#In keeping with the permanently moving location theme
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Personal headcanon that joker's true velvet room is a fancy shmancy train.
#In keeping with the permanently moving location theme#The fancy lift with the drapes in p3 and the fully kitted out LIMO in p4#P5 has an awful lot of symbolic trains and I could definitely see the pt getting on a train through the alps to get to their next target#Even pulling a heist ON the train!#You don't associate long train journeys with justice media or the inevitability of death but you DO associate it with high class mystery#Which fits the aesthetic themes of p5 pretty well#Listen#We start the game on a train having been forced to take the fall for an adults crimes and corruption#The metaverse is an infinite subway#We ride the tracks freely from level to level getting deeper and deeper as we progress through the game#A proper orient express would be so fitting for p5!#I don't know if it'd be a steam one or a modern bullet train but either way it'd be ✨glamorous✨ like the others#persona 5#persona series#akira kurusu#velvet room#headcanons#p5 joker#P5
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This is War (the Soldier I)
Lieutenant Colonel Lee Jihoon isn't sure exactly why he's fighting this war or if he's even on the right side. He only knows two things: one, his brother Joshua's death was not an accident; and two, the Empire has no shortage of dark secrets waiting to be uncovered.
Genre: dystopian!AU, war!AU
Warnings: Violence, war, general death and devastation, strong language, character deaths, sexual themes (no explicit smut, only implication), dark themes overall, slow burn and plot-heavy. There's nothing you wouldn't find in a typical dystopian YA novel, but its still not for the light-hearted.
Word Count: 10.7k+ [Won't lie, this is 10k words of pure plot and world build-up. The reader and half the important characters haven't even appeared yet, and the romance hasn't started. Buckle up, we're in for a long ride.]
Prologue + Masterlist
Marcet Sine Adversario Virtus.
The ancient Latin phrase was engraved on an imposing metal plaque underneath a large statue of the Empire's emblem.
A delicate golden rose with thorns.
Lieutenant Colonel Lee Jihoon sat at his desk directly in front of that rose statue. The statue was a permanent fixture in the cabins of all high-ranking military personnel stationed at Military Base 1. The golden rose and metal plaque served as a reminder to the cabin's visitors that they were not merely addressing Lieutenant Colonel Lee, but an esteemed officer of the Empire.
Military Base 1 was a staggering edifice. The walls and buildings were made of dark bullet-proof glass that soared into the skies, looming far above the crumbling tenements that formed the rest of the city. It was located in the heart of the Empire. An impenetrable fortress behind which the Empire’s loyal military officers strategized ways to protect their dwindling population.
Military Base 1 was the bedrock of the Empire. The harsh thorns which protected the delicate rose within.
“Sir? May I come in?”
Lieutenant Colonel Lee Jihoon looked up to find Captain Kwon standing hesitantly in the doorway of the cabin. The young Captain’s eyes lingered uncomfortably on the golden rose, before he briskly saluted his commanding officer.
Jihoon nodded.
“Come in, Captain Kwon. At ease.”
Captain Kwon Soonyoung entered. The cabin's walls were covered with military insignia and medals reflecting Lieutenant Colonel Lee’s numerous achievements. He had obtained many colourful laurels during his short but successful military career. While impressive, the laurels could not fully distract Soonyoung from the gaudy golden rose that glimmered threateningly behind Lee Jihoon’s unsmiling face.
“Here to report, sir.”
Jihoon nodded and stood. He had been sitting at his desk all morning, and his legs were beginning to feel stiff. There was no space to move around with that infernal rose statue taking up half of his cabin.
He leaned against the desk and looked at Captain Kwon.
“I heard there was some commotion in the barracks earlier. Any cause for concern?”
Captain Kwon bit his lip. “Not at all, sir. It was a minor tussle between some of the newer recruits. They, uh, snuck an illegally recorded copy of Vesta’s new film into the barracks. I had to confiscate it from them.”
Jihoon raised an eyebrow. “And where is the film now?”
Captain Kwon blushed. “Sir?”
“I hope you didn’t keep it.”
“I-sir-”
“Dispose of it immediately,” Lieutenant Colonel Lee ordered. His handsome face was unsmiling. “You may cancel training for today and let the men have the evening off. The Brigadier-General is hosting an unveiling party for the new unmanned combat vehicles- all the high-ranked officers will be occupied anyway.”
Captain Kwon smiled brightly. An evening off sounded excellent.
“Ah-yes, sir.”
“I don’t want to see you or the men putting themselves at risk for trifles. If they want to watch Vesta’s new film, tell them to pay money and watch it honestly in the theatre.”
“Of course, sir. Thank you, sir.”
The corner of Lieutenant Colonel Lee’s lips curved upward in a hint of a smile.
“What are you thanking me for?”
Captain Kwon cleared his throat awkwardly.
“I’d be lying if I said that Vesta’s films don’t go a long way to boost morale among the men, sir. She’s captured many hearts in the barracks. They would give up their lives for her, just as soon as they’d give up their lives for the Empire. Beautiful women are every man’s weakness.”
“Hopefully not every man,” Lieutenant Colonel Lee muttered.
Captain Kwon hesitated, worried that he had offended his commanding officer. It was difficult to predict how Lieutenant Colonel Lee would respond to any given statement. Jihoon was famously impulsive.
“Of course not, sir. I only meant to say-”
“You’re dismissed, Captain Kwon. Have a nice evening.”
“T-thank you, sir. You too, sir.”
Lieutenant Colonel Lee Jihoon leaned against his desk as he watched his subordinate leave. Then he closed his files and straightened his military uniform. He would have to meet the Brigadier-General for another night of drinking and raunchy entertainment, under the facade of unveiling newly designed unmanned combat vehicles.
What a criminal waste of time, Jihoon thought to himself, when there are so many more sinister things taking place in this very Military Base.
As Jihoon walked out of the cabin, he glanced back once more at the enormous thorned rose and the ancient Latin phrase. The symbols of the Empire.
Marcet Sine Adversario Virtus.
Or, in the modern tongue, valour withers without an adversary.
He smiled wryly at the foolishness of the Empire’s ancient motto. Evidently, the people in charge had been in a hurry to justify the war they were starting and had not considered one crucial possibility.
What if the Empire’s biggest adversary was not outside its walls?
What if it was hiding deep within?
—----------------------------------------------
Research Division 3 (or RD-3, as it was often abbreviated) was the military’s golden child.
Every few months, the scientists up at RD-3 designed a glamorous new weapon of warfare, which was unveiled and paraded around at a special display for high-ranking officers. Each new weapon brought the Empire a step closer to winning the war against the Invaders, so celebration was deemed appropriate.
In truth, the displays were simply an excuse for the commanding officers of Military Base 1 to gamble, drink and cavort with women.
Deep down, humans were all the same.
“Lieutenant Colonel Lee! You’re late, as always!” the Brigadier-General called out in his booming voice. The large older man was extremely drunk. His gray beard was stained from spilled wine, and he wrapped an arm around Jihoon in a friendly manner. The Brigadier-General had never had much regard for personal space. “How is it that you’re always the first to arrive at the military briefings, but you can never turn up to a party in time, eh?”
Jihoon forced his lips into a tight smile. “I apologise, sir. I had to finish my reports for the day.”
“Surely an unfiled report has never hurt anybody!”
“I’d rather not find out, sir.”
Lee Jihoon had acquired a reputation as a passionate and loyal young officer of the Empire. The Brigadier-General may have been a drunkard, but he was no idiot. The older man knew that Jihoon was destined for great things. It would not hurt to keep the promising young officer close as he climbed the ranks.
“Excellent work, Lieutenant Colonel Lee. Officers like you keep the Empire safe.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“I know you don’t enjoy these unveiling parties but we must let RD-3 show off their little toys, eh? It’s the least we can do. But I know what will cheer you up! We have a special guest today, and she’s an absolute beauty. Come and have a look at her.”
Jihoon accepted the glass of wine offered to him and followed the Brigadier-General into the crowd of people.
The unveiling party was held in the ballroom of Military Base 1’s recreation wing. The enormous hall buzzed with high-ranking military officials, their wives and other entertainers. A group of scantily-clad dancers occupied the stage. A lady in red crooned into the microphone.
“Now, where did that pretty little thing go?” the Brigadier-General wondered.
Jihoon’s hawk eyes took three seconds to scan the room and spot what his superior officer was looking for. Near the back of the ballroom, a group of male officers were crowded around a beautiful young woman. She had a stunning smile, and batted her eyelashes prettily at the eager men surrounding her.
Jihoon sighed. He was unimpressed. “Sir, do you mean-”
“There she is!”
The Brigadier-General made a bee-line for the beautiful actress. Jihoon struggled to keep up. Some of the younger officers scattered at the sight of the Brigadier-General, but Vesta’s pretty eyes sparkled.
She gave the older man a sultry smile.
“Oh, Brigadier-General! I was beginning to wonder if you’d left me alone,” Vesta cooed. It was evident that she was not alone. There were half a dozen men around her, but the actress was an expert at flattering officers of rank.
The Brigadier-General grinned foolishly. “Never, my dear, never. I only stepped away to welcome Lieutenant Colonel Lee to the party. He’s a bit uptight, you see, and he needs some company at these gatherings. Lieutenant Colonel Lee, this is Vesta. Of course you recognize the most beautiful woman in the Empire.”
Jihoon barely glanced at the actress and nodded. “I am familiar with your work.”
Vesta giggled inspidly. “Oh, he’s so stiff!”
“Yes, Jihoon can be rather serious, but he’s a good man. Never mind him, darling. Tell us that lovely story about filming The Last Commander,” the Brigadier- General insisted.
Vesta began retelling an anecdote about how she had been moved to cry real tears in the climactic scene where her character’s husband was revealed to have died on the battlefield. The men listened, riveted.
Jihoon watched the actress disinterestedly for a few moments, before finishing his glass of wine and looking around in hopes of a refill.
He needed air.
There had been a time when Lieutenant Colonel Lee enjoyed gatherings like these. Early in his budding military career, he had felt it was an honour to be invited to a weapons unveiling. Now, Jihoon only wished there existed some alcohol or drug strong enough to make him forget the entirety of these events.
He sauntered outside.
Adjoining the ballroom was an outdoor platform that served as an enormous balcony and helipad. Men and women in white lab coats scurried around the sparkly new unmanned combat vehicle and prepared it for the display. The ‘vehicle’, with the words Aeris VII labelled on the side was actually a drone the size of a small helicopter, made entirely of bulletproof fibreglass.
Jihoon sighed. It looked exactly like all the other aerial combat vehicles the military already possessed.
“What’s so special about this one?” he asked a passing dark-haired scientist in a white coat who didn't appear busy.
The scientist blinked at Jihoon, his expression suddenly changing as he eyed Jihoon's military uniform and the pin on his shoulder signifying his rank.
“Sorry, sir?” the man asked.
“What is so special about this one? Didn’t RD-3 release an unmanned aerial combat vehicle three months ago? What does this one do better than the last?” Jihoon asked.
The scientist looked nervous. Jihoon suddenly realised that even though he was wearing a white coat, there was no patch on the scientist's chest signifying that he was an employee of RD-3. All the other white coats bore patches of either RD-2 or RD-3.
“Uh, I’m not-I’m not part of the design team for this. I was just observing,” explained the scientist carefully.
“What team are you a part of?”
The scientist’s eyes darted back and forth nervously. He seemed uncomfortable under Jihoon’s curious gaze. “I’m under Research Division 1, my apologies. The weapons are handled by RD-3…”
Something struck Jihoon as odd. He had never met anyone from Research Division 1 before. To be perfectly honest, he wasn’t even entirely sure what Research Division 1 did. Was the work highly confidential? It wasn't talked about as much as RD-3’s warfare weapons, or RD-2’s agricultural research. He suddenly remembered hearing about it long ago, from a familiar voice...
“What does Research Division 1-”
“Excuse me, I need to leave.”
The scientist hurried back inside the crowded ballroom and Jihoon stared after him, a sour taste in his mouth. Something was wrong about the way that scientist had been looking at him. Did he know Jihoon? Did he have reason to keep something from him? Jihoon wasn’t sure, but his interest had been piqued.
What did Research Division 1 do?
Where had Jihoon heard about it and why did the dark-haired scientist look familiar?
“Sir, can I help you?” another of the white-coated scientists asked. This woman had a large smile on her face and a patch on her chest that read RD-3. She looked far more welcoming than the previous man. “Are you curious about the new design for the unmanned aerial combat vehicle? We’d love to give you a briefing!”
Jihoon blinked and nodded. “Yes, thank you.”
“The upgraded vehicle is more aerodynamic. It’s lighter, it can carry heavier missiles and it moves faster. We’ve also fixed some failures in the defensive capability of the bulletproof fibreglass. This one can withstand open fire for longer than the older models…”
Jihoon had lost interest.
------------------------------------------------
At exactly 11 pm, the senior military officials gathered in the balcony of the ballroom to watch the new unmanned aerial combat vehicle soar spectacularly into the sky for the first time. Jihoon, uninterested in the theatrics of the display, quietly slipped out of the back of the building and into the dimly lit streets of Military Base 1.
A sleek black car with dark windows was parked at the end of the street. Opening the passenger side door swiftly, Jihoon slid into the back. There was a clicking noise behind him once he closed it.
The car doors had been locked.
“Cigarette?” Vesta offered. Her fingernails were painted a bold red, which contrasted with the plain white of the cigarette wrapper. A half-empty pack was lying on the seat between them. The car reeked of smoke.
This was clearly not her first cigarette of the evening.
Jihoon shook his head. “No, thank you. I’m trying to quit.”
Vesta raised an eyebrow. The pretty, innocent, simpering young lady from the party had disappeared. The actress now slouched carelessly against the leather seats. Her bare feet were crossed and planted on the backrest of the passenger seat in front of her.
She placed the cigarette between her painted lips.
“Mind if I smoke?” she asked, moving to light it before Jihoon could speak.
“Joshua didn’t like you smoking.”
“Joshua’s dead,” Vesta replied harshly as she dropped the lighter and took a long, shaky drag.
“He was worried about your health-”
“There are more disgusting substances entering my body on a daily basis than tobacco, for fuck’s sake. Cut me some slack,” Vesta snapped. She took another long drag before her face relaxed and she chuckled. “Great job pretending not to know me back there. I’m familiar with your work? You could have at least pretended to be a fan.”
