kaedekolya

[kaedekolya]

my all-time favourite author🥹 the first south korean author, and the first female author in asia, to win a nobel prize in literature🥹 so endlessly proud!! congratulations to han kang!!

[kaedekolya]

I called out to you: "my fiancée!" To which you tilted your head back at me, and responded: "Why have you forgotten again, my great architect? Didn't you build the very place we registered our marriage at?" It's really... like a dream.

thank you to @kaedekolya for translating the new eden alkaid whisper in the cn server, i rushed to finish this as soon as possible ;v;

[kaedekolya]

"smile for me, bosie, my dorian."

the fifteenth instalment of my musical translation series — a tale of literature and love based on the life and works of oscar wilde, painted in the colours of desire and seduction.

the videos are not mine, but all translations are my own.

musical: wild grey (와일드 그레이)

cast (2023): [oscar wilde] jungmin, park minsung, kim kyoungsu • [alfred "bosie" douglas] jung hwi, jeong jaehwan, kim rihyun, yoon seokho • [robert ross] ki sejung, ahn jihwan, kim jihoon

synopsis: the three people who dream of freedom, between art and reality. amidst the strict conventions and principles of 19th century london, oscar wilde's novel "the picture of dorian gray" is subjected to widespread criticism for its controversial themes. wilde's ex-lover and current friend robert ross advises him to amend his drafts, until the dispirited wilde encounters a charming boy — alfred "bosie" douglas — who closely resembles dorian. perhaps it is not that art imitates life, but that life imitates art...

production: new production (twitter / youtube)

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살로메 – salome

jeong jaehwan as bosie, kim kyoungsu as wilde, kim jihoon as ross

[Bosie] This is the logic of power. The only way for the weak to wrest power from the strong is through either submission, or seduction.

[Ross] A daughter seduces her father on the stage? Even the church won’t let it slide this time.

[Bosie] Then, ought she to beg? Submission can yield one’s desire, but it lacks charm — for one can do nothing but grovel. Only seduction can protect oneself, while still obtaining what one desires.

[Ross] Spoken like a professional. You must be seasoned at it.

[Bosie] It certainly isn’t my first time.

[Bosie] For I’ve once desired something forbidden Things I cannot even begin to speak aloud The moment I realised they were unattainable It was akin to the thirst of drinking saltwater

[Ross] You claim the only methods to obtain one’s desire are seduction and submission — isn’t that too much of a false dichotomy? Furthermore, Salome failed in seducing Jokanaan.

[Bosie] Salome was able to seduce the king, for he was more powerful than her. Yet she failed to seduce Jokanaan, for she held more power than him. And so, ultimately, she used that power. To have him.

[Wilde] Ah, surely they don’t teach you such things at Oxford. Where did you learn all this?

[Bosie] I simply know everything. Especially when it comes to your works.

[Bosie] How about you, have you desired such? Things you cannot even begin to speak aloud Things you sought to obtain at all costs The moment you realised they were unattainable

[Wilde] After seducing the king, Salome requested for Jokanaan’s head. The severed head was served up to her on a silver platter,

[Bosie] And she kissed those lips.

[Ross] Satisfying one’s own desires is not love, but a selfish act.

[Bosie] How naive. In the first place, all love is selfish. Even Salome’s mother, in a bid to eliminate the Jokanaan who criticised her so, made use of her own daughter. But Mom, I won’t merely be used. For Jokanaan is utterly charming!

[Bosie] Salome wanted it

[Wilde] The Baptist’s lips

[Wilde, Bosie] The forbidden joy

[Bosie] Salome detested it

[Wilde] If she couldn’t obtain it

[Wilde, Bosie] She desired it even if she had to kill

[Ross] I’m leaving first.

[Bosie] The audience departs. Now, only Herod and Salome remain.

[Wilde] Then, try seducing the king.

[Bosie] You said you had something for me? There must be something at stake, to form a goal for seduction. Is this… really me?

[Wilde] Now, have you found a goal?

[Bosie] Salome draped seven layers of veils Over her young and beautiful body, and danced One layer, and one layer The seven veils are falling

[Bosie (Wilde)] One layer (one layer); one layer (one layer)

[Wilde, Bosie] The veils of my heart are falling

[Bosie] The only path to be rid of seduction, is to submit to that seduction.

