Garden

The pots are set up on your little balcony, finally. You've always wanted a garden of your own. [[Turn them on->Hum]]

(font: "Courier")[(text-style: "blur")[ -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- POT PLANTED: $pot (if: $pot is "NOTHING")[- [[PLANT SOMETHING->Plant pot]] ](else-if: $pot is "PANSIES")[- [[WATER DEAD PANSIES->Water pansies]] - [[EXTRAPOLATE DEAD PANSIES->Extrapolate pansies]] ] -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --]]

(text-style: "blur")[ -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- SEED INVENTORY: [[DEAD PANSIES->Plant pansies]] -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --]

The geneseed emulator swirls in your perepherial vision making you feel nauseous. Your finger is pricked, a drop of blood falling into the digitising void, added to the mixture. The seed flickers before your eyes, fading between pixelated and smooth - static snaking across it. With a small pop the seed falls into into the palm of your hand. It's rust red and black veined, straining against itself, you're afraid it'll burst. [[quickly plant it in the soft soil->Garden]]

(set: $pot = "PANSIES") |display>[The geneseed emulator starts, swirling in your perepherial vision making you feel nauseous. A slice of flesh is taken from your hand. Following the instructions on the HUD you go into the house and place it in the microwave. You set it to DECOMPOSE, thirty seconds should be enough.] (link-reveal: "...")[(replace: ?display)[ ] The microwave dings and you open the door, the stench of death rolling over you. Gagging you return to garden and the pot digitises the remains. The seed flickers before your eyes. More real than the HUD it fades between pixelated and smooth - static snaking across it. With a small pop the seed falls into reality and you catch it in the palm of your hand. It's a pale grey, wasted and fragile, you're afraid it will crumble into ash. [[gently plant it in the soft soil->Garden]]]

The geneseed emulator swirls in your perepherial vision making you feel nauseous. A spark sets your plasgrass on fire. Panicking to put it out, you don't even notice the flames being sucked into the digitising void. The seed flickers before your eyes, fading between pixelated and smooth - static snaking across it. With a small pop the seed falls into into the palm of your hand. It's plasma-like, pulsing glowing blue, white, and orange. It seems to be growing warmer by the second.. [[plant it in the soft soil before it burns you->Garden]]

The geneseed emulator swirls in your perepherial vision making you feel nauseous. You go inside and rummage through the small collection of items your grandmother left you. You find an old coin, with some monarch's head on the back. You return to the garden and toss it into the digitising void. The seed flickers before your eyes, fading between pixelated and smooth - static snaking across it. With a small pop the seed falls into into the palm of your hand. It's a regal purple veined with orange, heavy in your hand and with an intimidating presence. [[reverently plant it in the soft soil->Garden]]

[[Garden]]

The geneseed emulator swirls in your perepherial vision making you feel nauseous. It beckons to your hands with a knifed claw, left first then right. [[Give one to it->Choose a finger]]

[[Garden]]

The geneseed emulator swirls in your perepherial vision making you feel nauseous. You hear a high pitched whitsle followed shortly by a roar, a flash of golden scales and a burst of flame that singes your eyebrows. The seed flickers before your eyes, fading between pixelated and smooth - static snaking across it. With a small pop the seed falls into into the palm of your hand. It's golden and shimmering opalescent and sits still and quiet in your hand, yet you can't help feeling wary, as though it were watching, waiting. [[slowly plant it in the soft soil->Garden]]

It plays with your fingers running over them one by one. [[pull away]]

Snip. It takes a finger, the wound cauterised and healed instantly. (text-color: "pink")[Mark the finger it was holding when you pulled away in whatever manner feels comfortable] The flesh is stripped from it and the bones flicker before your eyes, fading between pixelated and smooth - static snaking across them. With a small pop they fall into into the palm of your hand, changed. They look like old ivory with green flecks that scurry around just beneath the surface. You're afraid they'll break through and crawl inside you. [[plant them in the soft soil before they do->Garden]]

Exploring the relationship between the digital and real worlds. Which is "real" - you have two pots drawn on your arms: left and right - as you have adventures in the game and explore the digitised gardens your plants grow - you draw them on your arms and they act as stored variables needed for the adventures

The pots hum to life, the electic swell making your head swim. The [[HUD->Garden]] flickers on across your vision.

TOMATOES - BLOOD GIANT VARIETY DEAD PANSIES FIRE ASH SNAPDRAGON TRAPS->Plant snapdragons]] PUMPKINGS->Plant pumpkings]] STRANGE-WATER LILIES->Plant lilies]] BRILL STREAMERS->Plant streamers]] BONES->Plant bones]] AUBERGINE SQUARES->Plant aubergine]] WHALE OAKS->Plant oaks]]

(set: $times_watered= $times_watered+1) |display>[[[stop watering->Garden]]] {(live: 2s)[ (replace: ?display)[ (either: "[[stop watering->Garden]]", "AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!", "help me... please. gods, please stop. sAVE ME!", "Do you know why you are doing this? I can only assume not.. no one who knew woul-", "fuckING HELLLLL", "not again", "a thousand shrill voices cry out, their screams a song, pleading to the gods above. wailing, sobbing despair, pure and uncluttered. the gods remain silent" ) ] ]}

