elegy-if

[elegy-if]

After spending a childhood in isolation, Mikhail has finally been able to find freedom in academia. Pursuing the passion of their only solace; the forever gentle sound of song. Though, Mikhail has lived a life of naivety. A life shielded by the harsh faith of their church and family. Now Mikhail will discover the dark underbelly of the city of Vilyuchka — and what it means to be a composer in a city where crime and music are one in the same.

Demo: July 2024

The Garden Sanctuary is an 18+ horror, lesbian romance, and erotica interactive fiction. It takes place in a world built in Gaslamp Fantasy, with Art-Deco and 1920s influences. It is planned to be a browser-based visual novel style experience, with multiple illustrations and CGs placed throughout.

(Character bios and additional info can be found under the cut.)

CONTENT WARNING: The Garden Sanctuary is a HORROR and EROTICA interactive fiction. CWs include gore, violence, body horror, body dysmorphia, gender dysphoria, as well as internal and external transphobia, homophobia/lesbophobia, and ableism. The Garden Sanctuary also portrays critical views of the effects of CSA and incest from a personal perspective. (No on screen depictions, just the aftermaths of such events.)

MC: Mikhail Ilyushin - The Composer - They/Them

Mikhail Ilyushin was raised in one of the many churches of Vilyuchka who follow the single god of Lithos. From birth they were seen as sick, in body and mind alike. Thus they were sheltered from the rest of society in an attempt to protect their frailty from the outside world. During their time in the church they would occupy their dark upbringing with their passion for music. Mikhail had given up on the prospects of freedom. Until one day their overbearing family was contacted by a mysterious sponsor, who was somehow able to convince them to allow Mikhail to attend the University of Saint Yelena in order to pursue becoming a professional composer.

RO: Watcher Uriel - Patron of Pestilence - He/She/They

Watcher Uriel, the cursed angel forced to live on the outskirts of the city. Their very existence brings sickness. Her appearance is gruesome, no matter how hard she tries to mask her true form under a mortal glamor. In spite of the nature of their very existence, they long for only one thing: Love and affection. They are the head of a fanatic cult, obsessed with finding love for their holy angel. Nonetheless Watcher Uriel remains on the ceaseless hunt to find a soulmate. No matter the cost.

RO: Lucia Blackhart - The Violet Songstress - She/Her

Perhaps one of your only hopes of learning what the life of a composer entails. Lucia is not only a prolific melodist herself, she's also an extremely elusive detective. The catch: she only works with criminals in the Vilyuchkan Underbelly. Her allegiances are never set in stone. And while her services are invaluable, you can never fully set your trust in the Violet Songstress. Bonus Route: Because of her good natured relationship with Caim, it is possible to pursue a polyamorous route between the two of them.

RO: Caim - The Wonderland Ensemble, one of the Five Kings of the Vilyuchkan Underbelly - They/Them

Caim is a demonic being who surfaced in Vilyuchka many decades ago. Since then they have founded the Wonderland Ensemble, a ruthless crime syndicate known for its equal worship of pleasure and pain. Caim is an absolutely ruthless criminal, earning them the title of one of the Five Kings; a designation for the most dangerous and esteemed crime bosses in the Vilyuchkan Underbelly. Bonus Route: Because Caim is great friends with Lucia Blackhart, it is possible to pursue a polyamorous route between both of them.

RO: Headmaster Stelliana - Beholder of the Moon - She/Her

Headmaster Stelliana is the only companion you will meet on your journey that has the privilege of participating in regular society. She's a highly respected scholar, and lead of the academic group known as the Beholders of the Moon. Though she just poses as an intellectual elite, she holds a dark secret. Her and her fellow Beholders are apart of a cult seeking to resurrect the Old Gods. Only she and her fellow scholars know what this entails, and what fate this may bring about.

RO: ████████████ ████████████ ██████ ███ █████████

Something about this presence seems familiar. Yet foreign. I can feel my heart pounding against my ribcage. Is it fear, or is it fiery yearning that I feel? Nonetheless something inside of me burns. Threatening to sear through my sternum and breach the skin along my breast. Until we meet again.

