the process of claiming something back or of reasserting a right, such as:
a: reformation, rehabilitation
b: restoration to use : recovery
"There are few who are so lucky as to retire at your age, and you'll admit, you had to jump through many hoops and silence many bad men to claim as such. But it would all be worth it for the future you had planned out for yourself; for them. Your precious child. Your light in this filthy world.
But now they're gone.
And you wonder why you even bothered."
Play as a retired hitman, whose moniker is still whispered throughout the criminal underworld, trying to adapt to the mundane civilian life of North American Suburbia in the mundane city of Haven Lake, Minnesota. A civilian life they had planned to share with their one and only child- now gone from this world.
Between serving tables and trying to find a hobby, their life in Haven Lake is, without a doubt, peaceful. Ordinary. Monotonous. Boring. They wonder if they will ever be any of these things, or is something like them just not meant to roam amongst the sheep.
And then one day they discover that Haven Lake has worked very hard on its white picket fence veneer, and that the things that go bump in the night are much, much closer than they thought.
This is a 18+ modern fantasy romance story that will include; graphic violence, mercenary killing, grief, child death, violence against children, discrimination based on wealth, race and personal identity, and sex and sexual themes.
You are playing a(n ex-) professional killer, with a set of behaviours that range from morally grey to immoral, depending on your own set of beliefs. Whilst you can customise your character in looks, personality, gender, sex and sexuality, this mentality is semi-set and has the potential to either improve or worsen based on your own choices.
Please read and play with discretion, but remember that this story, above all, is about love. I hope you enjoy.
Demo (WIP)
Brighid/Brogán Conroy (F/M)
Your boss, owner of the Blue Moon, an Irish pub-diner, is a six-foot-five tower of a person with a penetrating resting bitch face. Gruff, irritable and yet protective all the same, B prefers to run their establishment in peace and keep to themselves- and is willing to stand their ground for it.
B is a middle-aged White Irish person with thick dark brown hair that falls past their shoulders, streaked with silver at the temples and usually tied back to keep out of their face. They seem to be in their late forties, though the presence of persistent frown lines and old acne scars across their lightly tanned skin ages them further. Their intense, forest green eyes alongside their scowl make them an intimidating presence, let alone their strong, powerful build. Broad in the chest and generously padded in the middle, with the muscles to match, most clothes end up ill-fitted, though they seem to care little. B tends to wear simple, hard wearing clothes like jeans, trainers, t-shirts, and simple solid colours.
Both Brighid and Brogán are visibly hairy though Brogán keeps a beard that reaches his collarbone.
Cecylia/Cezary/Celestyn Król (F/M/NB)
A mysterious nighttime regular at the Blue Moon bar, C is both an enigmatic and solitary customer, but talk with them long enough and you'll soon be treated to their particular brand of gallow's humour as well as their little patience with fools. It's a mystery why they continue to suffer them every night.
C is a young White Polish-American with ghostly pale skin and a slender, bony build that is only barely balanced out by their tall five-eleven height. C, however, despite their apparent underweight, is a classic beauty, with a sharp, triangular jaw and even sharper cheekbones. Contrary to their angular appearance, they have aloof piercing blue eyes, downturned and soft, and pretty, rounded lips. C keeps their light brown hair buzzed down to the skull for convenience, and their tapered ears and thick left brow are dotted with jet black piercings. They usually wear various shade of black and grey, but they always wear something that covers their neck.
C is mute and communicates mainly through ASL and, if necessary, text-to-speech.
Herminia/Helio Rhodes (F/M)
The newest part timer to join the day-shift, H is an exuberant, positive and larger-than-life person, freshly graduated and back home to help care for their little sister and figure out what they're going to do with themselves. They are happy to be the centre of attention, but find just as much joy pulling others into the spotlight with them, too.
H is a young Hispanic American adult with a broad, cheeky grin that easily softens their square jaw and slightly crooked hooked nose and lights up their wide hazel brown eyes. They stand at an even five-foot-eight with a triangular athlete's figure, chiseled with muscle, and their olive skin is deeply tanned by years under the sun - evidenced by the tan-lines between neck, chest, armpit and hip line. H keeps their curly red-brown hair short and charmingly tousled, usually swept back off their forehead with a thin plastic headband. H loves to wear bright, colourful sportswear that exposes skin and is easy to exercise and move in.
Helio and Herminia are both transgender, and Helio keeps a curly stubble chin curtain beard with a matching upper lip moustache growing in whilst Herminia is clean shaven.
