Tag: 4D

Fan Fiction: Law

A flickering neon sign <China Dollies> invites you towards the KTV disco pub across the narrow road that separates the sleaze. The pub occupies an entire brick building, stretching across the length of two shophouses. It looked both inviting and foreboding, with its grand entrance — gilded double doors with brass trimmings cutting a huge swathe out of the façade of the red brick, and a red carpet laid out just right outside the front entrance. Two burly bouncers flank the entrance, looking warily at anyone who might be going in for a bit of mischief.

 

You step onto the pavement on the other side of the road, looking up at this monument of nightlife, wondering what could be inside that might solve the case for you. You cut through the crowd that are waiting to go inside.

 

“Evening gentlemen, I’m looking for the owner of the pub. Is he inside?” You look steadily into the bouncer even as he dwarfs you in size.

 

<emotion detected… contempt>

 

The guards look at each other and snigger at you. “Young lady, you can come back during Halloween night dressed like this, but I don’t think Boss likes his women dressed as cops.”

 

“Well, I don’t think your Boss would like it if I called some of my colleagues here for a raid would he?” You counter, causing them to bristle uncomfortably. They straighten their backs. You add, “I’ll also tell him that it was because you boys denied me entry.”

 

The guards lean towards each other and mutter unhappily. They turn towards you, nodding curtly, then opening the big brass doors for you. “Enjoy… officer.”

 

You stride into the cavernous interior, feasting your eyes on the atrium of the nightclub. A glass chandelier hangs from the ceiling, glowing in multiple hues at different angles, bathing you and everyone within it with colored light. There is a counter at the side of the atrium, with a pretty looking hostess with a bit too much make up serving lusty customers. You smell cigarettes and peanuts.

 

You walk towards the counter, demanding, “Police. Looking for the pub owner for an investigation.”

 

The hostess looked taken aback, then urged you in hushed tones, “Second floor, third room on the right from the stairwell. Please hurry, he’s gonna do it again.”

 

<Saving Memory in iCloud…>

 

You walk briskly up the stairwell behind the atrium, careful not to draw unnecessary attention. Third door to the right… Please be alive…

 

The corridor is empty, but you can hear muffled music and laughter all around. Each room has a different stereo track, and even some acoustic music playing. The entire corridor is bathed in a red neon glow.

 

Third door to the right…

 

You reach the third door, knocking hard. “Police! Open up!”

 

You put your hand to the holster, gripping the cold handle of your pistol. You feel your body tense up with anticipation, every muscle in your body pulsating with adrenaline, ready for almost anything that could happen.

 

Almost.

 

Silence.

 

You grip the doorknob, charging into the ledge of the door with your shoulder. The door opens with a crackle and you stand before a lavish king sized bed, on which lie an unconscious, naked woman and an obese, greasy man on top of her. He slowly eases up.

 

“Put your hands behind your head, slowly.”

 

“Listen, I can explain—“

 

“Don’t even try.”

 

He cooperates, and you walk over to handcuff him. You sit him on the couch beside the bed.

 

“She’s not dead, you can check!”

 

You walk over to the woman and check for a pulse. Still alive, but intoxicated or drugged. You turn back to the “boss”, activating your VR to scan for ID.

 

<Scanning… cross referencing with Police database…>

 

Name: Lee Hyun Seung

Age: 42

Occupation: Business owner

Criminal record: 1 count of extortion, 2 counts of bribery, 3 counts of illegal pimping, 4 counts of sexual assault

 

“So Mr Lee, it seems you have quite a history of sexual assault. You like abusing women, Mr Lee?”

 

He shakes his head ardently, “No, no, she drank too much and passed out while we were having sex… I swear!”

 

“That may still count under statutory rape, are you sure you want to speak to the prosecutor about this or would you like to come clean and tell me what happened to Neo Wen Jing?”

 

“You can’t… you can’t use the law to coerce me like this!” He stutters, sweat oozing out of his pores profusely.

 

“Yes… I can. And if you don’t tell me about what you did to her, I will make sure you will tell the judge from the stands. You understand?”

Fan Fiction: Architecture

 

Your head seems a little heavy while driving towards the crime scene. The thoughts of your father fuzzily weigh down upon you, imperiously pushing you forward, motivating you to solve the crime before you have to refresh yourself once again. The neon lights of the red light district come into view as your make a turn into Geylang Road. The streets may have been refurbished, but sleaze stays where it wants.

