A Christmas in Neo-Manila [OPEN][SIGN-UP FIRST][IC]

by **Pan-Asiatic States** » Thu May 13, 2021 10:50 am

A CHRISTMAS IN NEO-MANILA
A Slice of Life Roleplay set in Metropolitan Neo-Manila, Pan-Asiatic States
This is the IC thread. Click here to go to the OOC thread (also please sign-up here before posting).

WHAT IS THIS RP?

This is a slice-of-life RP where you can send one or more character(s) from various backgrounds to visit Metropolitan Neo-Manila, the capital of the Pan-Asiatic States, for any reason whatsoever. You can roleplay as any kind of person from your country: an ambassador, a businessman, a tourist, an exchange student, a member of a criminal syndicate, and anything in between.

RULES

My word is final.
Sign-up via the Out-Of-Character Thread, and wait for your application to be approved, before posting on the In-Character Thread.
Please follow site rules.
No sexually or graphically explicit content.
Please keep responses civil and realistic.
I reserve the right to refuse to recognize something as canon in PAS lore if particular actions are not realistic.
No non-human nations may participate in this RP, though if your main nation is one composed of non-humans, you may still apply to join as a human character.
Direct all chatter not written from an in-character perspective to the OOC thread posted above.
The boundary of this RP is essentially the IRL administrative boundary of Manila.
Don't be so serious! This isn't a war RP, or an international incident. We're all just here to have fun.

CITY INFORMATION

Note: If you have any other questions regarding the city's characteristics, please contact me via the OOC Thread.

BASIC INFORMATION
Location: Tagalog Soviet Socialist Republic, Pan-Asiatic States
Population: 13.5 million people
Density: 21,000/km2 (54,000/sq mi)
Demonym(s): English: Manilan;
Spanish: manilense,[a] manileño(-a)
Tagalog: Manileño(-a), Manilenyo(-a), Taga-Maynila[/size]
Public Transportation: Trains, Jeepneys, Buses
Languages/Dialect: Tagalog, Chinese, English (Most people speak English)
Payment Options: Labor Vouchers (Exchange foreign currency at a remittance center)

Metropolitan Neo-Manila (/məˈnɪlə/; Filipino: Maynilà, pronounced [majˈnilaʔ] or [majniˈla]), officially Metropolitan Neo-Manila (Filipino: Lungsod ng Maynilà [luŋˈsod nɐŋ majˈnilaʔ]), formerly known as simply Manila, is the official capital of the Pan-Asiatic States, and the official state-capital of the Tagalog Soviet Socialist Republic. Settlement in the region has been known to have existed since before written record, even before the arrival of the Malayans and the era of Spanish colonization. The city was destroyed by Soviet nuclear weapons during the Second World War, leaving much of its old heritage sites completely destroyed. It was rechristened with the name Neo-Manila, and was designated as the capital of the Federation of Pan-Asiatic States for its strategic ports and geographic location. It is now the seat of Pan-Asiatic government and is one of the three defined metropolitan areas of the Tagalog region of the Pan-Asiatic States.

The Metropolitan itself is composed of 16, large Districts namely: the District of Maynila (Or, Capital District), Laurel District, Caloocan District, Las Piñas District, Makati District, Malabon District, Mandaluyong District, Marikina District, Muntinlupa District, Navotas District, Parañaque District, Pasay District, Pasig District, San Juan District, Taguig District, and Valenzuela District, as well as the municipality of Pateros. Each District is a city in its own right, and their close, merging proximity with each other forms the entirety of Metropolitan Neo-Manila. The Metropolitan's capital district is the country's second largest city.

Metropolitan Neo-Manila, alongside Mexico City and Madrid are considered the world's original set of Global Cities due to its commercial networks being the first to traverse the Pacific Ocean, thus connecting Asia with the Spanish Americas, marking the first time in world history when an uninterrupted chain of trade routes circled the planet. This trade continues to flourish until today, and is attributed as a primer for the city's burgeoning growth rate. Neo-Manila has been damaged by and rebuilt from wars more times than the famed city of Troy and it is also the most natural disaster afflicted capital city in the world, yet it is simultaneously among the most populous and most wealthy cities in Southeast Asia.

POINTS OF INTEREST

Note: The list of locations here are just suggested places that your characters can visit. If you would like to ask about other, more specific locations that fit your roleplaying needs, please ask me in the OOC Thread. Also this list is a work-in-progress. New locations will be added as the RP requires it.

by **Pan-Asiatic States** » Thu May 13, 2021 11:08 am

CURRENT DAY (ICly)
December 20, 2021 GMT+8
NOTE: You may only post about events that happen during the current IC day (flashbacks are permitted though). This is to keep RP cohesion. Only I hold the power to move the date forward.

by **Pan-Asiatic States** » Thu May 13, 2021 11:41 am

MAY 1, 2021
NEO-MANILA
TAGALOG SOVIET SOCIALIST REPUBLIC
PEOPLE'S FEDERATION OF PAN-ASIATIC STATES
THEME - Western Flags Burning

Neo-Manila—a pristine city of life and wonder, where the artist expressed his will free from political censorship, where the scientist was not discouraged by the servile chains of discrimination, where the worker was judged by his merit and not the race of his origin—truly reflected the Pan-Asiatic States' ideology. Magnificent skyscrapers and vibrant architecture decked its horizon. Neon lights and clean alleys emanated from street to street. The finest of goods were being brought-in and brought-out of its lively ports. "Truly, this is a place worthy of being crowned the Pearl of the Orient," many foreigners must have thought as they stepped off of the airport's MagLev train and into the city proper—some, for the very first time.