Olabisi/Olajide/Ola Adeoye (F/M/NB)
A local librarian from a small but old downtown public library, O still somehow has the energy and time to be friendly and optimistic despite the rigours of public service. Curious, hard-working, and a little lonely so far from home, O is always happy to help and teach others even at the cost of their own free time.
O is a young Black Nigerian with a soft, round face framed by elegant thin black locs that reach their shoulder blades, embellished with silver cuffs. Outside of work, they prefer to leave their hair down. Otherwise, they like to twist it up into easy to manage styles. They have cool, dark brown skin and even darker, almost-black brown eyes with bright yellow, almost golden rings around their pupils. Standing at five ten, O has an elegant, plump, and curvacious figure with long limbs and pretty hands. They keep themselves well-groomed with shapely brows and gently styled baby hairs across their hairline. At work, they wear smart but still comfortable clothes and are fond of ruffles and low collar shirts. Outside of work, they enjoy loose, elegant styles with patterns and artful stitching in various rich colours. They usually favour a thick cardigan or jumper too.
O is shortsighted and wears frameless oval glasses with silver effect arms. Olajide keeps a trimmed, short, full goatee whilst Ola maintains a neat anchor goatee.
Majid/Marzieh/Mehr Ahmadi (Unknown)
A mysterious, unseen hand of the Ahmadi family that seems to have a finger in every pot in the city. You see the name M. Ahmadi at the top of nearly every donation list, at the bottom of many contracts and, most importantly, as a permanent fixture on the city council. You wonder if you will ever catch a glimpse of this supposed pillar of Haven Lake, when not even a photo seems to exist of them.
"31" (F!NB/M!NB)
A shard of your past. A memory, more than anything, these days. A part of who made you who you are.
“It is a long story, and it does no credit to anyone: there is murder in it, and trickery, lies and foolishness, seduction and pursuit. Listen."
- Neil Gaiman, Norse Mythology
You are a human. A totally normal one.
Honestly.
You’re a human. You’re a bartender, which is a very normal job for a human to have, and when you walk down the winding streets of Akureyri you can blend seamlessly into any crowd of people which is, without question, only something that a human could do.
The fact that you came here two years ago with nothing but the clothing on your back doesn’t mean anything; you’re hardly northern Iceland’s first wayfaring soul. That you had no money to your name, no friends or family to speak of — that’s a fairly average human thing, too. And that little craving you have, that quiet urge to dig your teeth into any passing stranger’s throat? It's completely, entirely mundane.
It’s manageable. You’re managing.
Or you were, until someone — someone who's decidedly notas good at this human thing as you are — begins leaving a trail of dead bodies at your doorstep, and a trio of god-like siblings take a seat at your bar.
MAGNI THORSON .
No doubt the mightiest of his siblings, the eldest child of Thor is exactly the sort of person you would expect him to be: a giant (half-giant, in fact) asshole with a smoulder and a knife-sharp jawline to match. He’ll match your every word with a cocky grin and a joke that’s nowhere near as funny as he thinks, and he’ll look every inch the prince that he is all the while.
(Well, the prince that he was. Just don’t let him hear you say that.)
MODI THORSON .
For the supposed embodiment of his father’s wrath, the God of Thunder’s second son is surprisingly…not that. He’s no picnic, mind you — he’s broody, he’s secretive, and he's fucking intense, but that hardly equates to fury incarnate. You’re sure there’s something hiding under that moody surface; whether or not you want to uncover it is a different story entirely.
(Looks like even gods aren’t immune to middle-child syndrome. Who knew?)
THRÚD THORSDÓTTIR .
Valkyrie, seidhr,paragon of strength — with all of her mother’s best traits (and a few of her father’s worst), is it any wonder that Thor’s youngest child was also his favourite? Smarter than her half-brothers and more likeable by a longshot, you might find yourself forgetting how easily the fortune-telling goddess could break you in two. You might, but she’ll be happy to remind you if you do.
(Maybe a little too happy, in fact.)
KATLA B̶͍̏L̸̝͑O̵̟͠M̴̳̓Q̴̯̔V̵̺͆I̷̗͛S̵̠͒T̸̬̒ .
A fellow nomad and your coworker at Black Thunder, the first friend you made in Akureyri has remained your closest. Mischevious, magnetic, and often up to no small amount of trouble, there are times when you think you might know Katla better than you know yourself. You even know about her…well, you know that she…sorry, what were you talking about again?
