when the silver grove calls

dev blog for the upcoming interactive novel

[duskysprings-if]

demo (coming soon) | ro appearances | other characters

❝welcome to dusky springs. a family-friendly p̷̧̲̱͛͊̉̔̑͂ă̴̤̝r̶͎͗͋͗̈́͌͠͝͝a̸͉̫͌̉̆d̷̢̨̛͚̠̖̺̞̲̍̃̓͊̄͗̚i̷̟̱̖͆̓̉̉̽͋̌͠s̵̤̦̠̝̬̩̻̓ḙ̵̺͎̳̰̩͂̌̽͆̏̒̈́.❞

stuck in dead end jobs to pay the bills is not the future you or your twin sister envisioned for yourselves. so, when your grandfather bequeathes his museum of mysteries to you both in his will, you both leap at the chance to turn over a new leaf and start again.

only the town of dusky springs is nothing like you expected. the town is too vibrant, the people are too friendly, and the woods bordering the whole place are way too eerie for comfort.

still, you and your twin manage to carve out a piece to call home and with it, create a small family that consists of three employees of varying skill and sass, some rich kid with a surprising amount of sense, a wandering stranger, and the demon you accidentally summoned thanks to an old journal you found.

a journal that leads you to the realisation that in dusky springs…

no one is safe.

dusky springs is 18+ cog wip based on alex hirsch’s gravity falls.

content warnings include explicit language, optional sexual content, murder and attempted murder, graphic depictions of violence, blood, and injury, emotional abuse, age gap (optional), body horror, manipulative behaviours, and alcohol and drug use. please proceed with caution.

⛦ customisable mc. play as female, nonbinary, or male with cis and trans options available. chose your pronouns, identity, and titles separately.

⛦ personality stats include: stoic/emotional, cautious/reckless, ruthless/merciful, genuine/sarcastic, kind/rude, stubborn/compliant & sanity. skill stats include: physical strength, charisma, intelligence, and magic. These are subject to change, however, this if is story driven and you will not be punished for low stats.

⛦ four characters to romance with two poly options available to pursue. platonic routes available.

⛦ manage the museum of mysteries, investigate the going’s on of dusky springs, and try to keep your ragtag family from blowing something up.

aspen lyrik [m/f/nb]

the demon you accidentally summoned and bound to you. aspen is quick-witted and intelligent, and you can’t tell if they’re fond of you or not. one moment, they’re refusing to speak to you and the next, they’re almost dying in order to protect you. you knew demons were going to be confusing, but nothing could have prepared you for yours.

loukas/louella cynara [m/f]

one of the employees you inherited with the museum. lou is the laidback life-of-the-party. despite their somewhat slacker attitude at work, they become a fast and loyal friend and appear ready to accept whatever crazy theories you throw their way. as a dusky springs lifer, their insight and knowledge could prove valuable.

vanya seneci [nb]

the child of the richest family in town. vanya lives off daddy’s money without shame. getting caught up with you and the imaginary mysteries of dusky springs was the last thing they wanted. except when things get a little real, you and your twin are the only ones they can turn to.

rayn/raelyn esias [m/f]

the stranger. r rolled into town around the same time you did. the only thing you know about them is the name they gave you and the fact that they seem to know a lot more about dusky springs then they’re letting on.

poly options are aspen + rayn/raelyn and loukas/louella + vanya

[thesilvergrove-if]

i'm having the MOST fun creating a secret society within wildingham 😈

a minor, optional fling/RO has arisen from said society and they are...a handful

[thesilvergrove-if]

owns a large sapling that they keep in their office. people have been puzzled by the small bells they've attached to some branches.

hmmm does A know about shadow pal, or at least their kind? 🤔

a thinks they know about something that keeps them locking their doors at eventide and doing odd little things

[thesilvergrove-if]

Mc, standing with their back against the light, chomping on a stick because they're casting a shadow onto it

mc animorph arc (into a german shepherd)

[thesilvergrove-if]

how would shadow pal react to an mc breaking down crying in private?

this is veering into spoiler territory so i'm not going to say much but

shadow pal may just surprise you

[thesilvergrove-if]

how to the ro's sleep with and without mc? thank you (:

river: without mc, river sleeps on their stomach (sometimes on their back), haphazardly sprawled across their bed. also tends to reposition and toss and turn quite a bit. they've had a few incidents where they've either woken up at the very edge of their bed or woken up on the ground with their blanket tangled around them. with mc, river is a clingy sleeper. whether they're big spoon or little spoon, they will be wrapped around mc like a vine. favourite sleep position with mc is probably spooning or any position where they're intertwined.

a romano: without mc, sleeps strictly on the right side of the bed. avid side sleeper, can never fall asleep on their back. tends to have a lot of nightmares when sleeping alone and doesn't have a good sleep schedule to begin with. with mc, would need some space (they get overheated easily and they're a bit touch averse) but would want some kind of reassurance that mc is still in bed with them. this might look like a gentle hand on mc's back, one leg hooked over theirs, etc. without being pressed right up against each other.

k hussain: without mc, k sleeps in a fetal-esque position. piles on blankets and pillows and adores being cocooned like a burrito. they always need to have a lavender misted spray on their pillows to get a good night's sleep. with mc, k usually prefers to be in an intimate position at the start of the night (spooning or cradling mc) but would ultimately prefer to sleep facing one another or facing away from one another with little to no contact. they like to maintain their independence even in bed and doesn't want to wake up sore/in discomfort.