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You silently lament the prevalence and even growth of the sleaze trade in Singapore. In order to stabilize our declining birth rate, Singapore had to adopt an open door policy to immigration, and some doors that were opened were not as ideal as one expected. Rising crime rates have strained police resources, and a sprawling sex trade was among the chief causes of a nation struggling with crime in the mid 21st Century.

 

Exotic Live Acts. Broadway in Singapore. Cabaret themed nightclubs. Massage parlours. Their neon hues are reflected onto your electric Nissan, glowing in an unholy luminescence. You can only imagine what goes on inside those establishments. The traffic light changes to green, and the silent humming of the electric cars almost feel like the silent but pervasive nightlife.

 

“Isabelle, we are nearing your destination. Making a left turn into Lorong 18,” your friendly VR avatar guides your car into the alley of the crime scene. “Good luck for your investigations, hopefully you’ll find something today.”

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You step out into the hellish glow of neon. The body was found just in front of an infamous brothel, so you decide to enter to interview and canvass for any possible witnesses.

 

The brothel you enter has the smell of cigarettes, coupled with the sickly sweet smell of cheap perfume, gives a heady euphoria to any curious or seasoned visitor. The hookers are seated in a large couch on the right. The girls see you coming in and shush themselves into silence, eyeing at you suspiciously. The pimp looks up from the front counter, nods and stands up to greet you. He looks to be in his late forties, his greyish hair slicked back, wearing a cheap Giordano collared shirt with the collars turned up and khaki slacks. His skin hangs loosely from his gaunt frame.

 

“Good evening officer, what can I do for you?” The pimp grins, showing a row of teeth marred by decades of smoking illegal substances and a few gold implants.

 

“Evening, I would like to ask you a few questions regarding the murder that took place a few days ago.”

 

The pimp’s expression changes from patronizingly servile to coldly indignant. Spot for micro-expressions, you remind yourself. “I don’t know anything about her. She wasn’t even one of my girls.”

 

“What’s your name?”

 

“You can call me Peng.”

 

“Peng, do you know what happens when you don’t disclose information to a police officer?”

 

“I already told you, I don’t know anyth—“

 

“It’s called an obstruction of justice, and I can have you arrested for interfering with my investigation.”

 

“Eh, okay. Okay. Relax ma’am. You tell me what you want to know.”

 

“How did you know the victim?”

 

“She did work in this house from time to time, but she was never officially in our books.”

 

“Why did you lie when I asked you the first time?” You start to tighten your questioning.

 

“Aiya, because I was afraid of getting into trouble for not registering her in our books. But she had no place to stay, so I took pity on her and decided to give her a place to eat and sleep. Who knew I would be so suay, kena this kind of unnecessary bad luck.”

 

“Do you know anybody whom she was close to, or was sleeping with on a regular basis?”

 

The pimp ponders, looking up at the bare ceiling. “Come to think of it yes. There were quite a few times when she would visit this KTV pub across the street, instead of working to pay her dues.” He ushers you to the entrance of the brothel where he gesticulates to the KTV named < China Dollies >.

 

< Saved in iCloud. >

 

“She will always go until very late, maybe even returning in the morning. The other girls started to dislike her because she never helps them with the chores.”

 

“Did she tell you what she did there?”

 

“Not much, except she had a “VIP customer” who was the pub owner.”

 

<connecting the dots…>

 

Okay. Time to pay this pub owner a visit.

4D Assignment 1 Research: Njouri

It was a monumental task to follow in the spirit of Jebra’s world, but it was made less daunting by first looking at the worlds that are similar to hers.

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This is Firewatch, a first person game where the player inhabits a vast and lonely world, tasked to spot fires wherever they may spring up in the summer heat. I borrowed from the mood of the lands and character design for Merta the nomad.

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Desert landscapes are often bleak and rugged, and from this environment I wanted to create the Capital where Merta was abducted and taken to.

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I also referred to Middle Eastern architecture for inspiration to craft the world of Njouri. The ancient city of Istanbul has majestic temples, including the Hagia Sofia. Istanbul is in the Middle East, where the architects have built structures to cope with the heat and dust of the desert. They tend to be broad and flat, with rounded semi domes to allow convection currents to keep cool air in and warm air out.

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I also referred to the Jedi’s robes for inspiration for Njouri. They are simple, plain and highly functional to shield against buffeting desert winds and the fabric loose enough to prevent the body from overheating.