[ based on oscar wilde's play salome. ]

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도리안 – dorian

jeong jaehwan as bosie, jungmin as wilde

[Bosie] For example?

[Wilde] To feel beauty. And so he fell into it, and in love. Beauty is absolute; it requires no reason nor comparison.

[Bosie] A perspective of extreme aestheticism. But corruption is different. For it is a rebellion against the principles set by society, and one must prepare to lose everything one possesses. Especially for someone like Dorian, a young and beautiful noble. He would need that reason even more.

[Wilde] How are you so sure?

[Bosie] Because I, too, wish to fall into corruption.

[Bosie] I was curious as to why Dorian had to die at the novel’s end Why he had to feel guilt For acting upon his desires

[Wilde] If I say that society exists even within a novel, and there are principles which drive that society?

[Bosie] Then it ultimately ends with him unable to attain freedom. For Dorian, who pursued hedonism, died to his conscience. Wasn’t it written because he wished to liberate himself from reality? The author, that is.

[Bosie] It was strange, how the other characters Felt natural, as if they were alive Yet Dorian, despite being the protagonist Why did he, alone, feel distant?

I read it several times and found the reason Though others may not know Even if people call you corrupted I don’t agree with such a notion

You don’t know Dorian Though you might think that you do Or perhaps you simply wish that you do

Since you cannot live the corrupted life That the world speaks of You don’t know me yet

But you will grow curious Perhaps you may even desire me

For I will live such a life, here

[ based on oscar wilde's novel the picture of dorian gray. ]

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당신의 눈 – your eyes

jeong jaehwan as bosie (park minsung as wilde)

Quietly, erasing the world And stopping time in a stifled breath In this moment

Within your eyes That gently embrace me When you look at me My heart is soothed When I walk with you I am no longer afraid of the thick fog

Here, right now, it’s okay No matter what state we are in If it’s the two of us

Within the world of your eyes Here, right now, I am beautiful

I wish to stop time This moment feels like a mere dream A place where I can become No one, and nothing Now, I am no longer afraid Not even of my reflection I gaze at

Together with you In this moment with just the two of us

I won’t run away anymore Within the world of your eyes

[ original korean lyrics here. ]

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[kaedekolya]

possible lbc sticker/charm designs... would anyone be interested?

[kaedekolya]

"goodbye, sorrow."

the fourteenth instalment of my musical translation series — within a vampire's castle where secrets, sorrow, and sentimentality linger.

the videos are not mine, but all translations are my own.

musical: the count (백작)

cast: [the count] lee seunghyun, park kyuwon, lee jinhyeok • [v] kim jion, kwon taeha, jo sungpil

synopsis: only at night does the vampire count emerge from the poenari castle, to fight off the humans that seek to topple his undefeated legacy. tired of their relentless attacks, the count takes v — the son of the enemy general — hostage. but the boy looks strikingly familiar, and the count begins to recall his past...

production: mj starfish (twitter / youtube)

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슬픔이여, 안녕 – goodbye, sorrow

kwon taeha as theodora, lee seunghyun as the count

[Theodora] The Count met Theodora for the first time.

[The Count] How does she know my heart so well?

[Theodora] Theodora stroked the Count’s hair, and extended a greeting. Hello, sorrow.

[The Count] Hello.

[The Count] Will this sorrow pass?

[Theodora] I cannot know

[The Count] Will it ever pass?

[Theodora] I cannot begin to guess

[The Count] If you do not know anything

[Theodora] The path that sorrow takes

[The Count] Then why did you greet me

[Theodora] Although I cannot know it

[Theodora] I will stay here Until the night passes I will stay with you Until you fall asleep I will lend you my shoulder Until your feverish forehead cools I will lend you my night Until your soaked shoes dry

[The Count] Why must I live?

[Theodora] I cannot know

[The Count] Why is it disappearing?

[Theodora] I cannot begin to guess

[The Count] If you do not know anything

[Theodora] The path that love takes

[The Count] Then why did you approach me

[Theodora] Although I cannot know it

[Theodora] I will stay here Until the night passes I will stay with you Until you fall asleep I will lend you my knees As if there is nothing in the world I will lend you my night Until your black tears dry up

If the night is too short I will sing for you

[All] So that time flows slowly

[Theodora] If the night is too deep Dance together with me

[All] Perhaps a night rainbow may rise

[Theodora] Let’s meet again If sorrow finds you Call me If you lose your way

[The Count] What do I call you?