It was a most auspicious day for the communist nation, as it was May Day. It was unfortunate that many were not able to enjoy the usual festivities due to the coronavirus lockdown, but the Asian Communist Party did have a lot of other activities in store so that the general feeling of patriotism was not lost. Instead of a parade (which was cancelled due to social distancing restrictions) a 21-gun salute was held in the Pan-Asiatic States' capital, Neo-Manila, in honor of those who died for the international communist revolution; a new TV series about the life of Karl Marx premiered on the Asian Communist Party's website; and Secretary-General Abramovich made a speech that was broadcasted over the radio re-affirming the Pan-Asiatic States' resolve in advancing the rights of workers everywhere.

by **Zeloria** » Thu May 13, 2021 12:22 pm

Eric stepped of the airports MagLev train, and gazed upon the magnificent Manilan skyline. "So this is how cities looked like back then." He thought. "I like it." Eric then grabbed his "phone" and looked up a map of the city. "Lets hope I can find my hotel, lets hope I can find a bus stop." He then saw something drive by that looks like a bus, but a lot more colorful. "You know what, nevermind. I want to use that artpiece on wheels to go to my hotel." Eric then saw a bus-stop. "Ehhh, I think I will take a regular bus first. I know that my hotel is close to a stop." He went to the stop, and pulled out his mask out of his pocket. "Pretty interesting the corona-pandemic also happened in this universe." he thought.

After a while, a bus arrived. He put on his mask, payed the bus-driver with his labor vouchers, and took a seat. During the drive, he looked out of the window, and catches a glimp of a giant statue of a soldier. "That looks like a nice place to visit, maybe I will check that out later." he thought.

Eric finally arrived at the hotel, and went in. He got his room keys, entered a lift, stepped out of the lift, entered room 55, and put his stuff on his bed. "This mission is going to be pretty interesting." he thought. Eric grabbed his "phone" and wrote some notes in it.

by **Kergstan** » Tue May 18, 2021 6:15 pm

Onaira was peacefully sleeping on the floor of his room, with all clothes on from the previous night still smelling of alcohol and vomit, the only thing that could wake him up was his cat Peru, who scratched his face to get some treats as usual.

He woke up and couldn’t remind much besides his father’s anger moments before him falling in a deep sleep, his stomach and muscles were hurting, on his side the picture of his mother who passed away, he didn’t put it there, pretty sure it was his dad.

Onaira, got up, spied on his dad’s office and to his delight he was busy holding a diplomatic meeting, he snitchedly ran to the embassy’s exit while guards were running behind him.
He left the embassy grounds but agents couldn’t go as they didn’t have such orders.

Onaira took the bus, 400 pesos on his pocket and his phone about to die.
His dad sent multiple messages, one of them recited :

“STOP BRINGING SHAME TO ME POS, YOU GONNA BRING SOME SCANDAL HOME YOURE GONNA BRING SHAME TO OUR NATION COME BACK LIL BASTARD”

Calls were incoming, the ringtone made everyone on the bus, *I’m a barbie girl in a barbie world life is plast...* he decided to put the phone off.

He got to Tondo, one of the worst neighborhoods of manila.

“Kamusta ka bok” a kid screams towards him just moments after he got there.

“Agapito!” yells Onaira back at him, he gives the kid 100 pesos saying nothing, the kid returns with some glue the two sniff together.

by **Pan-Asiatic States** » Mon May 24, 2021 5:22 am

Zeloria wrote:Eric stepped of the airports MagLev train, and gazed upon the magnificent Manilan skyline. "So this is how cities looked like back then." He thought. "I like it." Eric then grabbed his "phone" and looked up a map of the city. "Lets hope I can find my hotel, lets hope I can find a bus stop." He then saw something drive by that looks like a bus, but a lot more colorful. "You know what, nevermind. I want to use that artpiece on wheels to go to my hotel." Eric then saw a bus-stop. "Ehhh, I think I will take a regular bus first. I know that my hotel is close to a stop." He went to the stop, and pulled out his mask out of his pocket. "Pretty interesting the corona-pandemic also happened in this universe." he thought.

After a while, a bus arrived. He put on his mask, payed the bus-driver with his labor vouchers, and took a seat. During the drive, he looked out of the window, and catches a glimp of a giant statue of a soldier. "That looks like a nice place to visit, maybe I will check that out later." he thought.