teresa: without mc, teresa sleeps on her back with one arm near her head (close to her gun in a bedside table drawer) and the other arm at her side. she's a very light sleeper but has no trouble falling back asleep after being woken up. has a great internal alarm system that makes sure she's awake at exactly 07:00 each morning. with mc, teresa is more laid-back and not as stiff. her favourite position would probably be lying on her back with mc's head on her shoulder or chest because it makes her feel like she's protecting mc.

shadow pal: doesn't need to sleep and is also with mc nearly 24/7. favourite nighttime position is a dark corner of mc's room behind their desk. mc should not wake up in the middle of the night and look towards that corner unless they want to jump out of their skin.

[thesilvergrove-if]

What are the ROs love languages?

(i hope you don't mind me taking some liberties with the love languages)

river: offering to casually (and sincerely) kill anyone who dares to breathe at you the wrong way, liberal usage of "idiot"/"dumbass" and "asshole", absentmindedly having some kind of physical contact with you at all times (fingers brushing your leg, elbow against your arm, foot against your own), even when speaking with someone else

a romano: determinedly avoiding eye contact with you and fiddling with their glasses, picking up your favourite treat/beverage when having scheduled meetings/marking papers with you, letting you store food in their beloved mini fridge

k hussain: begrudgingly walking you to your boarding house every time when the sun is no longer lighting the way because they "don't want to become a suspect if you get murdered", only using your first name in an intense/intimate moment, getting heated on your behalf when anyone questions your capability/intelligence

teresa: instinctively protecting your head with her hand when you're about to hit a wall or sharp edge of some kind and barely needing to look in your direction to do so, sitting down and helping you finish work/study with no complaints despite the reports she has to write, not sleeping like a statue that can wake up at any given moment and allowing you to draw her close

shadow pal: watching over you when you're sleeping (aka acting like a sleep paralysis demon in the corner of your room in case your safety is compromised), threatening to consume your essence (affectionate), slithering across walls and ceilings to scare creepy crawlies away from you

[thesilvergrove-if]

Is our sibling a changeling wtf sibby-

hehe not a changeling but you're kind of on the right track anon

[thesilvergrove-if]

if mc were to touch their shadow, would they feel it?

their own shadow? no, but their shadow pal?

under certain circumstances, yes

[thesilvergrove-if]

when did our shadow pal appear from the first time?

you're not exactly sure when they...clung onto you but you see them (sort of) for the first time on the grounds of wildingham briefly after your arrival

(and even then, there'll be options for mc to dismiss the odd movement as a trick of the light, etc. etc. so the first time mc actually acknowledges that they saw the Shadow can vary depending on their skepticism)

[thesilvergrove-if]

✍️find ✍️a way ✍️to bite ✍️ shadow pal back✍️

Ok noted

excellent

[thesilvergrove-if]

Hi! i’m trying to look for the game but i’m not finding it

Where should I check to play? thank you!

the demo hasn't been released to play just yet but i'm chipping away at the prologue and chapter 1 bit by bit

i'll make an announcement when it's out!

[thesilvergrove-if]

Can you give more facts about T & A please?

since a. facts were covered in the last post, i've only included teresa here

teresa:

usually works with a partner on cases. his name is kit and he tends to be the laid-back/skeptical balance to teresa. he's vaguely suspicious of teresa taking time off but doesn't know that she's looking into wildingham.

was studying to become a lawyer before abruptly switching into law enforcement

fascinated by unexplained phenomena (think fox mulder from x-files)

has 6 younger siblings

had a rough start to her career at the bureau (her original partner died on a case) and nearly quit because of it

has a collection of baseball caps but only wears 2-3 of them in rotation. her favourite cap has a miniature alien stitched on the side.

[thesilvergrove-if]

can we get A facts please? 🥺

a romano:

owns a large sapling that they keep in their office. people have been puzzled by the small bells they've attached to some branches.

has a habit of biting on the temples of their glasses when they're distracted and/or agitated

carries around a photo of an infant in their wallet. no one knows who they are.

tends to become obsessive over their current academic interests and ignore basic necessities (i.e., food and sleep) in favour of research

not a fan of teaching (has a bit of stage fright and lecturing in front of hundreds of students isn't how they'd choose to spend a tuesday) but enjoys one-on-one discussions and the opportunity to mentor bright minds

sensitive to temperatures, either too hot or too cold at all times

started a rumour about the small bags of blood they refrigerate to keep other faculty members from storing things in their mini fridge

[thesilvergrove-if]

is our shadow pal from hell?

nope! they have a tragic backstory but they're not a demon or anything

[thesilvergrove-if]

Read the ask about the sibling sitting at the foot of your bed with a photograph in hand and-

W-was... was this before or after the poofening?

after 👁️ 

[thesilvergrove-if]

Some spooky stuff, an unhinged creature (yandere vibes?), enemies to lovers and a shadow pal?

I’m here for this, I’m fully invested. Obsessed even.

don't forget the foreboding prospect of school on the horizon! lol but ty anon, i hope i can live up to your expectations