[Theodora] The fragrance of evening primroses.

[The Count] The fragrance of evening primroses?

[Theodora] No, the night sky.

[The Count] The night sky?

[Theodora] No, the stars.

[The Count] The stars?

[Theodora] No, Theodora.

[The Count] Theodora.

[All] God’s gift.

[Theodora] I will lend you my hand To pluck out the vicious thorns I will lend you my night For that is all I have

[All] Goodbye, sorrow

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은화 한 닢 – a single silver coin

lee jinhyeok as the count, kim jion as the soldier

[The Count] I sang on the night streets, for at night, there is always a place that needs a song. Even a hundred, two hundred, and a thousand years ago.

[The Count] With a single silver coin Come and invite me I will sing a song Of blessings for you For the children That were hurriedly born For the souls That left too soon

Within this blessing The path that you come on Will not sting your eyes

Within this blessing The path that you leave on Will not hurt your feet

With a single silver coin Come and invite me I will sing a song Of curses for you For the cowardly ones That throw stones at your back For the vulgar ones That spit from their hiding place

With the melody Of my curse I will cut off their hands for you

With the melody Of my curse I will tear their lips for you

[The Count] A quiet night, and an ominous premonition. The commander, who recruited vampire mercenaries to fight humans on the battlefield at night. He tossed a heavy sack of three hundred silver coins before me, ordering me to sing. I refused. He raised the stakes to three thousand silver coins. I spat, and refused. His subordinates bound my limbs, and the commander issued an order. “When the sun rises, throw him out to burn.” At that moment, one vampire soldier stepped forward, subduing them all and biting down on one. As if annoyed, the commander left. The soldier extended a hand to me. In his hand lay a single silver coin.

[Soldier] Will you sing for me?

[The Count] With a single silver coin Come and invite me I will sing a song Of prayer for you For the soldier That leaves for the battlefield For the soldier That cannot return

The sun, moon, stars, and rainbow All exist in that sky Even when the cold rain falls Even when the storm sweeps in Even when the snow blankets all Even on the solar and lunar eclipses The sun, moon, stars, and rainbow All exist in that sky

[The Count] No. Don’t go. Don’t fight under that commander.

[Soldier] Where else can I go?

[The Count] Even with a song of prayer I could not turn his path back

Even with a song of pain I could not turn his heart back

[ original korean lyrics here. ]

[kaedekolya]

USERNAME LORE GIVE IT TO ME NOW YOU ALL

[kaedekolya]

"who am i? do i know myself?"

the thirteenth instalment of my musical translation series — in which a playwright and a painter connect across spatial and temporal barriers, seeking both inspiration and solace in each other, staged through a blend of post-impressionist paintings and the theatre of cruelty.

the videos are not mine, but all translations are my own.

musical: artaud, gogh (아르토, 고흐)

cast (2023): [antonin artaud] yoo seunghyun, ahn jaeyoung, yang jiwon • [vincent van gogh] cho poongrae, kim junyoung, park jwaheon • [the doctor] lim byeongkeun, lee hyeonghoon, lim byeol

synopsis: suffering from the aftereffects of meningitis and secluded in a mental institution, the playwright antonin artaud learns of the deceased painter vincent van gogh. gazing at the postcards of gogh's paintings, artaud sinks into the realm of his unconscious, seeking out gogh to validate his own creative beliefs. misunderstood and shunned by a world that does not understand their art, artaud and gogh soon find a kindred spirit in each other...

production: never ending play (twitter / youtube)

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마음 속 태양 – the sun in our hearts

kim junyoung as gogh, yoo seunghyun as artaud

[Gogh] Recall it; imagine it You just have to close your eyes The ocean in my heart is yellow And the sky in my imagination is green

Recall it; imagine it You just have to gaze at it for a long time Like the sun shining boundlessly in the dark universe There is a sun in our hearts too

Even if darkness encroaches upon our lives The sun in our hearts will not be extinguished Even if the sun sets in the twilight of our lives The sun in our hearts will burn a bright red

Life is lived to burn questions Asking and writhing endlessly Life is lived to burn questions Falling and climbing boundlessly

[Artaud] Gogh’s paint does not simply colour in the monochrome. He makes the stilled nature — the nature tied down and suppressed by society’s gaze — quiver and come to life without a care. With the steel hammer that is his paint, he makes all that was asleep dance.

