being indoors :)

[crownofefflorescence]

🥀 Garden of Bones Demo Update

Prologue + Playtesting

Much progress has been made (huzzah) and I finally have plans to hand over part 1 of the revised prologue to my generous, patient, and very much unpaid playtesters this weekend!

In case you are curious, part 1 is sitting at ALMOST 29,000 words with every current choice variation and a roughly 15-20 minute playtime, although the word count does include the code.

All that remains is to iron out some wrinkles in the prose and sort this wildly chaotic "variables" situation - somewhat.

After that, it's out of my hands for a while, which is good because whoof...

Hoping by Monday I'll receive some valuable feedback on Garden of Bones and decide how to further improve the experience for you! From there, I can begin coding the final scenes of the prologue and chapter 1.

~ Effie

[xxautumnivyxx]

I can take you to a multiverse worth of paradises.

[crownofefflorescence]

how would the RO's react if their Lover (mc) is getting harassed or bullied for whatever reason but hasn't asked them for help. bc they had a heated argument that may or may not have resulted with some harsh words to which MC took most to heart and doesn't want to bother them bc of it.

I sincerely hope this has never happened to you, Anon! If so, please know that you deserve better and are allowed to set boundaries in whatever way is the safest to yourself, even and especially with those you are close to.

ヾ( ˃ ᴗ ˂ )◞ • *✰

As always, this is not canon and might also be a bit of a spoiler when it comes to Z and U and their respective personalities.

Note: MC will be very isolated from others throughout most of this IF, with a few notable exceptions, but I'm going to assume that by "lovers" you mean a well-established relationship. Also, the romance and friendship routes would be very similar!

Z would be most likely to approach MC first and they would drop whatever they were doing to inspect them all over for bruises or broken bones, even if there was cause to believe it was verbal harassment. Then they would pull them into an embrace whether MC wanted one or not!

That is, of course, if they are [REDACTED].

The general vibe is "please take me back" even if MC makes it clear that they aren't angry. Z is the most likely to be genuinely remorseful and try to make up again quickly after an argument, and would emphatically demand that MC come to them first if this ever happens again. Also, Z would definitively put a stop to anyone bothering MC.

They would want to settle things with a direct confrontation, preferably alongside MC, and they are more than willing to follow through on threats where necessary...

U is least likely to be the one to approach MC about an argument, even if they pick up subtle hints that something is amiss. Honestly more likely to find out about the bullying or harassment first, and then reason out why you didn't approach them about it.

An emotionally stable U would sit down with MC someplace safe and sheltered to have an intensely detailed discussion about that argument, making it clear that you have no cause to fear them and that they're willing to hear you out. Their primary concern would be re-establishing whatever trust was lost.

The general vibe is "I don't like anything about this conversation but I care enough to endure it and find a way to resolve this."

Then U might quietly assure MC that they won't be bothered again, and the bullies would be summarily disappeared. If MC asks what happened later, they will most likely say that words were exchanged and an agreement was reached. This is, admittedly, something of an understatement...

[whatareyoureallyafraidof]

In 1939, Nazis held a rally at Madison Square Garden in New York City. In 2024, they're back. Please vote blue -- all the way down the ballot -- to preserve Democracy, and defeat these scum... again!

[nionom-art]

Lemme just draw the same couple of Lego people over and over again

[holy-leapin-splits-batman]

auctions of ORIGINAL ART from Gravity Falls + art by the creators of The Owl House, Over the Garden Wall, the comic Bones, OK K.O., Steven Universe, Inside Job, Infinity Train, and Big City Greens! and animation legend James Baxter!

at least two more days for all auctions!! $81 is currently the lowest bid for some signed and doodled-on OK K.O. stickers

(every post in the Instagram story goes to the same link, used above. will reblog shortly with the rest of screenshots from video)

[keezybees]

Hi everybody! I just hit an 'insufficient funds' while trying to purchase my Emerald City Comiccon table this morning 😭💔 So I'm just gently nudging my Inrpnt shop link on here in case anybody wants to pick up some Christmas gifts for loved ones (or yourself 😘) a little early! I would be so, so grateful if you could take a look and see if there's anything you like <3

[crownofefflorescence]

🥀 ALRIGHT, I'M GOING TO ASK!

Part 1 of the Garden of Bones prologue is roughly 40K words (all code and choices) with 30-35 minutes of playtime, an introduction to the younger twin, and the ability to set your appearance, etc. There are still edits to be implemented, which I'm guessing will take a few days to a week.

My original intended demo release included the entire prologue and chapter 1 where you choose more of your traits and meet the elder twin, scenes which are very much in-progress, although most of it is still an outline!

I do not know for sure how long they will take me to complete; perhaps several months, or more.