#other games #LOOK!!!!

[elegy-if]

Character Reveal 4 of 4 - Headmaster Stelliana

Ta-da~! The last character reveal. Now that everyone is here, I'll make a new intro post soon~! Yippeee!

Headmaster Stelliana - Beholder of the Moon - She/Her Pronouns - Honored Vilyuchkan Scholar

(Transcription under cut)

Headmaster Stelliana is the high priest of the academic circle known as The Beholders of the Moon. She is the only companion you will meet on your journey that can blend in with the whims of regular society. In fact, she is an extremely honored scholar at the University of Saint Yelena, even being an official member of it's schoolboard.

But underneath all of her respect and honor, and the merits of the Beholders, lies a sinister secret. In reality the Beholders are a collective group of Mad Scholars obsessed with the revival of the Old Gods. They pose as the elite academics of Vilyuchka in order to receive funding and acceptance. Despite their strange goals and enigmatic natures the intelligence of the beholders knows no bounds. Their minds can not be bound in any mortal capacity.

"Headmaster Stelliana is rather flat and unreadable. Though do not mistake her lack of emotion for coldness. She's analytical and precise, yes, but she is also incredibly polite. She doesn't carry herself with any sort of pretension, nor does she assume anyone she meets is below her intelligence. Instead, she finds great value in the many forms of intellect that mortal culture holds.

She also prides herself on hospitality. She believes a good first impression can cement the fate of any relationship. Stelliana loves to get to know new people over a cup of tea and a few finger sandwiches.

Despite this though, she has a penchant for keeping secrets. Her true motives can be hard to pin down, even amongst other Beholders."

#other games #LOOK AT STELLIANA NOEWWWWWWWW my egl baddie

[elegy-if]

Let's say our Mc doesn't have romantic experience and the sexual experience. Just because thats how I sometimes like to play my people.

How would the Ro's react to that or feel?

mc canonically has never dated or been intimate with anyone! the labs kept them isolated from both the outside world and other people they kept locked up in there. it was basically just 24/7 monotony when mc wasn't being tortured.

all the ros would be aware of the fact! none of them assume mc has any experience considering what the bulk of their life has been like. they're all fine with it! they of course take that into consideration when initiating things with mc, but wouldn't particularly care or mind. aside from eden and sable who would def be trying to make things "special" for mc LOL

#all ros #asks #anonymous #mc

[elegy-if]

tw for self harm (will be updating the tw list with that once i get the update out) but here's a lil sneak peek of mc being the most anxious person on the planet

That doesn’t quell your nerves one bit, but you bite your tongue. You rest your shaking hands on your thighs and dig your nails into the flesh beneath them. It was something you did often when your nerves got the best of you back in the labs; the small indents and pinpricks of blood that quickly healed over was nothing your body couldn’t handle. Part of you knows you only ever did it because it let you feel some semblance of control over your pain, but the habit seems to have followed you even outside of the labs.

#previews #mc #tw: self harm

[elegy-if]

Would you ever make a Patreon with side content involving the romance options and other characters? I'd be interested in learning more about them outside the story

...perhaps? the idea makes me a bit nervous; i write pretty slow (though i've been writing more/faster since i started handwriting everything and transferring it to my pc) but if it happened, it'd definitely be after i have more of the game out!!

i do think it'd be fun to write about the characters outside of the game too, though! though you will find out quite a bit within the game

#asks #anonymous #ch 1 specifically at LEAST #which is coming along finally! #sorry i had lots of deaths in my family recently so i havent been able to write much #butttt i've been writing several pages a day with this new way of getting my thoughts out and editing when transferring to my pc #its getting there!

[elegy-if]

I'm officially back to work on TGS !! here is a little Mikhail to celebrate.. I'm rewriting what I have for the prologue and refining the outline~! I'm starting to settle down as a full time freelance artist, so I have a lot more time on my hands. I'm still full time in college but my new worklife should give me more time to work and less opportunities to get overwhelmed !!