[Gogh] Life is lived to burn questions Asking and writhing endlessly Life is lived to burn questions Falling and climbing boundlessly It is burning; it is burning

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링크 – link

kim junyoung as gogh, yoo seunghyun as artaud

[Artaud] Stars. Crows. Fields. Flowers. Trees. Skies. And again, stars.

[Artaud] I gaze at your painting I gaze at you, beyond your painting Your painting is burning Your questions are burning

Who are you? Do you know me? I want to meet you I want to ask you questions I want to burn you

[Gogh] I gaze at your face I gaze at you, beyond your face Your face is burning Your questions are burning

Who are you? Do you know me? I want to drink you I want to burn you I want to apply you

[All] If I burn you, can I know the answer? If I drink you, can I escape? If I apply you, can I live on? Who are you? (Who are you?) I burn you (I burn you)

The crow cries The fields dance The wine-coloured path Knocks on the afterlife’s door Passing by the gloomy underworld’s door The mystical door of the afterlife appears

[Artaud/Gogh] The straw hat / Dazzles the eyes The pipe between your lips / Gazes at you The torment of losing an ear / The abyssal waters of his calloused hand

[All] Engulfs him, sorrowfully

[Artaud] Wrapping not bandages, but paint Around his scorched hand

[Gogh] Carving the pain of scars Not into the heart, but upon the white wall

[All] Applying its paint onto the white wall Suffering moves my hand; I am alive Sorrow moves my hand; I am alive I am alive

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자연 – nature

kim junyoung as gogh, kim juho as the doctor, yoo seunghyun as artaud

[Doctor] Your two eyes are gazing towards death Your two hands are shaking with seizures Your sorrow, your seizures A madness and a curse

[Gogh] My two eyes are gazing towards nature My two hands are painting beyond nature My body is the wind, my body is a tree The sun and the universe

[Doctor] This brush is a knife that stabs you

[Gogh] This paint is the blood that cleanses my soul

[Doctor] In order to save your body

[Gogh] I must meet that person This brush is a knife that dismantles the world

[Doctor] This paint is the blood you spill

[Gogh] In order to protect my soul

[Doctor] You must kill your soul

[Doctor / Gogh] Sorrow / My body is the wind Seizures / My body is a tree Madness / My body is the sun Curse / My body is the universe

[Gogh / Doctor] Sorrow / Your sorrow Seizures / Your seizures Madness / Your madness Curse / Your curse

[All] Sorrow, seizures, madness, curse Sorrow, seizures, madness, curse

[Gogh] My body is the universe

[Doctor] Your curse

[D] This brush is a knife that stabs you [G] Sorrow, seizures

[D] Madness, curse [G] This paint is the blood that cleanses my soul

[D] In order to save your body [G] Sorrow, seizures

[D] Madness, curse [G] I must meet that person

[All] This brush is a knife that dismantles the world This paint is the blood that you spill In order to protect my soul You must kill your soul

[Doctor / Gogh / Artaud] Sorrow. / Wind. / The sorrowful wind. Seizures. / Tree. / The tree seizes. Madness. / Sun. / The sun’s madness Curse. / Universe. / Curses the universe.

[Gogh] You hear it too, don’t you? The voice calling to me from afar.

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산책 – a walk

yoo seunghyun as artaud, kim junyoung as gogh

[Artaud] It dazzles; your painting Your two eyes that gaze at the world Your life, that falters as it walks Your life, torn apart by distorted eyes

[Gogh] It’s mystical; your mask Your two eyes that go beyond the world Your life, that falters as it walks Your life, shattered upon the era’s noise

[Artaud] Like seeds, the torn painting Is sown in the barren ground

[Gogh] Like salt, the shattered mask Is soaked by the cold ocean

[Artaud] When flowers bloom from the dry ground

[Gogh] When flowers bloom above the ocean

[All] May you be born again May you be born again

[A] It dazzles; your painting [G] It’s mystical; your mask

[A] Your two eyes that gaze at the world [G] Your two eyes that go beyond the world

[A] Your life, that falters as it walks [G] Your life, that falters as it walks

[A] Your life, torn apart by distorted eyes [G] Your life, shattered upon the era’s noise

[Artaud] It dazzles; your painting

[Gogh] It’s mystical; your mask

[ original korean lyrics here. ]

[kaedekolya]

as the frost thaws [ch.1]

‧₊˚☾ lovebrush chronicles ‧₊˚☾ clarence-centric, lars/clarence ‧₊˚☾ 7.1k words; chapter 1 ‧₊˚☾ rebuilding godheim, slow burn, hurt/comfort & recovery

The Daphnephoria ritual will save the dying kingdom of Godheim, for a small price. A single archmage, for the happiness of many. Clarence’s future is worth little, especially when weighed against the kingdom’s; it is but an insignificant sacrifice that he has long since resolved to make. The magic sweeps through him, shredding his insides, scorching his spirit—

And yet, somehow, Clarence wakes again.