Jihoon frowned. It was all he could think to say on such short notice. He hadn’t expected to see Vesta at the unveiling party, and there was no reason for him to be acquainted with a successful actress like her. At least, no reason that could be spoken about openly under the watchful eye of the Empire. They needed to appear to be perfect strangers in public.
Which wasn’t difficult because in truth, they were strangers.
Jihoon didn’t know Vesta's likes and dislikes, or what sort of a person she was. He knew nothing about her past or present life. All Jihoon knew was that they shared one simple thing.
Love, for a man who was now dead.
“How is it going?” Vesta asked. The dark tinted car windows were shut so the smoke she exhaled remained inside the car. It was suffocating. Jihoon glanced longingly at the cigarettes and closed his eyes.He had not had a cigarette since Joshua’s death. It had been four months and he wasn’t about to give in now.
“How is what going?” Jihoon wondered.
Vesta chuckled. “Your attempts to be transferred to the Border Forces. Is anyone taking you seriously or are they telling you to be a good little boy and wait? You can tell me. I have plenty of experience being patronised.”
“It’s not easy.”
“Nothing is easy in this place.”
Jihoon folded his arms across his chest and frowned. “It took two years before Joshua’s application to be transferred to the Border Forces was accepted by high command. I doubt they’ll accept mine anytime soon. I’m not as friendly with the high-ranking officers as Joshua was.”
“You’re not as friendly as Joshua was, period.”
Jihoon gave her a frustrated look. He was tired of her sharp words and unconcerned attitude. Vesta seemed to be treating Joshua’s death with a sense of carelessness that infuriated him. Couldn’t she at least pretend to care?
“Yes, thank you. I’m trying to find out the secret behind the death of a man that meant the world to me. I assumed from the fact that he sent you a similar letter that he meant something to you. Maybe I was wrong.”
Vesta lowered her eyes. “You’re not wrong.”
“So what is your problem?”
“My problem? My problem is that I’m tired of being in love with a man who’s dead, Jihoon. They don’t award you medals for that sort of loyalty. I’m in this shit alone because Lieutenant Colonel Joshua Hong thought it was a good idea to go chasing after something that he should have kept his fucking nose out of,” Vesta snapped.
Her eyes were red as she lifted the cigarette to her lips once more.
“Joshua really wouldn’t want you to keep smoking that-”
“Fuck you,” Vesta replied. She reached down and aggressively stubbed the half-finished cigarette into her ashtray, putting it out. “I don’t even want it anymore. Are you happy that you’ve taken away the one thing that actually makes me happy in this world, Lee Jihoon?”
Jihoon rolled his eyes.
“I didn’t take anything away. You put it out yourself.”
Vesta stared at him in disbelief. She felt a burning anger flow through her as she met Jihoon’s calm and judgemental eyes. Was this what Joshua had left her? After all his tall promises and romantic words he had gotten himself killed, leaving behind a dark secret and his insufferable younger half-brother to babysit?
“What are we doing, Jihoon?” she demanded.
“We’re trying to find out why Joshua had to die.”
“And then what? Even if Joshua was right, if there is some dark secret in Military Base 1 and he was killed because he knew too much… what next? We don’t have a plan. We don’t have support. How do you intend to exact revenge against whoever is responsible by yourself, Jihoon? You, and whose army?”
Jihoon bristled. “I have a battalion.”
Vesta laughed scornfully. “No. You don’t have a battalion. The Empire has a battalion that they put you in charge of, and they can take it away from you anytime they please.”
“Then we’ll build a new army. We’ll find someone with whom our interests align. There’s a whole world outside of Military Base 1. Rebel organisations, an enormous organised resistance underground. I’ve seen glimpses of it during peacekeeping missions. I know it exists. We could be a part of it,” Jihoon insisted heatedly.
“Why, though?”
“What?”
“Why would you join a resistance? What has the Empire ever done to you that you would rebel against it?” Vesta demanded.
“There’s definitely something happening. Joshua died less than a week after he left for the Border Forces-” Jihoon insisted.
“He died in the course of duty.”
“That’s what they say.”
“You have nothing that proves otherwise, Jihoon. Nothing. None of the high-ranking commanders of the Border Forces will speak to you. You don’t know what Joshua was investigating. All you have is a vaguely worded letter from a man who died after being transferred to the most dangerous division of the military. The Empire even awarded him a posthumous medal for bravery. I’m tired. I don’t know how much longer we should keep doing this.”
Jihoon clenched his fists. “I know this is difficult-”
“It’s impossible. Do you understand how helpless you are in this world? How helpless and alone we both are?”
“I have leads. Just trust me for a little longer. I need to find out why Joshua had to die, I know I can. I can find the people responsible and I need your help.”
Vesta and Jihoon stared at each other for a long moment. It was difficult to read the young woman; she was an actress, after all, and her words and expressions often changed so swiftly and erratically that it was hard to tell just where the actress ended and the real woman began. Jihoon had a feeling that he hadn’t even scratched the surface of whatever Vesta really was. Jihoon didn’t have the time, energy or inclination to dig below her abrasive personality.
But Joshua had trusted her.
So Jihoon had decided that he would trust her too.
“Fine,” Vesta replied, finally. “Tell me what you want me to do.”
“Do you know anything about Research Division 1? What sort of work do they do?” Jihoon wondered. “I remember Joshua mentioning it once, but I can’t remember what he said.”
“Research Division 1? Does that even exist?”
“If 2 and 3 exist then isn’t it logical to assume that RD-1 exists too? Is there anyone you can ask to learn something about that?” Jihoon asked. There were a lot of questions that would arouse suspicion coming from an officer of the military, but might sound harmless coming from a seemingly air-headed actress.
“I’m meeting Major-General Jung in his apartment tomorrow, I can ask him. Why do you want to know?”
“Just a hunch. See if he’ll say anything about the Border Forces too-”
“I’ve tried that before. The Major-General never talks about the Border Forces, even when he’s drunk. He sobers up as soon as I mention it and it’s unpleasant because things are a lot easier for me when he’s not sober,” Vesta replied firmly.
Jihoon groaned. “He knows something.”
“It’s no use to us if he won’t talk about it. Just because he's reluctant to reveal confidential military information doesn’t mean it’s anything to do with Joshua's death.”
“Can you search his personal office?”
“Do you want me to die?” Vesta snapped. “Because if your aim is to unite me with Joshua in heaven then that would be the perfect way to go about it. The Major-General’s home is filled with security officers at all times. He keeps himself well protected. The rebels would love to take a crack at the commander of the Internal Peacekeeping Forces.”
Jihoon sighed. “Never mind.”
“I’ll get in touch with you if I have anything to tell you, okay?”
“Fine, I get it.”
“Go back before they notice you’re missing from the weapons unveiling,” Vesta suggested. Jihoon nodded. He unlocked the car door and then glanced back at the actress. He cleared his throat.
“Take-uh, take care.”
Vesta smiled emotionlessly. “Sure. As soon as I find something worth taking care of.”
—---------------------------------------------
Once upon a time, the Empire had been a peaceful place.
Jihoon had grown up during those times but he could barely remember them. He had vague memories of his mother’s flower garden and the smell of her home-cooked pies. He had once gone to school. He had family and neighbours and friends. What had happened to them all? Jihoon wasn’t sure. He hadn’t seen any of them since the first Air Strikes.
Air Strike Zero was the starting of the War.
Jihoon remembered huddling in the basement of their small house with his mother and his half-brother Joshua, terrified and not understanding what was happening as the ground shook and explosives fell from the sky.
It was only three days later, when they emerged from their basement, cold and hungry, that they learned the truth.
The War had begun.
Joshua had never been one to sit still. Long before the military had declared mandatory conscription for all able-bodied men, Joshua signed up to fight. We have to protect ourselves, Joshua had said the night before he left. We are at War.
Jihoon had stayed home with his mother until he turned 18. But she had always been of fragile health, and a world at war was no place for her. The older woman's heart gave out and Jihoon had to bury her two weeks before his 18th birthday. Then he enlisted for the army and joined his brother in the ranks. Theirs was not the only family that had been torn apart by the War.
The War either killed you, or made a soldier out of you.
Jihoon chose to be a soldier.
—-------------------------------------------
Captain Kwon’s face was white.
“Sir, we seem to… um, we seem to be missing some items from the weapons storage, sir.”
Lieutenant Colonel Lee Jihoon snapped his head up to look at the trembling man in front of him.
His dark eyes narrowed dangerously.
“What?”
“Lieutenant Smith did inventory this morning and we’re missing some firearms from Storage Unit 7B,” Captain Kwon repeated. His heartbeat thudded wildly. Kwon Soonyoung dreaded delivering news to the Lieutenant Colonel. Having to deliver bad news to him was simply dreadful.
"And? Where are they?"
Captain Kwon swallowed. “We’re investigating to find out how we could have lost them. There’s no sign of breaking or entering in the storage unit so it might have been somebody who knew the passcode or had access-”
“Captain Kwon.”
“Y-yes, sir?”
Jihoon stood up and slapped his palms on the desk, hard. His voice was enraged. “Do you think I give a flying fuck who it might have been? I want to know who it was!”
Captain Kwon swallowed. “Yes, sir. Of course, sir. We’re working on that right now, sir.”
Jihoon pressed his fingertips to his temples. “How many weapons are we missing? What kind? Give me an estimate.”
“Primarily firearms. Lieutenant Smith has found 10 assault rifles, 12 semi-automatic rifles, 3 grenade launchers and a couple of pistols unaccounted for. We’re also doing an emergency inventory check of all the other Storage Units under our control to make sure this is the only storage unit that was targeted,” Captain Kwon rambled on. Perhaps if he kept talking rapidly, then Jihoon wouldn’t have time to yell at him. “There aren’t many soldiers with access to Storage Unit 7B in particular so it must have been someone who was on security duty at some point-”
Jihoon lifted a hand in the air and cut him off. “How many is a couple of pistols?”
Captain Kwon swallowed. “Thirty-five, sir.”
“Thirty-five?” Jihoon demanded. That amounted to a total of 60 deadly firearms. Sixty firearms was no small theft. It was enough to keep a small army going. A small army which was evidently not affiliated to the Empire, or they could have obtained the weapons without committing military treason.
Captain Kwon looked devastated. “Yes, sir.”
“You have two hours to find out who did this before I come down into the barracks and investigate the matter myself. This is likely the work of some rebel organization. That means we have traitors of the Empire here. Traitors. In my battalion. Do you understand the seriousness of this situation, Captain Kwon?”
“Yes sir, I do, sir.”
“Good.”
Captain Kwon shifted on his feet and then cleared his throat. If he was about to be put to death following a court martial then he really wanted to know sooner rather than later.
“Sir, are you… are you going to be reporting this matter to high command?”
Jihoon folded his arms across his chest. He had no intention of putting his own neck on the line this early. The Empire would not take high-grade weapons being stolen directly from Military Base 1 lightly.
There would be hell to pay if the culprit was not found.
“Let’s try to find who did this first. In the absence of anyone else to punish, Captain Kwon, high command may just decide that you and I will be held responsible. I would rather it didn’t come to that.”
“Of course, sir.”
“Find me the traitor. Now. Dismissed.”
-------------------------------------------------
Lieutenant Colonel Lee Jihoon carried his brother’s final letter tucked in the pocket of his military uniform at all times. The folded paper was worn out from having been read so often over the last four months, and every single word was precious to him.
Jihoon,
I’m sorry I couldn’t say goodbye before I left. My request to transfer to the Border Forces was accepted on extremely short notice. I leave tonight.
There is something I’ve been investigating. I’ve had my suspicions about the Empire for a long time, but I think I’ve finally found some evidence. I need to go to the Border to confirm my suspicions. When I return I’ll explain everything. If I’m right, then everything we know about our lives could be a lie.
I’m scared.
I hope I’m wrong. I really hope I’m wrong.
If I don’t return, that means the Major-General knows what I’ve found. Don’t trust anyone in the military, Jihoon. Especially not the high command. They don’t care about our lives. All they care about is themselves. They’ve done horrible things in the name of research and war and they’ll stop at nothing to protect their positions.
Tell Vesta I’m sorry. I wanted to help her but I think I ended up making her life worse. You would probably laugh, Jihoon. I wish I could see the incredulous look on your face when I tell you I fell in love with her. I’m sorry I couldn’t introduce her to you. Maybe, when I return, you can meet her and you’ll see how wonderful she is.
I want to make you both proud. I hope I can.
I love you. Stay safe
-Joshua.
Sometimes Jihoon wondered if his brother had intended to leave him in a state of complete agony. Could a more vague and incomprehensible letter exist? Why couldn’t Joshua have stopped to explain exactly what he was investigating? Life would have been easier even if Joshua had just gone to the Border without leaving a letter at all.
At least then, Jihoon could have believed that his brother had died bravely in the line of duty, as the Empire claimed.
Peace of mind can be more valuable than the truth.
Jihoon possessed neither.
“Sir? Your written communications have just come in,” a young officer on administrative duty entered the cabin and saluted Lieutenant Colonel Lee before placing a pile of envelopes on the desk. Jihoon quickly tucked the letter into his inner coat pocket and sat up.
“Thank you, Private. Dismissed.”
“Yes, sir.”
Jihoon looked at the envelopes. All of them were stamped and sealed with the Empire’s emblem; the golden rose with thorns. Most were non-urgent. Field reports, requests for leave and other routine mundane tasks relevant to the maintenance of his forces. There were a handful of invitations to social events being held by high-ranking officers.
Then Jihoon saw it.
The only envelope where the rose was hand-drawn instead of stamped with the official Empire stamp. The difference was slight and difficult to notice for an untrained eye, but Jihoon and Vesta had been communicating in this manner for long enough that he instantly knew the envelope was from her.
He tore it open.
Asked about RD-1. It's old- it existed even before the Air Strikes, but was shut down shortly after the War began for ethical reasons. Something about human experimentation. Major-General wouldn't elaborate. RD-1 hasn’t been operational for about a decade, so I don’t think it has anything to do with Joshua.
He also wouldn’t talk about the Border Forces. He never does.
I heard that the Major General is looking for some new personal security. He’s not allowed to take on-duty soldiers for his personal use, so he hires whoever he can find men from the disciplinary barracks- ones undergoing punishment for frivolous things. Do you have any men we can trust? If you could get them into the disciplinary barracks by tomorrow, then it’s likely they’ll be chosen. Make sure whoever you pick looks a little naive. The man doesn’t like his guards to be smarter than him.