(if: $times_watered < 3)[ (text-style: "blur")[ -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- NOT ENOUGH [[WATER->Garden]] -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --]] (else:)[ (text-style: "blur")[ -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- [[BEGIN EXTRAPOLATION->Grow pansies]] -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- ]]

(set: $pot to "NOTHING") (set: $missing_finger_hand to "none") (set: $missing_finger to "none") (set: $times_watered to 0) (set: $the_plant to 1)

(display: "PansyGarden") You're in a clearing where [[irrigation pipes->The pipes]] sprout from the encircling flower beds in an intricate web. The lacework culminates in three fem [[bodies->Two Theives]] impaled artfully in the centre of the clearing.

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|display>[The geneseed emulator starts up again and your psyche spins inside your skull.] (click: "skull")[(replace: ?display)[Through wavy vision you watch the freshly planted seed sprout. The small plant grows limply, ragged black leaves and grey-green petals, stalk bending under the delicate weight.]] (click: "grows")[(replace: ?display)[It stops growing not even six inches tall and seems to hesitate. Your head clears a moment and you can see the flower clearly. You're convinced it's already decaying and can just make out, in mottled tones of grey, a stylised skull on the flower's face.]] (click: "decaying")[(replace: ?display)[You gag. The feel of geneseed emulator washing over you accompanied by a fetid stink. The flower begins to bloat, there's no other word for it. Dripping necrofluid the swollen plant is straining at its emulated bonds.]] (click: "straining")[(replace: ?display)[It [[bursts->The Web]].]]

You are in an ornamental garden bordered by thick fleshy-grey stalks that stretch up into the low, dark clouds. This inpenetratable wall is lined with raised garden beds. |pansies>[Currently empty] the beds are ardorned with intricate Gothic style.

|display>[You approach the bodies cautiously. Reeking of bile, rotting flesh and feasting bacteria the bodies appear dead until you get close.] (click: "close")[(replace: ?display)[Standing uncomfortably near them their eyes swiviel towards you and wordless moans escape their barely moving mouths. Puncture needles dot their bloated, diseased skin, drawing off necrosis which feeds into the irrigation pipes fertilising the flower beds. A sign hangs above each of their heads: [[Forgot to shave]] `|` [[Embraced her hair]] `|` [[Couldn't afford laser]] Their moans start to get louder and "Forgot to shave" starts feebly rocking her body back and forth. [[move back]] [[stay]]]]

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Her body is turned away from the others, arms twisting up to cover her eyes, fingers splayed. Stained with gore and her own filth she has pale translucent almost-blue skin, her veins black and pulsating. Denim short shorts emphaisise a cute bulge and her oddly stained crop top looks like winding pink bandages. A half-bob of matted pastel hair covers the left side of her head and face, while the right side of her head has been retrofitted with a computer interface system. The interface's small display scrolls slowly over the word "theif". [[look away->Two Theives]]

Head raised, arms pinned to her side palms open towards you, she's propped higher than the others. Striped socks, leggings and a heart dotted once-white sweater are mostly obscured by rot. Stringy white-blonde hair cascades over her budding chest. Electrified barbed wire curls around her head in a crown, the metal twisted to read "tran". [[look away->Two Theives]]

Head down, hands clasped in front of her body, a tidy composition. A figure-hugging blue satin dress falls to below her knees, the tubes snake up her legs and dissappear behind the cloth. On her arms they puncture the sleeves, each rend wet with gore. Her dark skin is slick, necrotic sweat mixing with bile. Cables wound into her long braids, fizz and spark the plastic coating frayed. Carved into her forehead is the word "theif". [[look away->Two Theives]]

Theya all release a sigh as you step [[back->The Web]]

|display>[A crunching splutter starts, the sound of breaking bones, squashing cartilege, and sinews rubbing and splitting. Previously obscured by the filth, you can now see thin motorised exoskeletons wind themselves around the bodies.] (click: "exoskeletons")[(replace: ?display)[In jerking motions the exos contort the girls.]] (click: "jerking motions")[(replace: ?display)[The dance pauses, the bodies twisted beyond recognition. You can hear faint gurgling screams. Straight razors flick out from within the girls' wrists, their fingers contort to "hold" them. Three as one they |attack>[carve] into their jaws.]] (click: "carve")[(replace: ?attack)[cut]] (click: "cut")[(replace: ?attack)[slice]] (click: "slice")[(replace: ?attack)[cleave]] (click: "cleave")[(replace: ?display)[carve]] (live: 2s)[(replace: ?display)[[[step back->Draw stem_sb]](stop:)]]

(text-color: "pink")[Draw some stem for your [[pansies->Two Theives]].]

Before growing your own garden you will need some materials for drawing. My favourite medium is sharpie on skin. Opportunities to draw are written in (text-color: "pink")[pink]. The text will give you a theme to draw on, draw as much or as little as you like. Your garden is unique. Click [[here->The pots are set up]] when you are ready.