(It's just that it’s nice, being close to someone who’s so very human.)
THE MARE .
There’s a voice in your head and a shadow in your dreams, and they’re telling you to run. You probably shouldn’t trust them.
(…Right?)
Customize your monster character. New life, new you! Choose your gender identity, change your name, cut your hair, and remember: if you’re starting to grow tired of running from your past, try on a new outfit and start running faster.
Play as one of three runway creatures from Norse mythology — a cunning keeper of the forest, a charming warden of the lake, or a formidable guardian of the mountains. Each has its quirks (would you prefer a hollowed-out tree for a back, or webbed fingers and forearms covered in scales?), but they all have two key things in common: they’ll killto protect their homes, and you’redefinitely not one of them.
Choose your own fate, out of the countless that are presented to you. Had oatmeal instead of skyr with your breakfast this morning? You might have just brought about Ragnarök 2.0. Nice one, asshole.
Multiple romance options, with each available to pursue regardless of your gender or background. Ever wanted to kiss a god under a starry sky? Now's your chance! Or maybe you’re through with immortal beings and desperate to ask the pretty server on a date? Go for it! She’s definitelya human too. Totally. You’d be able to tell if she wasn’t. Wouldn’t you?
Save the world — or don’t.It's your choice, and isn't that what true freedom is all about?
Folksaga is inspired by The Edda, Norse mythology, andTwin Peaks, with a bit of tweaking to the myths as needed for the sake of plot. MC backgrounds have been adjusted to fit for all players regardless of gender identity, and creative liberty has been taken with some smaller points for a smoother storytelling experience. All changes will be explained in an FAQ post (too be added in the links below ASAP!)
AS OF AUGUST 21 UPDATE: The current demo consists of the prologue (introductory lore + character creation), + chapter 1, about 70k words total.
I expect it to be somewhere in the range of 600,000 to 700,000 words, but this is subject to change (and likely will due to my propensity for rambling text. oops.).
I’ve written short and long-form original fiction as well as a lot of fanfic (say hello @ pentaghastly on AO3, and @kendallroynsfw on tumblr!), but this is my first IF! Bugs and coding issues may appear in the demo; please let me know if any issues arise during your playthroughs.
Folksaga is a work in progress. I would love constructive feedback when the demo is posted, as well as any bugs or grammar issues to be brought to my attention if I've missed them :) I would also love patience, because I'm a full time health care worker who gets sleepy lots xoxo
A Swedish farmer named Sven Andersson was executed in 1691 for having intercourse with a mountain nymph, or bergsrå. I will neither confirm or deny if his Wikipedia article was the inspiration for this IF, except I will confirm it and it definitely was.
The demo is finally here! It's honestly kinda shitty, and kinda short, but it's mine and I'm proud of that.
There are two Easter eggs: one poking fun at one of my Discord friends and one about the characters. Won’t say which is where, but one can be found in the first four or so pages, and the other is in the code.
EDIT: I went and fixed some bugs (all except for two relating to, of course, <<if>> statements), so thank you very much to the kind reader who pointed them out. Your assistance was invaluable!
If anyone has any bug reports, feel free to send them in. I need all the help I can get lol...
My icons are 500x500 or 100x100 unless otherwise specified, my aesthetics and stimboards don't really have specifics, other than they're both 3x3. My tarot readings are usually 3 card pulls, and my userboxes look like this (example from one of my other blogs!)
[ THIS DEMO IS FOR NANORENO 2017 SUBMISSION ONLY AND WILL BE REPLACED IN APRIL.]
Download here:
itch.io
Despite all odds, a demo managed to surface before NaNoRenO 2017 jam ended in itch.io. :’D
And it’s all thanks to Ksen, who not only allowed me to use the characters but also did all the work on the last day to get this out. Seriously, my thanks is endless here.
Content Notes:
Comparing to the real demo that will be released later in April, this demo has:
Full script-- nothing’s missing here!
Placeholder arts and GUI; at least half of the assets are still being produced.
Absolutely no music. It’s total silence.
Partial testing. So far it seems to work fine on Mac, but no extensive Windows testing has been done yet. Linux build not yet released; hit me up if you want a build right now or is willing to test the Linux build for the full demo! :’D
One person beta-reading and beta-testing it. It’s a fairly straightforward visual novel with no galleries, but so far problems are still a question-marks-ground.
I’d love to see your thoughts, be it on this version or on whether you’d be interested in downloading the full demo!
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