Lots of concerns about rebel uprisings on the coast. Civilians aren’t complying with the food rationing laws and are hoarding their own farming and fishing produce.
I’ll be at the Brigadier-General’s wedding anniversary party this weekend. See you there.
Jihoon tore up the letter and reached into his drawer for a lighter. He no longer smoked, but the lighter was still useful for other things. Jihoon watched the sheet of paper curl into ashes on his desk while he tried to process the information.
How was it possible that RD-1 didn’t exist anymore? If it had been shut down and ceased operations years ago, who was the man in the white coat from the weapons unveiling party? He had clearly stated that she was with RD-1. Jihoon pressed his fingers against his temples and frowned. It seemed like the Empire had more secrets than anyone could have anticipated. Everywhere Jihoon looked, he found inconsistencies and strange rumours.
But never any solid evidence. Why?
The door to Jihoon’s cabin opened with a bang.
“Sir? Permission to enter, sir?” Captain Kwon demanded, lifting his arm in a salute. His eyes were shining and there was a thin sheen of sweat on his forehead.
“Yes, Captain Kwon?”
“We’ve identified the man who stole the weapons, sir. The problem is… he’s already absconded.”
--------------------------------------------
The men stood stiffly to attention.
“Our culprit is Private Lee Chan of the 7th Squad, sir,” Captain Kwon explained, while Jihoon paced up and down the cramped barracks. The soldiers froze in terror at the sight of the Lieutenant Colonel in their humble sleeping quarters.
One bed was conspicuously messy and unmade.
“How did he escape?” Jihoon demanded.
“He loaded all the firearms into a military transport vehicle and drove it out of Military Base 1 at 6 am this morning. The security personnel suspected nothing because Private Chan often drove military vehicles in his line of duty, sir. We’ve told the gate security forces to keep an eye out if he comes back and hand him over to military police immediately-”
“He’s not coming back.”
Captain Kwon bit his lip. “Sir?”
Jihoon glared at his subordinate officer, making no effort to hide his irritation. “He’s not coming back, Captain Kwon. A Private made off with military-grade firearms that he plans to deliver straight to the rebels in an act of treason and you think he’s going to come back? Why? To face a court-martial and public execution? Don’t be foolish. He'll have gone underground by now.”
Captain Kwon swallowed. “Sorry, sir.”
"And I suppose none of you noticed the blood leaking out of those blankets?"
There was a dark red stain seeping out of the crumpled blankets on Private Lee Chan's bed. Jihoon stepped forward and tugged at it. A bundle of rags absolutely drenched in blood fell onto the floor along with a solid object. It was a small, metal device the size of Jihoon's fingernail.
"He cut his identification tag out of his arm and left it right here," Jihoon hissed. "This took you all morning?"
Captain Kwon only trembled.
Lieutenant Colonel Lee Jihoon took a deep breath and then frowned at the other soldiers standing in the barracks. They were all members of the 7th Squad. Men who had been forced to enlist because of the Empire’s ongoing war. Men who would much rather be anywhere but here. They were young and wet behind the ears, Jihoon observed.
But Private Chan could never have managed something so brave and reckless alone.
There were more.
Jihoon intended to find them.
“How many of you were close to Private Chan?” Jihoon demanded. He looked around at all of the men, but their heads were lowered. They were avoiding eye contact with him. Was it fear? Or defiance? Lieutenant Colonel Lee tried to scan their faces but it was hard to tell the difference.
“Are you going to answer me or do you all want to be handed over to the military police?”
One of the men spoke up. “He-he was friendly with all of us, sir.”
Jihoon narrowed his eyes at the soldier who had spoken. He was of average height but his rounded face and soft features revealed that he was just a boy.
“Your name?”
The boy saluted. “Private Boo Seungkwan, sir.”
“Private Boo. I saw your name on the duty roster. Weren’t you in charge of locking up Storage Unit 7B after firing practice yesterday evening? That means you were the last person to see the stolen firearms before Private Chan got his hands on them.”
Private Boo Seungkwan hesitated. He seemed to regret having spoken. “Y-yes sir. But Private Chan was on security duty at the Storage Units from 11pm to 5 am, sir. I clocked out at 10:59 pm after Private Chan came to relieve me from my post. I haven’t seen him since then, sir.”
“And what did you do afterwards, Private Boo?”
Seungkwan’s steady gaze faltered. “Sir?”
“What did you do after Private Chan relieved you from duty at the Storage Units? Did you come straight back to the barracks for a good night’s rest?” Jihoon asked calmly. He watched as Seungkwan nervously exchanged glances with some of the other soldiers. They seemed to be frowning at him.
“Uh, no sir.”
“You didn’t return to the barracks? What did you do, then?”
“I-I went to watch a film, sir. I returned to the barracks quite late,” Seungkwan admitted.
“And what film was this?”
Boo Seungkwan’s ears turned pink. “Vesta’s new film, sir. The Last Commander. I-I’m a fan of hers.”
“So if I understand the situation,” Lieutenant Colonel Lee Jihoon said slowly and dangerously, “you were the last person to see the firearms intact other than the culprit himself. You were also the only soldier who didn’t return to the barracks in time last night because you went to watch a film.”
Seungkwan swallowed. “Yes, sir.”
“Are you aware that enlisted soldiers aren’t allowed to leave official duty for personal reasons or entertainment, unless granted permission by a Commissioned Officer? Did you have permission to go watch this film last night, Private Boo?”
“No, sir.”
Jihoon had heard enough. He turned to Captain Kwon, who was watching the exchange nervously.
“Well then. We’re done here. The abscondee, Private Chan, is a traitor to the Empire and we have sufficient evidence in the form of his bloody identification tag that somehow nobody here noticed. Captain Kwon, please report the criminal to the military police immediately and have him declared an enemy of the state. They will send out an investigation team to locate him as well as the firearms, so the matter is out of our hands now.”
Captain Kwon nodded. “Yes, sir.”
“As for Private Boo…” Jihoon glanced at the younger soldier. Seungkwan was standing with his fists clenched and sweat beaded on his forehead despite his attempts to look relaxed. “Private Boo will face six months locked up in the disciplinary barracks for taking leave to watch a film without permission.”
Boo Seungkwan blinked. “Sir?”
“Captain Kwon, come see me in my cabin in an hour. The rest of you are dismissed. Go back to training.”
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Captain Kwon had always been punctual, so Jihoon was pleased to hear the young Captain's voice outside his cabin in exactly an hour.
“Sir. Captain Kwon here on your command, sir.”
Lieutenant Colonel Lee looked up calmly. His dark eyes focused on the young man who was saluting him from the doorway of his cabin. For a brief moment, Jihoon doubted himself. One wrong move could jeopardise everything. If Kwon Soonyoung was loyal to the Empire, then Jihoon’s entire career could be at risk.
But Lee Jihoon had reached his position in life and rank in the military by trusting his instincts.
He would simply have to trust them again.
“Enter, Captain Kwon.”
Soonyoung entered the cabin. Despite being a frequent visitor, he was once again momentarily flustered by the enormous statue of the Empire’s emblem. The golden rose was conspicuous. It took Soonyoung a few moments to refocus his soft eyes on the Lieutenant Colonel sitting at the desk in front of it.
“Sir.”
“Before we get down to business, Captain Kwon, do you have anything to say to me about the events of this morning?" Jihoon asked.
Soonyoung paused. The question was loaded. The Lieutenant Colonel did not make small talk; there was almost certainly a right and a wrong answer to this question.
"I should have supervised the Storage Units more closely, sir."
Jihoon did not blink. "Hmm. Anything else?"
“I request you to reconsider the severity of Private Boo's punishment,” Captain Kwon added. He tried to speak confidently, but Jihoon's sharp and piercing gaze was terrifying. “Sir, I think it’s rather excessive. None of the other privates have been sentenced to six months imprisonment in the disciplinary barracks just for watching a film while they were off-duty.”
“Close the door, Captain.”
Soonyoung's lower lip trembled. “Sir?”
“Close the door and take a seat.”
Kwon Soonyoung obeyed. His hands were trembling so he clasped them together tightly in his lap. Jihoon’s dark gaze and unsmiling face did not help his racing heartbeat.
“Do you really think,” Jihoon began slowly and carefully, “that I sentenced Private Boo because he went to watch a film?”
Soonyoung was silent.
“I sentenced him because we both know that he didn’t watch a film last night. He helped Private Chan load sixty firearms from Storage Unit 7B into a military transport vehicle and then aided his escape from Military Base 1 while you watched. You're many things, Captain Kwon, but you're not incompetent. I don't believe that a lowly Private managed to hoodwink you. The only explanation is that they did this with your help."
Soonyoung's face was turning red. "Sir, with all due respect-"
Jihoon cut him off sharply. "You and Private Boo are not the only members from a rebel organisation in my battalion. I know there are others. I’ve been waiting for one of you fools to out yourselves for a while now.”
Captain Kwon's fists clenched. To Jihoon’s satisfaction, the young man did not look scared anymore. A look of steely determination had crossed his childlike face. Kwon Soonyoung was not as innocent as he tried to appear.
“With all due respect, Lieutenant Colonel Lee, you can’t prove any part of what you just said,” Soonyoung said stiffly.
“I have no interest in proving it. Even the suspicion of being affiliated to a rebel organisation is enough to have you court-martialed and executed. But I don’t want to do that, Captain Kwon. You’re not much use to me dead. I have something far more interesting for you to do.”
Soonyoung was silent.
“I see you’re afraid to open your mouth in case you incriminate yourself. That’s all right. I’m not going to interrogate you about your organization. Frankly, I don’t give a flying fuck what the rebels get up to. What I need is someone to spy on Major General Jung. He’s the commander of the Internal Peacekeeping Forces and the second most powerful man in the Empire. I’m sure your people have their eyes on him. Tell me. How much would information about the Major General’s private dealings and conversations be worth to your organisation?”
Soonyoung was silent but his eyes glimmered.
“I’m going to help you and Private Boo get into Major General Jung’s house,” Jihoon continued. “I can also help you communicate whatever information you manage to find to your rebel organization. I only need one thing. Everything you find will be reported to me first.”
Kwon Soonyoung’s hands were shaking. His soft eyes wavered in indecision before he suddenly looked boldly up at the Lieutenant Colonel.
“What’s in it for you?” he demanded.
Jihoon raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”
“Why do you want us to do this? Clearly there’s some information that you want from Major General Jung. I need to know what your motivation is.”
“That is irrelevant.”
“I think it’s very relevant. You’re asking me to spy on the commanding officer of the Internal Peacekeeping Forces. If Private Boo and I get caught, then we die. Don’t we deserve to know why we’re putting ourselves at such a huge risk for you? What if you use this against me and my loved ones?”
Jihoon had assumed that Captain Kwon would be naive and easy to manipulate. Evidently that was not the case. The young officer was also brave. Jihoon leaned back in his chair, impressed. Soonyoung could handle entering the lion’s den. Jihoon had stumbled upon the right person for the task.
“Captain Kwon. I’m sure you’re familiar with the Empire’s emblem. The golden rose with thorns. What do you think it means?”
Soonyoung’s eyebrows furrowed. “What?”
“What do you think the emblem with a golden rose and thorns symbolises?”
“Uh…” Soonyoung looked at the enormous statue of the emblem behind the Lieutenant Colonel’s head. It was beautiful but there was no mistaking the thorns that lay underneath it. Soonyoung had never stopped to think about its meaning. “Um. I suppose it means that you should stop and think before you pluck the rose because the thorns will prick you?” he guessed doubtfully.
Jihoon nodded. “Interesting.”
“What does it mean?”
“I don’t know either,” Jihoon admitted. He sighed. “Let me put it this way, Captain Kwon. I’ve lost someone close to me. I need to know whether the Empire’s thorns merely failed to protect him, or whether they pricked him themselves.”
Soonyoung hesitated. He could see the pain behind Lieutenant Colonel Lee’s dark eyes. He had never imagined that such a high-ranking officer whom everyone feared could also be a victim of the Empire.
Then again, perhaps everyone was a victim of the Empire in some way.
Soonyoung took a deep breath. “I’ve lost people to the Empire too. My family back home struggled because of the new laws and all our land was taken away from us-”
Jihoon cut him off quickly. “I don’t care.”
Soonyoung blinked. “Oh.”
“I have no intention of exchanging childhood stories with you, Captain Kwon. I don’t want to be friends. I want information. Let’s talk about how you’re going to get it for me.”
---------------------------------------------------
A vast majority of the Empire's power resided in the hands of two men.
The military took pride in claiming that the Empire wasn’t an autocratic state like the destructive military dictatorships of the past. Instead, it had quickly created the concept of a high command. A pair of men who controlled the military, and as a result, the rest of the Empire.
Major-General Jung, commander of the Internal Peacekeeping Forces.
And Major-General Yang, commander of the Border Forces.
Together, these two men commanded the two primary functional divisions of the army. First, the Internal Peacekeeping Forces were tasked with ensuring the common folk obeyed the Empire's laws, while suppressing occasional violent rebel uprisings and keeping peace within the walls of the Empire.
Second, the Border Forces defended the Borders where the constant looming threat from the Invaders needed to be taken care of. The Borders was where the newly designed weapons and the bravest of soldiers were sent. Fighting at the Borders was no joke.
Every few weeks, fresh bodies were brought back from the Borders in caskets.
“I don’t understand your obsession with the Border Forces, Jihoon,” the Brigadier-General complained as he swallowed a large glass of wine. It was his anniversary party, and he hated talking about official business during celebrations. He wished Jihoon would relax and leave him alone. “Can’t we discuss this on Monday? It’s so dull to be talking about applications and transfers when one should be in a festive mood!”
Jihoon bowed his head. “I apologize, sir-”
“Have a glass of wine, eh? Here!”
“Yes-thank you, sir. I don’t mean to bother you. It’s just... I’ve heard rumours that the Borders are in need of more officers since the threat from the Invaders is steadily rising. The most recent exchange of hostilities at the Border four months ago left our forces crippled-”
The Brigadier-General's grey beard twitched in sympathy. “Ah, yes. Lieutenant Colonel Joshua Hong was one of the brave victims of that devastating attack. Your half-brother, correct? You’ve mentioned him before. My condolences.”