#other games #Check out my besties game. now

[elegy-if]

can't stop imagining mc looking like the granny from the taking of deborah logan when eating big stuff (or just distending their mouth) it was the first thing my mind got to when i read for the first time, that shit was creepy as hell

YES!! i mentioned it in an ask awhile back but thats almost exactly how i imagine it looking HAHA

#asks #anonymous

[elegy-if]

um!! i just realized we passed 700 followers.. if anyone has a small little idea they'd like to see from me for hitting that milestone (so like a drabble or even just a q&a maybe!), let me know!

#milestones

[elegy-if]

actually i have something for you all that i've been meaning to post. here's a board of RO aesthetics!

playlists will come... eventually. im super particular about the playlists i make so they always take me forever

#srb #i posted these at a bad time + have quite a few new followers. check it out

[elegy-if]

With the Mc jaw does it always unhinged like a snake or are they able to eat normal?

they can eat normally! the unhinging is mostly to get big things in (ie. the head of some lab employee in the demo)

#mc #about to make a biology tag lol you guys ask good questions

[elegy-if]

you can always redeem a blond character by giving them dark roots. i know this in my heart

#about: felix

[elegy-if]

your daily reminder to press the button.

[elegy-if]

#mc #vs literally every other chara

[elegy-if]

ROs heights?

FELIX: 5’11”

EDEN: 5’4”

SABLE: 6’2”

ERIS: 6’0”

???: 5’6”

#asks #anonymous #all ros #felix #eden #sable #eris #??? #some ??? crumbs for u all #yes i made them short bc the image of them fighting with a tall MC if you so choose is funny #also these are the same heights for all genders! #i personally am not a fan when games have male ROs be like 6+ feet and then the female vers are like just pushing 5 feet

[elegy-if]

you know those memes about giving victorian children sprite and shit like that. MC is literally that when being fed something besides raw chicken from the grocery store for the first time

#mc

[elegy-if]

DOCTOR CYRUS SOKOLOV & WYATT ABRAMS GAME PORTRAITS by @tapeworrmart

#other games #cyrus. watch out #the tattoos 😽

[elegy-if]

On a scale of least to most slowburn, where do all of the ROs lie? Can you tag this question with #slowburn, please?

im honestly not 100% sure if i can scale this properly hmmm but i’ll ramble at you about it ok?

honestly theyre probably all what one could consider at least some what slow burn..? Just because MC hasn’t ever been in a relationship (platonic or not), is deeply traumatized (whether they admit it or not), and has to learn how to navigate both of those problems.

this is subject to change as i write obviously but as of rn, this is… kind of about how i imagine it? i am not a plotter though so.

LEAST SLOW BURN

i want to say sable… they’re shy and awkward, and they wouldn’t be the most trusting right off the bat (at least not about [BEEEEP] [REDACTED]) but! once they do trust MC, they’d be pretty open to the idea of a relationship when MC is ready/shows interest!

next is eden. eden just has to take a bit to work through their guilty conscious. they’d be a bit conflicted morally because 1. they’re letting MC stay at their house and dont want to make them feel like they HAVE to be in a relationship to stay or anything…? if you get me. (not that thats a route im going to write its just a fear of being perceived that way from eden lol) and 2. they DID have to experiment on MC. so. there’s obviously some conflicting feelings there.

felix comes in probably just before eris? Just barely. felix, to put it bluntly, is scared of MC for awhile LOL. she’s never dealt with someone whos infected. there is also a tad bit of guilt there for never questioning what Vicelie said they were doing/what was going in the labs nearby. also felix is just kind of an asshole so that might push MC away occasionally depending on how you play.

are you really surprised eris is towards the bottom of this list? i’m not. while eris is down for some light teasing (if you want to call it that. they’re a bit strange and unusual), anything beyond that is (mostly) uncharted territory. they don’t make it a habit to woo people or go out on dates or anything serious. part of it is them being worried about someone targeting MC as well, but they’re kind of being selfish in that regard since they’re still keeping MC around to throw them scraps and dispose of evidence anyways lol.

??? is def the most slow burn. that is all i can say. but what do you expect from the person hunting you down anyways?

#slowburn #asks #anonymous #all ros #felix #eden #sable #eris #???