This lighthearted visual novel follows Valentina, a former competitive skater who leaves her skating life behind for an office job far, far away from home. Little is she prepared to end up managing a rundown resort in rural Ukraine, let alone one which has a skating rink at the heart of its shopping mall. Fate takes an unexpected turn when a freak accident thrusts Valentina and the resort into viral sensations. With the resort's newfound popularity, Valentina must now work tirelessly to transform the derelict and slightly haunted mall into a proper holiday destination. At the same time, she is reluctantly tasked with managing the once-deserted ice skating rink and keep its skaters under control. Linear storyline, 3-hour read. Anatomically correct figure skating positions. As a severely handicapped sufferer of spinal cord injury (C5-7), my fingers are extremely weak and twitchy, so I sincerely hope you can forgive my use of AI-assisted art in this solo project. Hi there, my name is Mark Leung. You may know me as the creator of College Saga. In June 2021, I fell and broke my neck while training my backflip. Immediately, I lost sensation and control below my chest and could hardly move my fingers. Such was spinal cord injury, a cruel and utterly humiliating condition with no cure as of today. To make things worse, I developed a life-threatening bedsore in the ICU in my lower back, which took 2 major surgeries to 'dig out' and fill with surrounding flesh, and months of daily treatments. After a year of spitting into cough-assist machines and staring at hospital ceilings, I was discharged, having regained nearly no control of my body. I continue to deal with sensitivity to cold, persistent lower back pain, and the daily struggle of dizziness and low blood pressure that takes me up to 2 hours to gradually rise out of bed. Having minimal control with my core, I am always at risk of tipping sideways or forward unless I keep an arm on my wheelchair. With weak fingers, I can't click normal mouses or move around on my wheelchair. I am now 30% of my former self carrying a load of dead weight. I literally can't even steal candy from my own baby. Being trapped in this body 24/7 has taken a significant toll on my mental health. I have never experienced such an overwhelming and profound sense of shame and loneliness. Knowing about my creative past, my doctor advised me to create once again as a means to prevent myself from spiraling into depression. A form of escapism, if you will. So here is what the doctor ordered: a fun, lighthearted visual novel inspired by 22 years of figure skating.