Jihoon clutched his wine. “Thank you, sir.”
“But you should know better than anyone how dangerous it is!” the Brigadier-General cried. “The Borders are treacherous and few return alive. The death toll increases with each passing month. There’s a reason the Empire limits the number of commanding officers we send there. One efficient attack by the Invaders is enough to wipe out entire battalions, and we can’t afford to lose too many at once.”
“I understand, sir, but-”
“We need brave officers like you here and alive, Jihoon. Internal peace and harmony is crucial for the efficiency of this war. The Internal Peacekeeping Forces are doing important work. Wars cannot be won unless the nation is unified from within.”
Jihoon pressed harder. “I’d rather fight at the Borders, sir. I don’t believe the Internal Peacekeeping Forces need me. Rebel uprisings will stop naturally once we can terminate the threat of the Invaders, and return the Empire to its former prosperity and glory.”
The Brigadier-General’s mouth twisted downward. “Do you believe that’s possible?”
“Isn’t it?”
“I don’t know,” the older man admitted grimly. He finished his entire glass of wine in one gulp and then patted Jihoon on the back in a friendly manner. His eyes were slightly unfocused due to the alcohol. “You have a lot of potential, Lieutenant Colonel. You’re a smart young man and I don’t want you to die yet. I’ll submit your application to go to the Borders, but you know the final authority on these matters is Major General Yang. All I can do is send your application onward.”
Jihoon nodded gratefully. At least it was a step in the right direction.
“Thank you, sir.”
“Now, are you done hounding me at my wedding anniversary party? Go get another drink, and find a pretty young lady to dance with! I can introduce you to a few if you’d like…”
Jihoon politely declined. He found a quiet corner to enjoy his glass of wine while the Brigadier-General left to greet his more important guests. The private anniversary party was smaller and humbler than some of the official military galas, but there were still a significant number of high-ranking officers and research officials present. Jihoon wished he was sociable enough to interact with them the way Joshua used to. But that had never been his style. He didn’t have many friends.
Jihoon wondered whether he should stay at the party until Vesta arrived, or leave since he had sufficiently interacted with the host. Jihoon didn’t have anything to say to Vesta. To be frank, he didn’t even enjoy her company. But there was a small and inexplicable comfort in talking to someone who missed Joshua just as much as he did, even if she had her own abrasive ways of handling her grief.
Perhaps it was too risky to keep meeting her.
Jihoon squeezed past the throng of guests and wondered how many more infernal parties and events like this he would have to attend before he found out the truth behind Joshua’s death. What dark secret was concealed in the midst of these studded military coats and sparkling wine glasses? What was so consequential that Lieutenant Colonel Joshua Hong had requested a transfer to the most dangerous, deadly division of the military in order to investigate it?
Jihoon had no idea how to find these answers.
He didn't even know where to look anymore.
Was this the end?
Would he never find out what had taken Joshua from him? Even if Jihoon’s application to transfer to the Border Forces was miraculously accepted, what would he do once he went there? He didn’t know what Joshua had been looking for, and it seemed that the man had confided his secrets in no one.
Yet, it seemed so surreal.
What had Joshua been trying to investigate by himself? Was it even possible that he had single-handedly unearthed some enormous conspiracy? With no outside help? Joshua had been secretive on occasion, yes, but Jihoon still couldn’t believe it. Perhaps Joshua had not told his lover because she had enough worries of her own. And perhaps he had even kept it a secret from his little brother to avoid putting him at risk. But surely he had confided in someone?
Someone?
Out of the corner of his eye, Jihoon saw the flash of a white coat.
It was him again; the same young scientist from the weapons unveiling party. His dark eyes had been watching Jihoon but he averted them the moment he realized he had been caught. Jihoon’s stomach clenched.
He had seen this scientist before. He had seen him multiple times, as a matter of fact, at almost every official celebration that took place in Military Base 1.
Why was this scientist always lingering around him?
The man turned to leave the room and Jihoon made an impulsive decision to follow him. He exited the Brigadier-General’s front hall and followed the man out of the penthouse apartment, and down multiple flights of stairs. The man kept glancing back at Jihoon but he wasn’t trying to get away.
In fact, he seemed to be leading Jihoon somewhere.
Jihoon followed the scientist onto the deserted street. He kept walking until he reached a small, cramped alleyway between two apartment buildings. Jihoon expected him to stop, but he kept going, kept walking and Jihoon began to doubt himself.
What was he doing? Why was he following a strange scientist into places that he didn’t know? There was a service pistol tucked into Jihoon's belt but he doubted that would be of much use if this man was leading him into some kind of a trap.
Finally, the man stopped and turned to face him.
“Lieutenant Colonel Lee Jihoon,” the scientist greeted calmly. His hands were clenched by his sides, and Jihoon could see his fists trembling.
“Who are you?” Jihoon demanded.
“My name is Junhui,” the man explained softly. “I used to be a researcher at Research Division 1. But that’s not important to you. The truth is…. I knew Lieutenant Colonel Joshua Hong. I was the last person to see him alive before he left for the Border.”
Jihoon felt numb.
—------------------------------------------
There was very little in the world that surprised Vesta.
It was late when she arrived at the Brigadier-General’s party, and even later by the time the infuriating old man would allow her to leave. She spent the entire evening smiling until her cheeks hurt and enduring the hungry gazes and wandering hands of the Brigadier-General’s friends.
When she returned to her car and saw Lee Jihoon sitting in the passenger seat, she did not blink an eye.
“I didn’t see you at the party,” she drawled, while lighting her cigarette. Jihoon looked pale. He had always been a handsome young man, but the haunted look Jihoon gave Vesta sent a chill down her spine for completely different reasons.
"Joshua was intercepting confidential documents from Major General Jung's personal office," Jihoon mumbled quietly.
Vesta blinked. It took her a few moments to process exactly what Jihoon was saying. Joshua? Stealing documents from the Major General? But Joshua had always seemed to like the Major General Jung. He had always been eager to gain the commander's admiration and even shared drinks with the older man multiple times after duty. Joshua had always been the one in charge of hauling the Major General's enormous drunken ass back home after parties…
Oh.
Oh.
So it had all been an act.
Vesta had occasionally wondered why Joshua was so eager to please the Major General, and why he hung around his superior officer despite the older man having the personality of a stinky wet rag…
Maybe she'd assumed that he did it in order to see her.
"What-what documents?" she asked hesitantly. "Did you find any of them? Where were they?"
Jihoon shook his head. "No. Someone told me."
"Someone?"
"This… this man came up to me. Junhui. A research scientist. He said he knew Joshua and that he was the last person to see him alive before he left for the Border," Jihoon explained.
"I've never heard of this name before. Junhui?" she demanded.
Jihoon bit his lip. "Yeah."
"Do you know who he is?"
"I'd never heard his name before today either," Jihoon admitted. His hands were clasped tightly in his lap. "But I had my suspicions, since he's been following me and trying to approach me for a while. He says that Joshua used to have drinks with the Major General and intercept his communications while the man was lying drunk in his office. He says… he says that Joshua made copies and hid some of the communications."
Vesta shook her head. "Hold on. Just stop for a moment. Who is this Junhui and how does he know so much about what Joshua was doing? Has Joshua ever mentioned him to you?"
Jihoon swallowed. "No."
"Joshua told me about you. And you said that he often talked about me. That's how you and I can trust each other. But he never told either of us about this Junhui. How can you trust him? Who the hell is he even?" Vesta demanded.
"He says Joshua saved his life."
Vesta blinked. "What?"
"When high command shut down Research Division 1 a decade ago because their human experimentation failed, they ordered for the subjects and the researchers to be killed. Junhui says Joshua was the military official on duty and saved Junhui's life by helping him escape and hide. He's been lurking around Military Base 1 in hiding and helping Joshua investigate the Empire ever since."
"Why would Joshua do that?"
Jihoon shrugged. "Because he's a good person?'
"It doesn't sound like something that can be explained away that simply. Are you telling me that this man is a fugitive?" Vesta demanded. Her eyes had gone wide in disbelief. "Are you telling me that the entire time we knew Joshua, he was harbouring a fugitive of the Empire? This man can't be sane. Why would Joshua risk everything to help some researcher hide?"
Jihoon's lower lip trembled. "But he knows so much about him."
"Like what?"
"Like everything," Jihoon replied. He took a deep and shaky breath. "Look. I'm confused too. I don't know what Joshua has been up to all these years-"
"Yeah, no shit-"
"But if there's even a hint of truth in what Junhui says, then we might find something. Listen. He says that Joshua used to steal confidential documents from Major General Jung's office. That means Joshua either took those documents or made copies."
"So? You didn't find anything in Joshua's belongings. And you searched his cabin yourself before they cleaned it out."
"Of course. Joshua would never risk getting caught with confidential documents in his possession. There's strict security outside the Major General's office. They check your uniform when you enter and again when you leave the office of any officer in high command. I know, because I went to Major General Jung's office many times to receive medals. They even check the linings of your coat."
"So how did Joshua get the documents out?"
"That's what I've been wondering. What if he didn't? What if he hid them right there in the Major General's office?"
Vesta stared at him.
"That's…"
"Something Joshua would do, right?"
"Yes," Vesta admitted hesitantly. Joshua had been clever at sneaking around and evading suspicion. Despite his seemingly trustworthy appearance, Joshua had been extremely cunning. The number of times he had managed to sneak Vesta into his personal quarters at the dead of night was evidence of his clever thinking. He would constantly come up with new and innovative ways to get her in without anybody noticing.
"We need to find those documents."
"How?"
"How else?" Jihoon asked grimly. There was no choice. "Through the only person on our side who has access to Major General Jung's office. Captain Kwon Soonyoung."
Vesta raised an eyebrow. "The Major-General's new personal security? I've seen him; I wondered if you planted him there. Is he loyal to you?"
Jihoon hesitated. "Not exactly. But he's not loyal to the Empire either. He's an undercover rebel."
Vesta leaned back and laughed. "Well, fuck. You do seem to find these strange people, Jihoon. Do you trust this Captain?"
"I have to. Will you help him?"
Vesta reached into her purse for some cigarettes and fumbled with the lighter before taking a deep breath and nodding.
"You're going to get me killed someday, Lee Jihoon."
-------------------------------------------------
Lieutenant Colonel Lee Jihoon paced the long corridor anxiously.
The Brigadier-General had sent for Jihoon to report to his cabin at once. Considering that the old man preferred to discuss even critically important military matters over alcohol and music, being summoned to the Brigadier-General's office in the middle of the day was highly unusual.
Jihoon wished he could be sure that it was good news.
The door to the office opened.
"Jihoon! Come in!"
Jihoon entered and promptly saluted the Brigadier-General. The senior officer had a much more luxurious and spacious cabin than Jihoon, but even the Brigadier-General could not be rid of the permanent fixture that was the Empire's conspicuous golden rose statue.
It glimmered brightly behind the Brigadier-General's wrinkled face.
"Sir, you called for me."
"I have some news for you, Lieutenant Colonel. It's about your transfer application to the Border Forces," the Brigadier-General began. He pulled out a pair of spindly glasses and squinted at the document on his desk.
Jihoon's heart leapt.
"Yes, sir?"
"It's been denied."
The disappointment on Jihoon's face was unconcealable. The Brigadier-General sighed and lowered his glasses with a frown.
"I'm sorry, Lieutenant Colonel. You should have been a prime candidate. Perhaps that incident with the stolen firearms influenced Major General Yang's decision. You can always re-apply in six months."
A sense of despair was beginning to take over Jihoon, and he didn’t know how to stop it from consuming him.
Was this it? Was this the end of the road?
He had been hoping that he would receive some information from Captain Kwon or Vesta, but they had nothing to report from their espionage of Major General Jung except news about the increasing rebel activity near the coasts. It appeared that either Major-General Jung had nothing to hide, or he was simply too good at hiding it.
And now the Border Forces were shut to him for another six months.
The Brigadier-General seemed sympathetic.
"Never mind the Border Forces, Jihoon. I have a much more important task that I need you to do for me. If you can pull it off, it will certainly erase any black mark on your record from that unfortunate firearms robbery."
Jihoon nodded, although he had lost interest.
"Of course, Brigadier-General."
"What do you know about the rebel uprisings near the coast?"
Jihoon knew plenty; but none of it was from official sources so he had to feign innocence. The coastal regions were the only fertile agricultural lands in the Empire. Combined with the abundance of seafood, they were a primary geographical source of food for the rest of the Empire. If the worst of the rebel uprisings infiltrated the coast, the Empire could be faced with a devastating famine that would impact even Military Base 1.
"Not much, sir."
"The coastal folk have been uncooperative for a while, but the situation is worsening. These are not soldiers; they're farmers and fishermen and they can be controlled. But we have reason to believe they might join forces with some of the more dangerous rebels."
Jihoon nodded. "I suppose the rebels could use the farmers and fishermen as an opportunity to incite some violence."
"I need you to go on a peacekeeping mission to the coastal region."
Jihoon visibly flinched. The last thing he wanted to do was go thousands of miles away from the heart of the military that his half-brother had died investigating, to shush some poor farmers.
"Brigadier-General, I am sure you don't need someone like me to control some farmers and fishermen. I'd really like to re-apply to the Border Forces-"
"You need to wait six months to reapply."
"But surely-"
The Brigadier-General had already turned away from him.
"You leave tomorrow."
----------------------------------------
#seventeen scenarios#woozi scenarios#seventeen angst#woozi x reader#seventeen x reader#woozi angst#seventeen fanfiction#seventeen imagines#dystopian!au
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𝓐ɳԃ Ɲσɯ ᗯҽ Ԩαʋҽ 𝜏ԋҽ Sɬσ𝜏ԋ Ꮢιɳց... 💤
-> This was arguably one of my more easier headcanons to come up with as a lot of the Ring's aesthetic, and its overall theme is inspired both by my favorite indie character/game, Albert Krueger from Dream Therapy With Dr. Albert Krueger.
-> Some of the inspo for this was also taken from fellow Tumblr user @gravcore and their design of Belphagor (who may be female in my headcanon going from her brief mention in Episode 8, Season 1):
-> For those who haven't played or seen the game, be sure to refer to that as I'll be referencing a lot of what happens in the game into this Ring.
-> Honestly, something about the main guy being a demonic dream doctor/therapist just works perfectly for Sloth's central themes with medicine and demons. Plus, the world's set in a futuristic-esque scene so it just fits like a glove.