Death has eluded him, and now he must learn to live.

➵ read on ao3

[kaedekolya]

had a great time with the mystery event 👍

[kaedekolya]

Genderbends your Alien Stage

[kaedekolya]

falling in love speedrun any%

[kaedekolya]

some thoughts about the eden recolours that just got revealed in the cn server. perhaps coherent. perhaps not. i'm definitely going to fall into just. straight rambling here im already rambling help

spoilers for eden ayn, including card stories

truthfully, i don't even know where to start or how to collect my thoughts. i'm just so unbelievably happy for eden ayn as i see this and i'm so glad he's doing well because i'm just. i'm just. guys i'm a sucker for happy endings actually i love healing

on posing, perhaps a reference to "piano encounter", where it starts off before the events of the main story and then later skips ahead to a post-route setting. it's that hopefulness as ayn looks skyward after everything has ended. ayn looking up here also reminds me of that cut-in cg of the younger ayn looking up— that single spark of hope that will given ayn the courage to continue marching heavenward, that signalling of a new stage in his life. some other cards where ayn is shown looking up towards the sky are hope's sprout and traveller's letter.

speaking of the stages in ayn's life, notice what is inside of the train that ayn is on. the framing that is very reminiscent of the dilapidated school and its windows, which is very very very significant in what it represents for eden ayn. there was a conversation between mc and ayn during his route where ayn listens to mc talk about how she studies art in her world with great interest.

a few important moments also take place specifically in this abandoned school. the school is the first time ayn brings to mc this question— if he were to leave the order, would she take over for him? which is a question he asks mc once more later in the route. it's that hint towards ayn's underlying desire to surrender himself, to leave, that part of him that's so, so, so desperate— but it's a part of himself that he can't show anybody else, with his role as the shining beacon of hope for so many others.

but, later, the very same abandoned school is where ayn woke up after a pivotal point in his route, where mc decided to share his burden and turn the one-way pact into a two-way pact. our first introduction to this abandoned school is a question that hints towards the end of ayn, chief of the order, but then it becomes the place where his role as the chief arguably shines the most. where he wakes up to mc, where he quietly confesses to mc that nobody had ever told him that he was worth it before, and where he gathers the remaining order members as he issues his orders, turning this abandoned school into their new, albeit brief, base of operation.

why a school? schools are places of learning. it's something that eden ayn quietly yearns for. the ability to pursue one's passion freely, without having to worry about survival— i'm reminded of the books that he was gifted by the stranger in piano encounter. this freedom to learn something without having to worry about survival— it's foreign to him. odd. but after everything, he's able to formally practice piano and even teach children about music (this is shown in the latter half of piano encounter).

an alternative way it can be taken is that he is in a cage reminiscent of his childhood. the repeated narration in blazing flame about the world being a cage, and ayn being trapped inside the smallest one— it's heartbreaking. and his back is turned, expression hidden, painting a deeply lonely figure feeling as though nobody is there to stand with him.

but, now, the despairing fog in his heart has cleared. he can see the sky, can see the end of the train tracks stretching out into the horizon. he stands on top of his past, not quite forgetting it, but not letting it stop him from keeping his head down. it's that growth that really got me with eden ayn, of learning to grow around his past scars and being able to step into the future while carrying important memories of the past in such a way that it doesn't actively drag him down into an endless abyss. because for so much of the route, the past is what created so much strife in his heart; that survivor's guilt, as he recalls those who have died before him. but now, he's come closer to being able to walk into a future where he reconciles with this past.

