I wrote this about a year or two ago and just realized I never posted it here.
Major spoilers if you haven't read the ORV webnovel obviously.
This took me 2 whole months of nonstop work to finish and is my pride and joy. It's not exactly fanart or fanfiction but I still believe it will be an enjoyable read for anyone who's read the novel.
Here's a small spoiler free expert:
In its entirety ORV is a story about sacrifice, found family, and well, stories. Every major character in ORV, even the ones that weren't touched much on in this essay like Lee Gilyoung or Shin Yoosung, sacrifice something, or many things, for either the sake of the world or just their family. Many times the people around Kim Dokja will attempt to sacrifice themselves before he has a chance, because the scenarios almost always require a sacrifice to defeat them. Kim Dokja knew this and decided to make sure he was the sacrifice every time, and it's only once Kim Dokja is gone that the other characters start to make the big sacrifices themselves. While sacrifice is one of the main themes, the moral is not ‘sacrifices are necessary for a happy life/world.’ It’s actually the opposite: ‘the sacrifice of something loved can never bring the happiness of the people it was sacrificed for.’ Kim Dokja’s family is never happy to be alive, or happy they completed the scenario, after Kim Dokja sacrifices himself for them, the only emotions they feel after are always negative. When sacrifices are made it may seem selfless or necessary to others, but it is always a truly selfish act in the end.