Now, onto the usual world development...
·͙⁺˚*•̩̩͙★•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙⁺˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙⁺˚*•̩̩͙★•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙
┊ ┊ ┊ ┊
┊ ┊ ┊ ✧
┊ ┊ ✦
┊ ✧
✦
Sloth's Environment:
✧ Now, contrary to what I just stated above, there were a few minor difficulties in deciding how I wanted to world of the Sloth Ring to be laid out. For starters, I didn't want to reuse the cloud-like atmosphere I used in Lust cause that would just make it less unique to the environment.
✦ To counter this issue, I headcanon that the skyline and general atmosphere in Sloth is always dim and always patterned with stars and large, oval-shaped portals within the sky that look like planets from a far distance. The ground beneath the demons' feet in this Ring is entirely non-existent, being little more than a permanent pitch-black copy of the night sky on Earth.
✧ The Ring's color scheme will be directly similar to that of DTWAK in the aspect that it will be blue, light blue, hot pink, and magenta. I'd also accept things like light blue, deep blue and turquoise like the picture above as it reminds me of the Aurora Borealis which has its own dream-like feel to it. Despite the general time of day in Hell, it'll almost always resemble night in Sloth.
✦ As for the general layout of the Ring, I wanted to make it a technological dreamscape world with a semi-city-esque environment like some of the Envy and one of my other future Rings. Moreover, I believe Sloth would coincide with the whole deception theme that we've seen in Envy and Lust:
✧ Again, with reference from @gravcore, Sloth will essentially resemble a rather sleepy, but widespread environment, namely in the residential areas with bright, sparkly wires stringing from the buildings.
✧ In the notably more city-like areas, however, it'll establish just how heavily advanced in technology the Ring is. The notably tallest structures will be places like hospitals, shopping centers, cell-towers, companies, advanced arcades, and relaxation centers.
✦ Actually, now that I think about it, I'll be keeping the aspect from Vivzie's version of Sloth that the place has various floating islands & buildings in the environment that'll reside atop various microchip-ridden clouds that drift near the floating portals mentioned earlier. (Said portals only lead to various locations within the Ring itself, btw).
✧ I'm aware I gave the floating island idea to Envy as well, but that just goes along with Envy's propensity to steal ideas from other Rings.
✦ Moreover, the Sloth Ring in itself looks like a futuristic paradise where people don't need to move, grow, develop/change for the better, or utilize a great deal of effort in their day-to-day lives. The technology here is by far the most advanced in Hell, and the Ring is often praised for its frequent new developments in the general STEM field/Entertainment field.
✧ In terms of entertainment, it specializes in its constant creation of new apps, video games, phones, laptops, TV's, VR simulations, and all the good stuff people like to indulge in.
✦ In terms of medical STEM advancements, it's a wide and unashamedly mass producer of various drugs and narcotics unique to Hell that makes the masses happy/content. (Said drugs are referenced to the Joy drugs in "We Happy Few")
✧ Now, what all these hospitals, drugs, relaxation centers, and various technological devices being massed produced by Belphagor all have in common is that they function more as "Soul Suckers" much like the succubi in Lust. For instance:
★ Hospitals/Drugs = Soul Suckers -> Rather than helping sinners w/ physical or mental illnesses, they actively work to either numb the sinner via Belphagor's special "Happy Pills" or straps them in and allow their condition to worsen so their souls drain away while in the Hospital
☆ Screens = Soul Suckers -> They do the same thing, though with a person's laziness and procrastination that makes them ignore their own needs until they waste away from lack of regulation
★ Relaxation Centers -> You get the jist. They turn too much relaxation and exploit into soul-draining under the guise that you're "getting better" or "de-stressing"
✦ Now, for the sinners who get their souls sucked within any of Belphagor's establishments, they have a relatively decent chance of becoming one her Dream-eaters (DTWAK). It's not a paradise, though, as their minds and bodies are lost and they become devout drones until she "relieves them" of their duties. You'd have to go through some pretty tough shit in order to get actual Healthcare in Hell, well, in Sloth, anyway.
·͙⁺˚*•̩̩͙★•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙⁺˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙⁺˚*•̩̩͙★•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙
Sloth's Residents:
✧ To keep this from getting too long, here are our Hellborns/Sinners:
-> Dreamcatchers (@gravcore); Cyborg/Normal Candlehead Goat demons (I know that's Bephomet, pls just roll with it) [Hellborns]
-> Dream-eaters, Hell-born/Sinner cross-mutants, anyone else [Typical Sinners]
·͙⁺˚*•̩̩͙★•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙⁺˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙⁺˚*•̩̩͙★•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙
✦ Nothing much left to say about the residents except that they're fairly lazy due to their environment. Those who are cybernetic are fairly a little more energized and useful to Belphagor moresoe than those who aren't, ironically. For more about the Dreamcatchers, check the link above.
✧ The Sinners here are really anyone who wasn't mentioned as Hellborns, and are also closely associated with either the night or laziness. Their color schemes differ from the Ring and those from it.
✦ The High-class is really made up of whomever has or spreads enough laziness or leisure to affect the rest of Hell (i.e. Vox or highly successful pro-gamers or manufacturer). The "low-class" would essentially be those too lazy and unmotivated to even leave their houses, thus developing a rather sloppy, poor visage; Dream-eaters; and the Dreamcatchers (sry Mx. Creator) as they're seen as pests given how they like to affect dreams and (in my headcanon) feed off the dreams and, in turn, the souls when people are sleeping. No one knows how they keep getting into houses.
....
-> Also, can anyone please give notes if my headcanons don't make any sense? Please! The feedback is greatly appreciated 😊
#Sloth Ring#helluva boss critical#vivziepop critical#helluva boss critique#helluva boss criticism#hazbin hotel critical#helluva critical#helluva boss#hazbin hotel#hazbin hotel critique#Skye Blue's 7 Sins#helluva boss rewrite#rewrite#DTWAK
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"Close the window that hurts you, no matter how beautiful the view is."
Even when the view out there is beautiful.
The view could be a person, a place, a memory.
If it hurts, you need to close the window. Do not allow the light from the pain hurt you. You can change positions, location or anything to shut the light of pain out.
Create new memories. The old memories would try to filter in but it’s not permanent. They would go away when you replace them.
Be intentional about what and who you allow into your life. There is a huge difference in the outcome of your life when you are intentional about the details of your life. The food and drink you consume, the books you read, TV, music and movies, the friends you keep, the boundaries you create for yourself.
If you choose wisely, the quality of your life vastly improves.
If a person or place doesn’t make you happy, please move, you are not a tree.
Do not give attention to every dog that barks, and I simply mean giving time and attention to every thing that requires your attention.
Validate your choices, live your life to please yourself.
Whatever you do, close the window that hurts you.
Sahir Ludhianvi, Poet (1921-1980) wrote a song with same theme
Chalo Ek Baar Phir Se Lyrics Translation: Film: Gumraah (1963) Writer Sahir Ludhianvi, Poet (1921-1980)
Come, let us become strangers once again.
I shall no longer maintain hopes of compassion from you
Nor shall you gaze at me with your deceptive glances.
My heart shall no longer tremble when I speak,
Nor shall your glances reveal the secret of your torment.
Complications prevent you from advancing further,
I too am told that I wear disguises.
The disgraces of my past are now my companions,
while the shadows of bygone nights are with you too.
Should knowing one another become a disease, then it is best to forget it.
Should a relationship become a burden, then it is best to end it.
For that tale which cannot culminate in a conclusion,
it is best to give it a beautiful turn and leave it be.
Come, let us become strangers once again.
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all dressed up [ dmitri antonov ]
⋯ SUMMARY ; you’re invited to hop’s birthed celebration -- his first one since arriving back home from russia. and it marks the first occasion that your partner, dmitri, gets to see you all dressed up
⋯ PROMPT ; things that get me on my knees — that glance at your body with their eyes subtly widening, almost gulping as they take in your attire. fuck.
⋯ WARNINGS ; female!reader, established relationship, slight sexual themes [ flirting, mentions of 'bedroom eyes', dmitri unable to keep his hands to himself ] + mature language
dmitri remembers you leaving early that morning. pressing a soft kiss to his forehead, then lips before muttering a quiet goodbye and promise to see him later.
he had simply hummed in response, eyes not even peeking open to gaze up at you for a brief moment -- opting instead to fall back into a restless slumber for another couple of hours. only to awake a quarter passed eleven with wild eyes and a few russian curses under his breath.
he dresses in a hurry, not really caring about his appearance as this is nothing more than a simple event -- that event being jim's birthday celebration. dmitri remembered how joyce and his daughter had insisted on celebrating it now that he was back home and how moved forward with the plans to do so even as he had told them there was no need.
you had offered to pitch in where you could, having gone out of your way to have a special cake ordered to mark the celebration and given the time, dmitri could presume that your early departure meant going to pick up your part of the party planning.
that left dmitri to his own devices, and the agreed upon method of travel after you had double checked that he'd be alright to drive the short distance to the house joyce and hop were currently staying while things were being decided. he had assured you that he would, considering driving in the us was no different than russian, save for there being no snow and checkpoints to hold up his travel.
so, upon finishing dressing, he grabbed the keys from the hook at the front door before traveling out to the garage where you kept the second vehicle you procured after dmitri had come to stay with you permanently. it wasn't super nice car by any means -- you had picked it up from an older resident in town who didn't have the means to leave the house anymore and it was cheap.
the drive to the byers-hopper residence wasn't far, almost a straight shot from your home to include a couple of turns. and given the amount of times you and dmitri had visited, he knew the way like the back of his own hand.
“dmitri! glad to see you could make it.” comes joyce’s excited voice as she practically throws open the door to welcome the former guard into her home. her face scrunching up in slight annoyance as a loud round of excited exclamations sound from further inside the house, “sorry, it’s been awhile since they’ve all been able to see each other.”
only dmitri shakes his head at her apology, “don’t worry. it is good to hear.” he states, stepping into the house and discarding his shoes and jacket to the nearest holder.
his eyes peer around the space, smiling softly as he spots the group of teenagers huddled together and chatting happily, a small group of what dmitri could only assume to be some of the children's parents -- yet, there was no sign of you anywhere in the house.
however, as he opens his mouth to ask, joyce quickly cuts him off with a soft smile, “she’s in the kitchen.” then leaves him to his own devices and moves back towards the dining room to make sure the kids are behaving themselves.
dmitri cracks a smile in response, watching joyce leave before moving off to where you are located. he gives a small wave to hopper, who sits comfortably in his recliner with a beer already in hand. he'd make a note to speak with him later, as for now, his sights were set on finding you.
and he did. finding you slightly bent over a large chocolate cake, elbows planted atop the counter as your hands steadily piped a light blue frosting decoration along the top of the smooth cake top.
you catch him out of the corner of your eye, momentarily stopping your task to shoot him a bright smile, "hey, baby. glad to see you made it alright."
dmitri opens his mouth to respond back, only the words die on the tip of his tongue as he finally takes you in for the first time that day. you're wearing a sundress, one he hadn't seen you in before today, and in a color that seemed to make you glow.
at his disfunction, you cast a concerned glance his direction. until you catch his not so obvious reaction -- his eyes glancing down the length of your form, widening in the slightest before he gulps harshly.
"w-when did you get this?" dmitri mutters, taking a step forward to brush his fingers along the fabric of your dress. you're stunned for a moment, having seen his reaction before smiling softly and looking down at the dress in question, "i got it a little while back, just hadn't found the right time to where it is all. do you like it?"
"do i - ? fuck, i love it." dmitri mutters, stepping forward again but this time to wrap his arms around your waist. pulling you in for a deep kiss. hands roam along your back and sides, just barely scraping above where one could deem inappropriate as he slips his tongue into your mouth.
there's a warm feeling that spreads throughout his chest at your responsive moan, before you reel back and pat him softly on the chest, "i need to finish the cake. that - that is something for later." you state breathlessly, cheeks already burning as you glance into the main part of the house to see if anyone happened to catch a glimpse of what had just taken place.
dmitri chuckles at your expression, eyes already starting to gleam with mischief as his raises his hands up in surrender, "just letting you know how i feel about your dress, любимая." he pauses for a moment, before smiling even brighter with his eyes mirroring a similar type of lust you've seen before in more intimate moments, "and definitely something for later."
he places a final kiss to your lips, before smoothly exiting the kitchen to leave you to finishing your task -- only to leave you rather flustered and almost eager to get through this party celebration as quickly as possible.
blog navigation ⇢ [ stranger things masterlist ]
#stranger things#stranger things x reader#stranger things imagine#dmitri antonov#dmitri antonov x reader#dmitri antonov imagine#female!reader#twistnet#twistnet works 2023
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if you are interested: animatronic submas; in an abandoned railway-themed amusement park; considered cursed or inhabited by evil spirits; with a series of still unsolved murders. Reader - afab? - possibly a former employee the submas were madly obsessed with; returned to visit it for halloween. if you want to make it really macabre ... maybe with Reader transplanted into the body of an animatronic that the submas have been preparing especially for her for years? if you don't want, that's ok too
Return of evil robot men and some of my horror writing lmao
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cw: basically yandere, horror, reader dies, she/her reader, robot au
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It had been around two years since you had worked at the theme park.
Your job had begun at the near-end of the park's life, having been dealing with bleeding money from seemingly endless lawsuits which made park repairs harder, which led to more lawsuits. It was not a bad job when you considered it. You had been a ride attendant for a subway themed area which featured animatronic conductors who spoke and took care of the riders. You just took the pay and made sure they met the ride criteria. Occasionally, you would shift to clean the area you monitored or filled in for another ride. The conductors, two identical bots, often followed you around wherever you went. You assumed it was to watch you for management to be assured you were doing your job.
They were a bit creepy then. In their best quality, their silver eyes shined through the darkness, which sparked imagery of light catching an animal's eyes. They lacked an ability to properly express, so one was permanently stuck with a grin and the other with a frown. You shivered at their uncanny effect upon your mind. The job was nice, but the robots were creepy. Perhaps the scenery was also aiding in how ominous the bots appeared. Everything was just past date with a hint of mould, rot, or rust to leave you with a knowledge of age. The office area appeared more familiar to grandparent's home rather than a modern administrative area.