the solution wasn't to just forget his past and those who have died before him— no, remembrance has always been so unbelievably important to ayn even outside of eden— but it's that reconciliation with those who have died for him or because of him. from being trapped in his own head, stricken with guilt, with even the loyalty of the order acting as a cage that corners him to being able to stand next to the order without them being something that chains him to the ground,,,

and, while i'm on the topic of the order— the white doves. the white doves. the third time they've appeared in a card. the white doves that take flight. taking from the narration in hope's sprout, the white doves who travel from the memorial for the fallen order members to a field of flowers... who travel a journey from death to life. the white doves fluttering as ayn turns to mc, commenting that he'd thought he'd heard them for a moment— the fallen order members' footsteps.

they appear in his eden reborn ssr as well. a card story that centres around ayn's frequent travelling as he goes around the world laying down train tracks so that the train can travel just a bit further each time. white doves can mean hope, amongst many other things, which i find to be so so so touching in the context of eden ayn's overall journey in learning to find that hope within himself— for i think, for much of ayn's life, what exactly he was fighting for was unclear to him, muddled by the struggle of survival. drawing from the card's name, it's that sprouting of hope.

and the train... i am so, so, so glad that the train is a core part of eden ayn's recolour because that train is so unbelievably important to the conclusion of eden ayn's route. it is what traverses the train tracks that ayn sets down in the future, it's that incomplete project that ayn discovers and one that ayn decides to finish of his own accord. the final cg of his route, in the romantic ending, is of him and mc together on that train that's chugging along into that future beyond the horizon.

but this train is also what connects the world of eden together, acting as an accessible mode of travel for so many people. and i find it to be so perfect for ayn, who often unites groups of people in his routes.

in conclusion. i am absolutely getting this recolour once it's out in global i don't even think i have an eden ssr i can use it on other than traveller's letter LOL i need to sleep it's 5 am now god

[kaedekolya]

Seven Kingdoms: The Princess Problem - A Long-Overdue Review

Way back in 2015, I was a fresh-faced 21 year old just getting into the world of visual novels - specifically otome games. At the time, there was a lot of buzz about this one upcoming game with a really promising demo - Seven Kingdoms: The Princess Problem, slated for a 2016 release.

Nine years later, it's finally out (in early access)! Let's see if it was worth the wait.

What kind of game is this, anyway?

Seven Kingdoms: The Princess Problem was, and is, unlike any other game I have ever seen before. Considering the absolute development hell it went through, I doubt we'll ever see a game quite like it again. The demo that I played back in the day included the first three weeks of the game, and it had me absolutely hooked.

Seven Kingdoms: The Princess Problem is a stat-raising visual novel. Basically, it's a game focused on storytelling through text and still images, with the core gameplay loop consisting of raising various skills in order to pass (or fail) challenges. The game is set on the mysterious Vail Isle, where seven nations have each sent seven young representatives to forge political alliances (through marriage or otherwise), advance their nation's interests, and - at least ostensibly - protect the fragile peace between them.

As the player, you create a character from one of six nations (the seventh nation, Skalt, is not an option), build their stats, and try to survive seven weeks on the island (and maybe find love along the way?). The game is notoriously difficult - if you go in blind, you'll almost certainly fuck up at least a few things massively. There are two difficulty settings, Challenge Mode and Story Mode. In Challenge Mode, you can fail badly enough to either get kicked off the island or die. Story Mode is a little kinder - certain skill checks have lower requirements (at least allegedly), and no matter what you do, you won't die or get sent home early. You can still fuck up in just about every other way possible in Story Mode, though.

The choices you make during character creation have a major impact on your success or failure. Aside from the stats you raise during character creation, and the background you choose, there are also a number of options you can choose to influence your character's personality. Although all stats have some relevance, some of them end up being a lot more important than others - which makes sense, since this is a social and political simulator. Being good at talking to people is going to get you a lot further than being good at self-defence.

The gameplay loop

This, to me, is what makes 7KPP unique. It's actually possible, in a single playthrough, to impress every character and get the best possible outcome for every nation. It's also incredibly difficult, and requires making the right choices at basically every turn. You have to say the right things to the right people while having the right stats, and be in the right place at the right time. You have to minmax your character from the moment you start creating them, and never stop min-maxing both your stats and your relationships.

And it is FUN AS HELL.

Obviously, you don't actually "have" to do any of this. You can play the game normally, and get some good outcomes and some bad outcomes. I'd recommend doing this on your first playthrough at least, to get a feel for the game before you get bogged down in spreadsheet guides.