When the place closed, and you were let go, you were still sad to see it go, however. It may have been antiquated, but there was a certain charm to it all. As you packed up your stuff to leave for the last time in the break room, you heard the sound of robotic joints working to move as the twin conductor bots entered. The smiling one, Emmet, and the frowning one, Ingo, gazed at you with empty eyes. Their frozen expressions sent a chill down your spine.
“Oh, yes, I suppose you both deserve a goodbye, huh?” you tried to lighten the mood for yourself. The bots continued to keep eye contact with you without a word. A nervous laugh escaped your throat. Ingo took a careful step toward you.
“… Is the park truly closing?” his generated voice almost sounded human.
“Yep,” you told him, “Today's my last day, so this is likely the last time we'll ever see each other again.” For a moment, you swore Emmet's frozen face fell into a frown. Nothing truly had happened, though. You were simply panicked.
“I see…” he gave something akin to a sigh despite his lack of breathing capabilities, “May we walk you out? We are co-workers, are we not?”
“Ah, no need for that!” you shook your head, “I'm going to miss my ride if I don't go now. Sorry, bye!”
Why had you been so afraid? You knew they were simply just following their programming.
~
You now stood outside the decrepit park, with the chilled winds blowing your coat in its path. Leaves swirled around you. The nature around seemed as dead as the park. Halloween had arrived, and you felt inspired to visit your old place of employment for a thrill. It had become a popular spot for teenagers who wanted to engage in urban exploration to pop into. Many rumours came from the location now. Stories about missing people never returning after venturing in, ghosts of people who apparently died on the attractions appearing to those who trespass, and two robots who attempted to kill anyone who entered the park without proper authorisation.
The last part stung a bit. You figured they would leave the twin bots behind, but it hurt to have it confirmed. They may have made you uncomfortable, but repurposing them was honestly the best thing to do. Shaking your head at the concern for man-made products, you crawled through the open window with ease. Glass cracked under your feet as you stood in the old office again. You expected a mess, but it seemed orderly. Almost like someone had been taking proper care of it. The desk and its chair were pushed together. The desktop, while absolutely unusable, sat as you remembered it as the owner had it. Some graffiti was on the wall, while others had apparently been attempted to be scrubbed away.
Not really scary, just unsettling.
Your walk began from the office into the central courtyard area. It had been previously alight with neon lights and streetlamps, but now found itself in a seemingly endless darkness. You shuddered at the sight. It was never this dark even after close when it was still open. Clicking on your flashlight, you took in the state of the greenery. Ivy grew wildly over anything and everything it could, weeds popped up between any gap in the concrete, and leaves were left to rot on the ground in a never-ending cycle. Broken glass laid about from where it had been smashed for whatever variety of reasons. It was eerie and depressing to see the park like this.
Wandering around, you attempted to visit all the locations that had been places you worked at previously or enjoyed. The break room was empty, yet the fridge was still running. Its low hum breaking the endless silence of the park for but a moment. You stepped closer to it and swung the door open to reveal what the appliance held. A perfectly normal chocolate cake sat inside. You almost giggled at the icing heart drawn on it and the 'I love you' scrawled inside. Who had done this? What a weird bit to commit to. Looking around, you tried to spy a camera anywhere. None were to be seen, however. Maybe it was for a prank that had yet to be initiated yet. Either way, you shut the fridge.
Next, you visited the fun house area. It was always fun to get lost in there and claim you were helping a lost child. You wandered around the mirror maze in wonder. It turned out it was much harder in the dark. You hated the reflection of your flashlight in the mirrors. Occasionally, it would shine back as what almost appeared to be like eyes peering in. It was irrational. When you managed to get out, you hated to admit how dizzy you felt.
Afterwards you visited your favourite food stand, the teacup ride, and then where the Ferris wheel had been. You felt pretty thoroughly creeped out from everything, but knew there was one last place remaining in the park for you to visit before you left.
You felt a chill as you entered the underground area of the subway attraction. Mildew and stagnant air burned your nostrils as you entered the location. It was not as bad as much of the other places, admittedly. Perhaps no one wanted to enter, but there had been barely any vandalism upon it. The train sat parked at the platform. You giggled as you stepped inside.
Then the door slid shut behind you and the lights flickered on. A few did not work or suffered from dimness, but most shined bright white light directly onto your sensitive eyes. Shocked and horrified, you sat down on the plastic seat in an attempt to steady yourself. Someone had to be here and turned this on. Who? You suddenly felt scared for your life. The PA system clicked on and gave staticky feedback for a moment before a familiar voice spoke over it. “Current route to station three estimated to take around five minutes to arrive,” Ingo's voice was a bit weakened and less clear from lack of maintenance, “Welcome back, dearest. We missed you.”
“What?” you said out loud. His first sentence was his normal dialogue for the train, but the second one made no sense. Your fear spiked even higher as the train moved steadily along to the next station. It would bring you back to the centre of the park and closer to an employee tunnel that held a few storerooms. You readied yourself for whatever waited ahead and made plans to make a run for it if you could. The train slowed down for a stop at the station as you saw them both waiting for you. Their clothes were tattered and shoddily patched. Ominous metallic eyes luminesced as the doors slid open with a screech that hurt your ear.
You carefully stepped out and gazed at the twin bots carefully. Emmet's grin remained bright despite the year, but Ingo's frown was caught in an awkward shape and gave the illusion of a smile. They held out opposite arms and welcome you in unison, “Welcome back!” You gave them a strange look. Maybe… Maybe, they just missed you. It must have been lonely for them here. The bots did contain highly intelligent AI. Some would even say they were sentient.
“Ah, you scared me,” you tried to be slightly honest, “… It's nice to see you both again.” Emmet let out a giggle and took long strides over to you. His arms wrapped around you and pressed your body to his frigid form. Barely any heat came from him due to the cooling needed to keep his systems running. Ingo moved after him.
“Heehee, we have been waiting,” the smiling bot whispered, “We loved you. We knew you would return. You love us, right?” Suddenly, you remembered the situation you were in and tensed up. What did he mean? Ingo had stated it before. Love? Could they even process such a thing? Maybe it was a sense of dedication and worry about you as a co-worker that had been twisted from lack of care to their processes. You tried to escape Emmet's hold.
“Why are you afraid?” Ingo's voice called out, “… Emmet and I have been so lonely… We would do no harm to you. You are not like the other intruders.” You froze. Everything they said made your anxiety get to levels that left your mind reeling and demanding you escape the park. Emmet's embrace only tightened.
“We have a gift,” the bot cooed, “Brother and I worked verrrrry hard on it!”
“Ah, Emmet, it's supposed to be a surprise, you know,” Ingo scolded him and pressed a hand to your shoulder.
Your position was shifted to be wedged in between them as they guided you into the employee tunnel. The sickening air was thick and dusty as they took you deeper and deeper into the pitch-black tunnels. Your flashlight was forced from you and left near the train. Their eyes were the only lights that broke the horrifying darkness. Double metal doors were forced open to reveal a dimly lit room. Inside was a replica of your body in an android form. Worst of all was how it opened.
What were they going to do. Ingo moved away to shut the doors, while Emmet remained glued to your side.
“Tada!” he beamed at you, “Do you like it? We're going to make you like us.” There was no holding back the scream that escaped your lips and the tears that fell from your eyes. No! This was a bad joke! It had to be. These bots were incapable of this. It was simply illogical.
You should not have come here.
This rancid place should have simply remained a location within your memories.
“… Brother, she's afraid,” Emmet's smile fell as he turned to Ingo.
“A perfectly normal reaction, Emmet,” Ingo explained, “Dearest… Please don't be afraid. We will be happy together; we have loved you since we first saw you. When you helped with our ride or messed around… You spoke to us like people.”
You swallowed. It hurt. Thoughts rushed in and out of your mind at horrible speeds. How? Why? People were kind to them before you. Why you? You had not done anything wrong. Both began to lead you to your horrifying replica and soon-to-be tomb if you did not escape. Their grips were too strong, completely inhuman strength from their body. You did not want this! Why would they not listen to you?
“Please,” you cried, “Stop! I don't want this! I don't love you!”
The grip on your arms became like a boa's constriction. Blood flow was narrowly possible, and your fingertips tingled from the loss. Emmet began to giggle while Ingo sighed.
“I understand you're afraid,” Ingo's voice was soft, “Changes like this always are, but we cannot bear separation any longer.”
You were forced into the horrifying contraption.
Then…
It closed.
A single shriek echoed out and dribbled into pure silence.
~
~
~
~
A lighter ending:
You sighed at the bots as they stared at you with pleading eyes. Well… It was your last day working here.
“Fine,” you gave into Ingo's request, “You can walk me out.” Both seemed relieved about it. They each walked at your sides as you headed to the park exit. The sun had already set, and the park had closed for the day. Not its last, but its soon-to-be one. Not much was said, as the bots often proved bad conversers. Well, occasionally Ingo gave you a good one, but getting Emmet to talk was a miracle in and of itself. Soon you arrived at the gates, where you caught the owner heading out himself. He gazed at you and the bots for a moment in distant curiosity.
“Say… You know, I have no idea what to do with those two,” he explained, “Would you like them? I'm sure you've seen, they have a variety of functions and uses.” You pondered his words for a moment. Was he being serious? It was a tempting offer, honestly. No matter how creepy they were, you supposed company was company. The twin bots stared at you with eyes that held desperation in them.
“If you're being genuine, then yeah,” you nodded, “I'd take them.”
“Go ahead, then,” he motioned to the exit, “I hope you enjoy them. They're pretty outdated, honestly.”
You shrugged.
Free robots were free robots.
#ingo x reader#emmet x reader#yandere pokemon x reader#yandere x reader#ingo/reader#emmet/reader#yandere#yanstuff#robot au
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in a prev post you said "yun sol keeps her gay media under lock and key" can you talk about that more
thank you so much for these!! and thanks for your patience as well waiting for me to respond. n.n let's see, what more can i say about yunsol's gay stash as it were.
so as a brief overview: yunsol comes from a sort of… traditional, conservative family. so she has not come out to them yet, in fear of them rejecting her. as a result, she started a "stash" of things when she was a preteen, and has been adding it since. some things get taken out and used or given away, and some things stay and are more permanent parts of the stash. she moves the location of her stash every so often, to ensure it stays hidden and unknown. so without further ado:
♡ yunsol seong's sapphic hoard ♡
valentine's day themed cards and stationery, decorations, collectibles, food, and drinks. yunsol loves valentine's day--the concept and aesthetic of it, and she daydreams about sharing a valentine's day with a long-term partner, which she has not done yet. some items she keeps in her stash because she wants to gift them to said partner someday.
manhwas & mangas centered around sapphic romance... the good and the bad. she's desperate for content. she doesn't have a lot of physical copies of these, but she cherishes what she has. she often buys them brand new, since they are hard to find.
literature, aka used books with cracked spines and dogeared pages bought from thrift stores or markets, including 'annie on my mind' by nancy garden, 'the price of salt/carol' by patricia highsmith, 'carmilla' by j. sheridan le fanu, 'and playing the role of herself' by k.e. lane, 'tipping the velvet' by sarah waters, the list goes on. she's building quite the library.
movies, thrifted like her book collection, including 'but i'm a cheerleader', 'desert hearts', 'bound', 'saving face', 'better than chocolate', and the honorary 'legally blonde' and '10 things i hate about you' because of elle woods and kat stratford and no one else.
cut-out articles, magazines, art by queer artists, photos of her celebrity crushes... her real celebrity crushes no one knows about.
remnants and articles from dates she's been on; unused napkins from restaurants or cafes, bookmarks from book stores, movie tickets, lipstick swatches, plastic jewelry from vending machines, heart shaped chocolate and gift boxes, photo booth pictures, old love letters and notes passed in classes, etc.
her diary, which is full of the most sumptuous Tea and is her most gayest possession period.
that about sums it up for now. i hope this answer was satisfactory, dear anon 💕 until next time!
#pdasks#oc: yunsol seong#f: tmnt 2k3#꒰ btw: what a time to be posting this! happy v-day everyone! ♡♡♡ ꒱
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RPG Role Analysis Series #8 - Paper Mario vol.I
Paper Mario is a simple JRPG, not meant to be very challenging, but it's really fun! One of the first, more casual RPGs I played as a kid, like Pokemon, that started my love for them.
The primary hitch in Paper Mario 64's combat is whether or not your attacks can deal with spiked enemies or flying enemies. Their lineup sometimes matters as well. Mario can do it all, as well as use items and Star Powers, and is always the leader of a battle party of two, but doesn't map to a traditional RPG class very naturally, as everything is Mario-themed, and he's so much more powerful than any party member.
Party members other than Mario aren't meant to be as strong as him or have synergy with each other (more of a support/bonus action, and only have access to 4 actions, but they do feel distinct.
Goombario - Goombario has access to Tattle, which gives you a description of the enemy, their stats, and permanent access to that enemy type's health bar. That's his main function, to have that ability you see in many RPGs which takes a turn, but fills your bestiary/log. The strategist/scholar/analyst. He can do it for your location out of battle too, giving a similar function to Party Chat in the Dragon Quest games which feature it. While the in-battle logs are always optional, this character type tends to do combat less than other party members, as they're always losing a turn against new enemies, if you engage with the mechanic. Other than that, Goombario can Headbonk, which can hit flying enemies, but has no options to hit spiked enemies, and can Multibonk, which can one attack one enemy forever if you keep hitting the inputs. Charge is a stackable boost to the next attack only, which pairs well with Multibonk if you want to limit the number of times you need to hit one enemy. So, even his attacks are patient and prepared, Charge for a Multibonk and knock out a single target, and provide intel when you can.
Kooper - Kooper can only hit enemies on the ground, but doesn't have to worry about spikes, so can't accidentally hurt himself on an attack like the others. The lack of aerial ability makes sense for a turtle, but the fact that he's never in danger of taking spike retaliation damage is a nice synergy for a shell-armoured character as well. Shell Toss and Power Shell just offer the choice of hitting only the enemy in front, or all of them at once, so without spending FP its interesting that his single-target damage is limited to the frontline, bashing his way through the enemy party in the most straightforward way. Dizzy Shell also hits all grounded enemies, and dazes them (no damage), making them lose turns (but interesting can't hit flying enemies, which are more affected by dazing), and Fire Shell is like a stronger Power Shell, except that the fire element is sometimes relevant. Kooper is a battering ram, if anything, but has a status-dealing option to take enemies out of the fight temporarily, and can hit faraway switches and collect items outside of battle, mush like Link's boomerangs in The Legend of Zelda.
Bombette - Bombette's basic attack Body Slam just hits the grounded enemy in the front of their line, and so does Bomb, but stronger. Power Bomb hits all grounded enemies with a strong attack, and Mega Bomb hits all enemies of any kind with a strong attack. Bombette's move progression is extremely simple (even the naming convention suggests as much, just scaling damage and number of targets depending on how much FP you want to spend. This is the first party member you get who can hit any kind of enemy, and without risk to herself (exploding doesn't hurt her, and she never encounters spikes), but that last attack isn't available until later in the game, making her not much different from Kooper for much of it. Still, I think of her a lot like a damage-dealing mage, it's just are you casting Agi or Maragi (to borrow Shin Megami Tensei terms for single and multi-target fire spells). On the overworld, she can blow up cracked walls, also making it seem like Links' items (the bombs) were a reference point for her and Kooper's utilities.
Parakarry - Parakarry's first two moves, Sky Dive and Shell Shot, both can hit an enemy anywhere, though you need to spend the extra FP for Shell Shot to avoid taking damage from spiked enemies. Air Lift allows him to remove an enemy from battle, carrying them away, but since he has to touch them, it doesn't work on enemies with spikes or flames. Air Raid is like a Shell Shot that hits everyone. Parrakarry's first three abilities, because a real barrier to Paper Mario's combat is target selection, his flight makes him a perfect sniper, able to pick off any enemy, even without risk of hurting himself, early. The last one throws it off a bit, because while multi-target attacks are a common reward in this game for party member's higher rank abilities, Air Raid is also cheaper than Bombette's Mega Bomb by 2 FP, and doing only 1 less damage, so that's pretty efficient. For most of the game though, he's a single-target sniper, and can carry you over longer gaps in the overworld.
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Never Let Me Go
Well, that was certainly a show! This one lost me along the way, but there were definitely things I liked. The first half of the show, before the beach getaway, was compelling if not perfect. I was interested in the characters and I thought the set up of the relationship dynamics was promising. The early love square between the four main characters had a lot of potential. Nueng and Palm had decent chemistry and I thought they performed their kisses pretty well. I was intrigued by Chopper’s character and his family dilemma. And there was some very nice cinematography, including the final beach sequence in the last episode. That was gorgeous.
That said, I feel like built in goodwill for these actors must have carried the fandom because most of that early promise was squandered and so much about this show just didn’t work. I also just realized that this was written and directed by JoJo, who also created The Warp Effect, one of my recent favs, and I am sitting with that because what a contrast not just in tone and themes but in assuredness of storytelling.
I probably have half a dozen different rants in me about where this show went wrong, but I’m sure no one wants to read that and I’m really just talking to myself here so I’ll keep it brief (hateration below the cut, enter at your own risk!):
Nueng is among the worst romance leads I have encountered in bl and nothing that happened over the course of the show moved my poor opinion of him. He was selfish and cowardly and thoughtless for most of the story and none of the facile attempts in the back half to demonstrate that he had matured worked for me at all. Putting him in a suit doesn’t make him a man and making the actor cry a lot doesn’t make me forget how awful he was to Palm.
Which brings me to the next major issue: Palm’s loyalty to Nueng despite all this had no meaningful basis. They barely knew each other, Nueng was mostly awful to him until they got to the beach and then again after they left it, and Palm had a whole life before he was forced to be his servant that we never really learned anything about. We never got any sense of who Palm was or why he loved Nueng. Maybe Nueng was the first boy who ever liked him? Maybe Palm was lonely and isolated and yearning and so he latched on to Nueng like a baby duck? I wouldn’t know because the show didn’t bother to tell me. At no point did Palm react like an actual human being to any of the awful things Nueng did. This kid treated him like shit, let him take his beatings and punishments, got his mom killed, drugged and abandoned him - and Palm just serenely smiled through it all (and got his name permanently tattooed on his body!!). One thing I’ll say for KinnPorsche is it actually showed the journey from Porsche resisting to accepting his role and gave me a reason to believe he would develop feelings for Kinn despite their rocky start. That didn’t happen here, they were just suddenly in love because the script demanded it.
The beach trip was a huge narrative misstep that sucked all the tension out of the show and basically torpedoed the plot. Yes, a lot of the scenes were cute, but they were not supposed to be on a lover’s getaway! Nueng was literally on the run from an assassin that already got both his parents, he’s supposed to to think his beloved mother is on her deathbed, he’s supposed to be terrified. Instead we got him relaxing at a beach resort, frolicking with Palm, declaring himself the happiest he’s ever been, and then blithely giving away their location without a thought so he could play hero only to lead the assassin right to them and get Palm’s mom killed anyway. Those episodes should have been more of a tense action thriller segment (and there still could have been romance built into that, and probably a more compelling one). The choice to make them a typical lighthearted bl beach trip was baffling.
If the romance worked better I might have overlooked that the plot is absurd on its face and falls apart at the gentlest prodding. I laughed out loud when Nueng just suddenly went back home and hired real bodyguards, which showed how thin the plot pretext had been all along. And now he’s a high school student/conglomerate CEO? Sure.
Why was this even set in high school to begin with? It would have made A LOT more sense with adult characters and then maybe they could have kept the tone more consistent. As it was it kept swinging wildly between being an adult mafia-adjacent drama and a teen romance and it never found a way to reconcile those two lanes.
Perth was easily the best actor in this cast but so underutilized while the mains were fundamentally miscast IMO. This show did not play to their strengths. There were a couple scenes where I actually cringed in sympathy at their attempts to perform the dramatic script. Please give them a slapstick comedy instead GMMTV (they would do well in a show like The Warp Effect!).
I’m just being petty now but what was UP with the music supervision on this show. Why did they play a random country song over their bed scene? And then Monsoons which has already been used in another bl drama and has such an opposite sonic vibe?? The music choices were often distracting instead of enhancing the story.
#n*ver let me go#thai bl#whoops i ranted anyway#don’t come for me if you like this show i respect you and your choices#i hope to see perth in other shows he was very good here despite limited screen time#shan shouts into the void
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ok time for that first deep dive let's goooooo
As was pointed out to me (via a random tumblr post), Nanashi's and Flynn's afterlives are dramatically different. Interestingly, SMT IV & SMT IV: Apocalypse are the only SMT games (as far as I'm aware) where you CAN be brought back from the dead. Nanashi's revival is for plot reasons, whereas Flynn's are just a helpful mechanic.
First (because I'm biased), let's look at Nanashi's:
[NOTE: This is BEFORE accepting Dagda's deal.]
First off, THE AESTHETICS.
Nanashi's afterlife is a strange limbo that follows a single track, reminiscent of a train track. This track carries him down into a literal subway terminal (as emphasized by the location being called "Yomotsu Hirasaka - Terminal"), wherein Nanashi encounters Dagda.
Yomotsu Hirasaka (mythology-wise) is a slope that descends into the underworld. Think of it as a passage INTO the underworld. Nanashi has not passed on, and is one of a few stray souls caught in this beeline to whatever lies beyond; talking to a few of the other spirits here, they express remorse or refer to themselves (and Nanashi) as "lost."
I'd posit that Nanashi is in this limbo because he, too, is reluctant to move on. In all fairness, he lost his life trying to protect his sister, who now has to fend for herself against a horde of demons. It makes sense that Nanashi would keep himself here, rather than continuing onto whatever lies beyond.
More interesting is the fact that Dagda lurks around Yomotsu Hirasaka's terminal; he even calls out to Nanashi specifically. I like to think that Dagda literally just waits there for a soul willing to accept his (terrible) deal, and with Nanashi, he hit the jackpot. What else is Nanashi gonna do, cling onto his morals and leave?? He's in the worst possible bind, caught between being a demon's unwilling puppet and y'know, WANTING HIS SISTER TO LIVE.
Okay, onto Flynn-
Interestingly, Flynn also marches past a vast number of souls to reach his ultimate destination -- the River Styx. Even more intriguing is what Charon, the ferryman, has to say about what awaits on the other side.
Take note of that: reincarnation. Flynn's fate in the afterworld would be pure nothingness while he waits reincarnation, a theme that is prevalent between IV and IV:A. Flynn and Nanashi themselves are reincarnated souls as-is -- Flynn is the man who sacrificed himself to protect Tokyo, whereas Nanashi was a hunter (Akira) who tried to find a middle ground where those in Tokyo and Mikado could co-exist.
Now, considering that Flynn's post-mortem destiny involves another reincarnation, why doesn't Nanashi's? His version of the afterlife seems final, permanent. It's a stopping point just before you reach your conclusion. Flynn is able to come back, but unless Nanashi sides with Dagda, he isn't.
It's just such an interesting discrepancy, moreso because the souls Flynn passes on his way to Charon vastly outnumber those in Yomotsu Hirasaka. From this, it's safe to say (IMO) that Yomotsu Hirasaka is limbo leading to a permanent conclusion, but the River Styx is a hopeful road to another life, nothingness aside. Nanashi would have ceased to exist, but Flynn might have come out on the other side (provided that Charon did his damn job).
TL;DR: Nanashi is not given a chance to live, or even reincarnate, unless he makes a deal with Dagda. Flynn is offered a chance to revive in exchange for money, but if he travels the River Styx, he would be able to reincarnate. Flynn is life, Nanashi is death. It's just so fascinating to think about.
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Happy WBW!
Does your world have its own equivalent of “The Seven Wonders”? What are some of the most iconic places to visit?
~ @tabswrites
Hi Tess, happy WBW💜
We don't have the tourism developed to this extent during the Days of Dusk times, however, we've got plenty of some incredible locations. Just, not all of them are accessible to us mere mortals.
The Chambers of Gold - it's the seat of the Council of Twelve, the highest instance of court that can pass judgement in the Sun King's stead. It's a remote complex, located high up in the mountains. Tall walls embrace three towers, the middle one crowned with a glass dome that shines brilliantly in the sunlight. Inside this tower, you'll find the audience chamber, with steps ahead of the entrance leading to the empty throne reserved for the King, and a gallery extending to either side of it, with seats for the council members hidden behind gilded wooden openwork. In the floor, there's the council's symbol inlaid in stone - a blank open book against the golden face of the sun. The most remarkable thing is that the walls are made of uniform stone, with no mortar to bind them.
(And yes, the court can be accessed only by those with means to travel into the mountains - that's definitely not deliberate...😉)
Speaking of the Sun King, the Palace in the Clouds is a floating island where time doesn't pass and death doesn't exist. The Dancer, the King's Consort created it and filled it with nothing but beauty. Again, not something you can visit - it's now located on a tiny artificial plane of existence, and you need power equivalent to that of a dragon, to get there.
The City of Light, the capital city of the Sunblessed Realm, renowned for (how surprising) being permanently lit up with luminous crystals, incorporated into the windows and roofs of the oldest buildings.
The First Prince's residence surely qualifies as a sight worth seeing. It's a sprawling palatial complex, the oldest and largest in existence. The theme here again is light, and we've got the old-fashioned glass dome over the entrance hall, with the ceiling around it covered in frescoes of the morning skies, with the last few stars still visible.
Outside of the First Princedom, we've got the Storm Steps, a city built into/over an enormous rock formation, located at the very north of the continent and experiencing very harsh weather - windy, stormy, and cold. The architecture reflects that, and is a testament to humanity's stubbornness.
Redguard, where the Army's Central Command is located, is also an unusual city, in how uniform it is, at least in the military sectors - all red brick and wrought iron. The most interesting element though is the Gateway Isle in the middle of the river that flows through it, with the gateway arches arranged on a sandstone platform just off the main road that bisects the city.
And there's Renna's homestead, which admittedly isn't large or modern or anything, but it IS located in the heart of the Eternal Woods, where humans aren't welcome, and no, she isn't willing to answer how she'd convinced Leshy to let her move in. It's a wooden manor covered in shingle, with a small settlement around it, surrounded by a low palisade to keep wildlife away. Again, not really an easy place to get to.
There, that's seven!
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Moving on
(gn!MC x Unnamed Demon Brother)
*All good things must come to an end. That includes staying at the House of Lamentation.*
Just a domestic fluff one-shot I had been sitting on for some time. No warnings!
The academic years went by, graduation had come and gone, and the time came for you to choose.
Would you stay in the dorms? Or leave the campus to start some semblance of a life on your own? Whatever the case, you'd stay in The Devildom.
It was home.
When the idea of moving on first crossed your mind, it felt...odd. You've been on campus for so long now, you weren't sure you could make it without the daily intrusions or near constant bickering between the brothers.
And yet here you sat, in your new apartment loft not too far from Downtown Devildom. Away from the hustle and bustle, but still close enough for sheer convenience.
When you previously mentioned to Lucifer that you wished to vacate after graduation, he was mildly perplexed. You had everything you could need here in the dorms. Free room and board, food, a place to bathe, and wash clothes, entertainment, company, and protection. Why leave?
But then you went on to explain that sometimes less is more. And in this case, while you loved the brothers dearly, it was time for change; a place to truly call your own without being under the watchful eye of both he and Lord Diavolo 24/7.
The conversation dragged until both parties sat with dry mouths. And then you thought about it further.
"Lucifer...have you ever considered letting your brothers finally graduate and move out on their own?"
The question left the air heavy with silence.
To be honest, the thought had crossed the oldests mind once or twice, but only for a fleeting moment. He'd take one look at them and immediately shove the idea back into the darkest pit of his subconscious. No way they'd survive on their own. Their sins were much too strong, and if left unchecked, well, he'd rather not think of the consequences.
You continued, "Have you ever thought that maybe they act out because you keep them on such a short leash?"
"Come now, you've seen the destruction they're capable of."
"In a group, yes. And pardon me for being blunt, but babysitting grown men will not teach them to grow up, you know. They rely on you to clean up their mess. And end up repeating their offenses in the process. I think letting them off on their own would help them out." You shifted on your perch at the corner of his desk. Dubbed "your spot," you hoped you hadn't overstepped and permanently lost the space.
Lucifer looked thoughtful for a moment, eyeing the christmas themed family portrait of his brothers on his desk. He sighed, taking in the weight of your suggestion, and smirked from beyond his bang.
"You know, if you leave, I'm going to miss that spitfire attitude of yours; keeps me ungracciously on my toes." He dodged a paper ball aimed at his head in response.