The stat-raising gameplay is roughly similar to raising simulators like Princess Maker or Long Live the Queen, but it's also not quite the same. It's not like stat-raising visual novels are a new concept, but I've never found anything that does quite what this game does the way it does it.

Characters

This game contains... hang on, let me count. I think eleven romance routes plus one friendship route, three characters that you can befriend (but not romance) outside of their full route, three more love interests that haven't been implemented yet, a rival character, and a few other important characters.

The cast is massive, is my point. But pretty much every character has at least some level of depth. They all have their own goals and motivations, and you can either help or hinder them. There are actually more routes than there are love/friendship interests, because political marriages are an option in the game separate from romances. Depending on your choices, certain other characters may enter into political marriages.

There's a wide range of characters, and I'm not going to describe them all here. I am, however, going to give a special shout out to the female love interests in the game. There are three at the moment (with two more coming), which is a pretty good ratio for a game about political marriages set in a fantasy world where only one kingdom allows same-sex marriage to begin with. It also avoids one of the common pitfalls I've found in games with both male and female love interests, in that the female love interests are actually interesting. Your options are:

Meek shy maid. She's very sweet and I like her a lot, but I'll admit to not finding that character type super interesting as a love interest. Nevertheless, this type of love interest seems really common in Western indie visual novels with both male and female love intersts. I think it's because they're broadly non-threatening?

Cool, tough warrior lady with the heart of a golden retriever. This is Tumblr, the muscle woman website, so I probably don't need to sell you on this one.

Evil princess. This is great for me, because I love complicated relationships in fiction, and because I had become resigned to the Bioware style habit game devs have of making the mean women straight. That is not the case here! They actually let you have the toxic yuri of your dreams! You can kinda fix her, or you can make her worse. I think she can also make you worse. Not sure. Either way, I haven't played her route yet, but I am so looking forward to it.

For the first half of the game, you'll probably spend a lot of time getting to know the various characters. The plot picks up in the later half of the game, which means that you have a lot less time to spend with the various characters, especially romanceable characters other than the love interest you chose. To be honest, that made me a bit sad - I put a lot of effort into trying to befriend all of the love interests, and it would have been nice to spend more time with them. Although considering that it's really hard to befriend them without them also developing romantic feelings for you, it does make a lot of sense - they distance themselves from you after being rejected.

They do show up throughout the story as well, in the later weeks, but if I had a criticism of the character writing, it's that I would have liked the love interests you don't choose to have a bit more relevance. However, given the massive amount of branching in the game and the fact that they are still actually there and involved in a lot of major story moments, it's not a major criticism. Realistically, I don't think they could have done more with those characters than they actually did - I just grew fond of them, and wanted to see more of them.

Luckily, this game has a ridiculous amount of replay value, so I'm sure I'll see more of them on their own routes.

Story and writing

Honestly, I think this is the part of the game that's going to be the most hit or miss. I personally really enjoyed the story, but the premise involves a basic assumption about human nature that I think is going to chafe for a lot of people: namely, the assumption that diplomacy can work.

The world of 7KPP is on the brink of war. It is possible, although extremely difficult, to turn that situation around through sheer skill and diplomacy, and instead bring all of the nations into a golden age of peace and cooperation. I think it's very easy to say that this is unrealistic - that people never change just because someone said the right things at the right time. And to a certain extent, that might be true.

But also, it's a video game. If you do all the right things and you're really good at the game, you get rewarded with outcomes that are maybe a bit unrealistic. That's true for all kinds of games, not just this one. If you play normally, you'll probably get some realistically ordinary or even depressing outcomes. You have to earn your happy ending. Right now, at this point in history, it's very easy to see the worst of humanity. It's very easy to believe that things keep getting worse, that selfishness and greed will always win out. And it's true, they often do.

But I think it's important to remember that it doesn't have to be that way. Sometimes, miracles really do occur. Sometimes, people and society really do change. For all of the misery of the past few decades, we've also seen a lot of amazing people doing amazing things, individually and collectively. I think most people, fundamentally, want to live in a world that does not suck, and 7KPP is a game about reminding people of that fact.

Basically, I agree with the fundamental philosophy of the game, and I think the fact that you can fix everyone's problems if you play the game right is a feature and not a bug. But I can see how that philosophy is going to be a much tougher sell in 2024 than it was in 2015.