"As if leaving is going to stop me from contacting you to keep you in line." You grinned. He chuckled and continued.
"Hmm. Yes, well, in regards to my siblings... I'll speak with them about it directly. You raise good points, but I need to know what they'd like to do as well..."
"That's fair"
"But back to you..." he slouched in his chair with crossed arms. "You seem pretty confident about the move on your own. Tell me, do you have an idea of where you'd like to live?"
From there, you prattled on about eyeing a few locations listed on AkuHomes in the heart of downtown, to which Lucifer quickly shot down since you chose the more affordable spots that sacrificed safety.
In the end, with Lucifer's help and Diavolo's gracious donation, your new apartment was paid up for a year, and you were free to do as you pleased.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Prior to moving, the conversation that broke the news to the brothers that you would be leaving went as expected.
Pouting, crying, lots of questions, and even some well wishes despite the sadness.
"Can I help you pack??" "Are you sure you have to go?" "There's still time to back out" "I'm going to miss you so much!"
The questions and statements from the brothers buzzed in your head even after you promised them that you weren't far and would still visit often.
But that promise didn't sit well with the one brother you had become closest with, hence the reason he sat beside you in your new apartment, helping you unpack his things alongside your own.
"I'm still surprised you were allowed to leave the HoL" you grin at the demon, blissful that they chose to accompany you, knowing their life would change drastically.
"Leaving me behind wasn't an option I was willing to accept, is all. I would have found a way regardless, MC." They shrug and smile, pulling you into a tight embrace that spoke volumes. An embrace that reminds you that they would always be by your side so long as you would have them.
With a content sigh, you squeeze them back tighter. "And I'd have it no other way..."
An embrace that said this was the start of your new lives together.
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Hi I love you Headcannons!
They say the persons room reveals a lot about the personality. They also say that a couples room reveals a lot about the couple. Soo…..
Can I get your personal headcannon for what Denmark and Norway’s shared room looks like?
Color, design, styles and etc…
Is it messy? Or is it organized and clean?
Do they keep their stuff on separate sides?
Just specific details like that I love.
And then can you also do one for SuFin please?
And then maybe a comparison between DenNor and SuFin’s respective rooms?
Thanks you!

DenNor’s shared room: split into two sides and it is very obvious. One side is beautiful, organised, luxe, clean. Cool tones, light purples and silvers, house plants. Organised into labelled organiser boxes in swirly fonts. Definitely has a white vanity with his moisturisers and crystals on. The only weird part of Norway’s side of the room is the REALLY high up shelves. That’s where he put his sentimental stuff, like drawings from Baby Ice and photo albums and weird junk he’s emotionally attached to. People think it’s up there to look less cluttered, but really it’s because he loves that his memories and treasured items are looking down on him, protecting him whilst he sleeps. His clothes are organised by season.
Denmark’s side of the room is a permanent work in progress. Lots of posters, shelves with books and LEGOs, postcards he found in tourist shops, every photo is tacked to the wall. His clothes are in two piles on the floor: dirty, and not dirty enough to be washed but not clean enough to go in the wardrobe. Only his clothes and shoes are on the floor, all his other belongings are on the shelves or tacked to the wall or the side of the wardrobe. His bags, important documents, belts, it’s all up on the walls. He’s slowly moving his posters to the ceiling but Nor isn’t too happy about this new idea. Denmark’s colour scheme is mostly black, but he will insert his flag wherever he can. The knobs on his wardrobe have been painted with his flag on it. His side of the bed has a lamp with a Danish flag lampshade over it. He and Nor have separate duvets so his has a Danish flag over it whilst Nor has a silk blue cover.
SuFin’s shared room: A lot less obvious that they’ve split the room in half. Whilst DenNor’s room are on two opposite ends of the spectrum, SuFin’s room is more harmonious. Finland discussed just combining their sides of the room but Sweden disagrees. He keeps saying that their stuff should be separate in case “something bad happens”, although Finland doesn’t know what he means.
Sweden’s side of the room is FLAWLESS. He is living the minimalist IKEA dream. He matches pops of IKEA colour with his own woodwork pieces, giving off a clean but colourful atmosphere. Everything is neatly put away, everything has a specific location. King shit. Definitely organised his wardrobe into season and occasion. There are only three photos on the wall: one of him and Finland on their wedding day, a Hanatamago family photo, and a photo of the Nordic 5 and Estonia. All his other sentimental items are on his bookshelf. That beautiful leather bound hardback isn’t an old historical novel but his scrapbook! His “bookends” are little boxes of keepsakes disguised as bookends. He has cracked the code.
Finland’s side of the room is more complicated. He’s trying out this light blue and sandy brown theme which Sweden adores. He likes it too, of course, but his death metal posters ruin it a bit. The inside of his wardrobe is decorated with his horror merchandise so he doesn’t scare the boys. His clothes are organised by colour, just like Denmark’s. He has a shoe rack under his wardrobe that Sweden built for him. Like Norway, a lot of his belongings are in little organiser boxes but somehow messier. His organiser boxes are all in different shapes and sizes and different variations of light blue because he never remembers which one he bought last time so they don’t match. Instead of using a pretty label-maker like Nor, he’s got those cheap sticky labels and wrote on them. His photos are all hung up in picture frames, he has hundreds of them up on the wall.
He and Sweden share a large bed like Nor and Den but they also share their large duvet and mountain of blankets. The end of their bed has a medium sized ottoman for the dog to curl up on, which also stores bedding.
#I’m sorry this took so long AGAIN#i have a lot of thoughts on bedroom decor#I spend all my time and money on decorating my roomasdfghjk#hws nordic hcs#hws nordics#hws sweden#hws finland#hws sufin#hws nordic headcanons
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UPS Delivers Largest Delivery of Expo 2020 in Dubai Ahead of 'World's Greatest Show'
UPS (NYSE: UPS) today announced the completion of a series of multimodal deliveries to the iconic gateway portals of Expo 2020 Dubai ahead of the official opening next year. UPS, the official logistics partner of Expo 2020 Dubai, has choreographed multiple shipments from Germany via the Port of Antwerp in Belgium and to Dubai's main commercial port in Jebel Ali.
"These extraordinary entry portals will welcome 25 million visits - equal to the population of Australia - and, likewise, the logistics required for these expeditions is nothing short of monumental," said Nando Cesarone, president of UPS International. "Whether it's providing a 21-meter entrance or a small package for an international visitor at the Expo 2020 site, our world-class logistics is made possible by a dedicated team that will grow to 600 for this global enterprise."
The 21 x 30 meter carbon fiber structures were placed at the site's three main entrances, about a year before the opening of Expo 2020, on 20 October 2020. The entrances will transform the skyline of the Expo 2020 site and symbolize the futuristic spirit of the international exhibition.
Sanjive Khosla, chief commercial officer of Expo 2020 Dubai, said: "Transporting the iconic gateway portals to our rapidly developing site in Dubai has been a major organizational and logistical challenge, but as always our official logistics partner, UPS, delivered smoothly. We will continue to rely on their expertise and unrivaled network until October 20, 2020, when those portals will welcome millions of visitors to the world's greatest show. "
"We are transforming our intelligent global logistics network in the Middle East to ensure uninterrupted delivery of Expo 2020," added Cesarone. "Our regional headquarters are located in the United Arab Emirates, an 8-hour flight from two thirds of the world's population and 65% of the world's GDP. We have added a new round-the-world flight to Dubai, with our 747-8 plus aircraft. always great ".
The precision-machined portals were designed and built by HA-CO Carbon GmbH, one of the leading German small companies in Bavaria. In line with Expo 2020's sustainability theme, 90 percent of the material used to build the permanent areas of the site - including the portals - will be reused or reused after the event.
"The hosts of Expo 2020 wanted a facility that would stand the test of time and there are no other entrances like this on the planet," said Martin Osswald, CEO of HA-CO. "The detailed specifications for this project and the advanced manufacturing technology of the carbon fiber parts that make up the entrance portals demonstrate Expo 2020's commitment to excellence.
"Getting every piece delivered on time and with all the logistics planned in advance by UPS was critical to keeping Expo Dubai on schedule," Osswald added. "It is incredible for us to imagine that 25 million visitors will pass through these iconic doors made in Germany."
Expo 2020 has chosen UPS as its official logistics partner for an event that is billed as the "greatest show in the world" by the organizers, on a site roughly the size of over 600 football fields, with 192 countries confirmed for participation. To support Expo 2020, UPS draws on its experience as a logistic sponsor of the 2012 Olympic Games in London and the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
"Driving or flying over the Expo 2020 site, you can't help but notice one of the world's most sophisticated and synchronized peacetime logistics operations in full swing," said Alan Williams, UPS Vice President of Operations for Expo 2020 “When it is necessary to move something so monumental in size, proportions and importance from all over the world to Dubai, the organizers of the Expo have trusted UPS. We are excited to deliver! "
The UAE is home to one of the busiest airports in the world, Dubai International, along with the port of Jebel Ali, the largest container port outside the Far East. UPS has operated in the region since 1989 and has strategically located its Indian subcontinent, Middle East and African headquarters in Dubai.
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A Unique Guide to Choose Rental Lighting and Waterproof Tents in Brampton
It makes sense to want to spend more time outside taking in the sunshine and fresh air now that summer has officially arrived. Whether you're throwing an anniversary celebration, street festival, wedding, music festival, backyard party, holiday celebration, or fundraising, Tent Buddies’ Tents for Rent Mississauga provides a ton of advantages for any outdoor event. Weather protection is one of the most evident advantages of renting an event tent.
Your visitors may feel at ease and unwind in a tent, which also protects them from unforeseen rain or sun damage. To shield your band or performance from the sun and weather, you may even cover a stage with an open gable tent. A tent will shield not just your dance floor, food, and décor from the weather, but also your staff and security personnel as they assist guests in entering your event.
What Advantages Do Mississauga Tents for Rent Offer?
Expanded place
Tents for Rent Mississauga marks the place or venues your visitors will enjoy while instantly defining and expanding the event site. This is particularly important if your event is taking place in a smaller portion of a bigger space, like a park or garden corner.
Affordability
Opting a tent might provide you with a greater space at a lower cost per square foot than hiring a larger permanent structure. Additionally, a tent can accommodate unforeseen guests more easily by allowing seating and tables to be moved around.
Venue Flexibility
Regardless of the size of your guest list, a tent may quickly make your favorite location appropriate if you need to host a specific number of people but it isn't big enough.
Weather shelter
Regardless of the weather, your event can go on since a tent offers shade and shelter from the sun, wind, and rain. This removes the need for a different, maybe less ideal or appropriate site.
What Can You Expect from Toronto Rental Lighting?
In order for your event to be successful, you will need Lighting Rental Toronto for enjoyment with audio and video equipment if you are planning one. Today, event planning is emerging as maybe the most successful business model.
This is one of the reasons big event companies are drastically increasing the amount. The services they provide and are putting a lot more effort into providing their clients with high-quality services. There are a few things that might really assist you make your event better. Among the advantages of lighting equipment are
Save a lot of energy as compared to an ill-planned installation
This boosts productivity
Decreased Upkeep
Enhanced Revenue
Make Your Event Eye-Catching
What are the Benefits to Hire Waterproof Tents in Brampton?
Sturdy
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Development post #3
I made the zombie car pawns possessable by AI. I inserted a navmesh for them to navigate and began to code.
On tick, the AI chooses from three random points around the car to move to with the help of the AI move to node having 'self' plugged in as the location, allowing the AI to target the player.
The knockback event's contents are in the screenshot above. Luckily for my FMP last year, I had made a bumper car game, so I was considerably experienced in this area, however, I have struggled before with the stop-moving immediately node which is an issue even now as I do not understand a way to negate the movement's restriction. But for now, it is okay as I will spend longer developing this project outside of college. After the movement is disabled, I then make it add an impulse that is multiplied by 5000, whilst also getting the actor's location. The reason it is 5000 is because the impulse was initially very weak.
I then planned on creating the code that made the cars destroyable. To prepare for this I created a Niagara effect. However, despite my recent use of the effects system, I struggled massively with this. Using my knowledge from the randomisation project I used a mesh within the effects, and with my knowledge from my BAFTA entry, I was able to create the firey material. Despite all of this, I was quickly humbled by a non-satisfactory product that also had a bug in-game. After a bunch of mucking about within the effects, I was able to make the size of the particles larger, less affected by gravity and also affected by the wind with some help. I also had to disable a loop as the initial spherical glow would keep spawning even after the effect had finished playing.
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I had almost completely copied the code to create a timeline in the third level from the first. This timeline is not permanent as we would've preferred to have had the zombie cars damaging you when they ram, setting the progress bar back a bit, but due to time we have had to just stick with the same mechanic from the previous levels.
the code here allows specific actors that are overlapping the player's collision box to reverse the timeline. I set the actor to be the zombie car as they are the only other actors in this level. By default, the bar progresses over the time I've set within the timeline.
I nearly reused the original widget that contained the progress bar in the other two levels, however I came to the decision that the third level will not have the same length as the other two. I shortened the shared timeline of the levels to a minute and a half, whereas I created a new widget for the third level that lasted two minutes. Before I balanced the levels, Da'Car was three minutes long (not including the time taken if zombies get to it) and whilst playtesting last year people had said this was too long, so I took this into account.
And finally I have a couple variables at the end of the timeline on the 'finished' node that check if the percentage is completed, if this is correct then it begins the custom event I created.
This custom event is a lot simpler than the former code above. It just checks if the win boolean is true or false with it being true resulting in the win state being triggered by the winscreen followed by a delay and then the reopening of the first level, and the lose being the exact same except it displays the lose screen widget and reloads the level for the player to reattempt. The win and lose screens were both created during the game jam which saved us a bit of time.
Regarding the widgets, it was crucial for there to be some sort of text that told you how to play the game and what the controls were.
I quickly put together a new widget giving the player a very easy-to-understand run down on how to play the game. After the visual aspect of it was done, it was time to add it to the actual main menu.
Most games typically have the options in the middle in most arcade-themed entertainment, so I put it there.
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I did struggle with this a little bit as when I needed the game to start the existing widgets would be removed but not the new controls. After a bit of experimenting, I needed to remove that widget from its parent. If I did the standard remove widget it would remove all of the widgets and that would break the game completely, so I coded it to make sure the control screen would remove itself but leave the others intact and luckily this worked.
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