I will say that the writing can be a bit clumsy at times. There are a lot of typos in the later sections of the game (although those will probably be fixed), and the prose and dialogue can sometimes be a bit... unpolished, I suppose. I think that's mostly just a matter of experience, to be honest. This was the dev's first project, so I suspect that her future work will benefit greatly from the ten years she spent writing 7KPP. I'll hasten to add that the writing isn't, by any means, bad. If you're not especially picky about prose, you'll probably think I'm being overly harsh. Most indie visual novels don't meet the standard I'm imposing on 7KPP here, but I'm still going to impose that standard because I don't want anyone to buy the game as a result of my review and then end up being disappointed by this aspect of it.

Other

The game was made in Ren'py by a solo dev who isn't a programmer, so the code is apparently duct taped together under the hood. I didn't encounter any bugs, so that hasn't been a problem for me.

The game balance is kind of amazing - it's really impressive just how tight the skill checks are if you're going for the best possible result, without any New Game Plus bonuses. It's doable, but only just, and I can't imagine how much of a headache it must have been to make that happen.

I find the UI kind of ugly, if I'm being honest. It's not super navigable, and it's somewhat unfinished, with the calendar only going up to Week 3 (unless that's a bug). Apparently the UI is on the list of things that they're going to attempt to fix throughout early access, with the dev planning to hire on someone with more programming experience.

I like the art style. It's quite unique, which is going to put off a certain sub-section of the visual novel community, but oh well. There aren't a huge number of CGs, or flashy effects or anything like that, but I don't think this game really needs that to begin with.

Most (possibly all?) of the music is creative commons, so it's nothing special. I did feel like some of the music wasn't a great choice for the mood, although I generally liked the character leitmotifs. They very clearly did not have the budget for original music, and it's also pretty far down the list of priorities, so that's not a real complaint. If they'd had infinite resources, it would have been cool to see some original music. They did not have infinite resources, and it would be unrealistic to expect anything other than what we got.

Conclusion

Here's the link to the game on itch.

I would heartily recommend buying the game if you enjoy any of the following:

Visual novels in general

Political intrigue

Complex stat raisers

Interesting and likeable ensemble casts; or

Innovative video games, just in general. Seriously, I meant it when I said that there is nothing quite like this game out there. You really do need to experience it in order to understand that.

Despite the relatively minor criticisms I've had, I really believe in this game. I believe it's something special, and after the amount of time it spent in development hell, I really, really want it to succeed. I will wear my bias on my sleeve here - I want to see more devs take these kinds of risks. I want this dev's ten years of work to pay off.

It's not a perfect ten, but it's a ten to me, damn it.

Side notes

This game used to have a thriving fandom on Tumblr, but that well and truly died. There are some active threads on the itch.io community page for the game, but I want to know where to go to post memes. If anyone knows, please tell me.

I hope it isn't Twitter, though. Fuck that.

I somehow got into this game right after the Kickstarter ended, which I've been salty about for nine years. I literally just missed it. Absolute tragedy.

I'm aware that the creator is active on Tumblr, and since I'm tagging this post with the game's tag, there's a non-zero likelihood that she'll read it. So, Aly, if you've read this far: hi! I really liked your game! Hope you're doing well. It's honestly a bit awkward to review a game knowing that the dev might see it, since it's always going to include some element of unsolicited criticism, but there's no real way around that. This review was aimed at potential players, which meant that I had to be comprehensive and honest. I hope that makes sense.

[kaedekolya]

[kaedekolya]

as the frost thaws [ch.1]

‧₊˚☾ lovebrush chronicles ‧₊˚☾ clarence-centric, lars/clarence ‧₊˚☾ 7.1k words; chapter 1 ‧₊˚☾ rebuilding godheim, slow burn, hurt/comfort & recovery

The Daphnephoria ritual will save the dying kingdom of Godheim, for a small price. A single archmage, for the happiness of many. Clarence’s future is worth little, especially when weighed against the kingdom’s; it is but an insignificant sacrifice that he has long since resolved to make. The magic sweeps through him, shredding his insides, scorching his spirit—

And yet, somehow, Clarence wakes again.

Death has eluded him, and now he must learn to live.

➵ read on ao3

[kaedekolya]

kinda disgusting how in love they are actually

[kaedekolya]

My mom’s friend’s daughter’s 5 year old son walked in while I drew these and asked why I wasn��t drawing something cooler. Well for what it’s worth these lawyers are pretty cool to me :-)