Eric finally arrived at the hotel, and went in. He got his room keys, entered a lift, stepped out of the lift, entered room 55, and put his stuff on his bed. "This mission is going to be pretty interesting." he thought. Eric grabbed his "phone" and wrote some notes in it.

Miracle Hotel
Laurel District

The Miracle Hotel, a 4-storied building owned and managed by the relatively prominent Azure Beaches Five Stars Resort Corporation public company, adopted the interior architectural design of any modern Western hotel. It had all of the amenities of one as well: rooftop infinity pools, rooms for all kinds of tourists, and 24-hour room service. The upper rooms had a great view of the skyline, which lit-up during the night and looked cleanly pristine during the day.

by **Bengal and Assam** » Mon May 24, 2021 11:43 am

Nancy Suyeon stepped out of one of the airport's maglev trains, and walked towards the arrivals reception area with all her luggage. A man in a suit and shades was waiting for her, leaning onto a black sedan, the number plate marking the car as belonging to one of the many diplomatic outposts located in this important city.

She walked near the car as the man waved at her.
"Nance Suyeon, yeah?" Said the man "I'm Daniel Choi, PR div, Kawanese embassy. Call me Dan. How'd the flight go?"

"Tell me about it." said Nancy "Am not a big fan of airline food. And I would really like some sleep. Plus, don't really like househunting."

"Not so fast" said Dan "Ambo would like to meet you on your first day at work, which is technically today. And the guys from the Commonwealth representative office will also be there."

"Can we stop by a store thought? Would really like something to eat, and also booking a BNB would be nice. Can't sleep on the streets, yeah?"

"Sure... And regarding accomodations, we have an empty room in the Embassy. You can freeload there for a week until you get your own place."

"Nice. The rest of my stuff is coming in next week. So it'll do me great"

"Really? Do take care thought. The commies will go through your things. You might as well find some stuff magically disappear. If you're lucky, they'll write you a receipt."

by **Zhouran** » Mon May 24, 2021 11:36 pm

NeoTokyo - Timesplitters 2

A lit-up street in Neo-Manila at night

NEO-MANILA
TAGALOG SOVIET SOCIALIST REPUBLIC
PEOPLE'S FEDERATION OF PAN-ASIATIC STATES
18:45 Philippine Standard Time (UTC+8:00) - 05/01/2021
Beiyuelun Tieshun - Shenlunluo–Haxikang Workers' Daily

After arriving at Neo-Manila from Hexie a couple hours ago, Beiyuelun had arrived at his accommodation at the Miracle Hotel in Laurel District. For a while, Beiyuelun took the time to unpack and ready his equipment for tommorrow. Once done, he decided to spend the night eating and maybe drinking.

As he stepped out the hotel, Beiyuelun began walking across the streets, wearing only a white tank top, khaki cargo-shorts and a pair of sneakers. Beiyuelun was a wide-bodied towering figure. Standing at 190.4 cm tall with a muscular large-framed physique, Beiyuelun can be easily identified as a Zhouranese due to his appearance. His tanned bronze complexion, shaved head, dark-brown walrus moustache, thick bushy dark-brown eyebrows, and light-brown sharp almond-shaped eyes, along with his tall height and large build, made him stand out from the crowd, kinda poetic given how different the Zhouranese are compared to other Asians (to the point that like with Amerindians and Pacific Islanders, Zhouranese are sometimes not seen as Asian like with the mention groups despite all three being genetically Asiatic). Beiyuelun felt like a total stranger, as if he was an alien who had just crash-landed on earth. It could be with the way he's dressed, but Beiyuelun felt like he was being stared at just for being Zhouranese. It could just be that the locals had never seen a Zhouranese person before, which makes sense since Zhouranese people don't often travel to other countries except for important trips such as business trips, given that Zhouranese people have a strong Zhouran-centric exceptionalist bias. Apart from being a foreigner, Beiyuelun felt like an alien because he has no proper understanding of East & Southeast Asian cultures. The huge differences between Zhouranese and East/Southeast Asian was comparable to the differences between Nordic and Iranian cultures, thus many values found in East/Southeast Asian cultures would be completely alien to Beiyuelun. Since he's a guest in the Pan-Asiatic States, Beiyuelun promised to himself that he'll try and not be so blunt and straightforward when interviewing locals, as Zhouranese people are known for having the propensity for being abrasive and harsh even if they're trying to be nice.

After 15 minutes of walking, Beiyuelun had found somewhere to eat. It was a quaint Chinese Filipino restaurant specializing in a type of noodles they call "Pancit". After ordering his food from an electronic touchscreen for customers, his order, consisting of pancit bihon and kare-kare with rice, had finally arrived. "Now this looks really good" Beiyuelun said to himself as he quickly grabbed his utensils and began chowing down on the food like a goddamn animal.

While eating his delicious order, Beiyuelun's smartphone began to ring. "Dammit, a video-call?"

As Beiyuelun answered the call, he saw his manager Nalan on the screen. "Hey, is the big man in Neo-Manila" Nalan expressed jokingly. "What is it, Nalan?" Beiyuelun replied while stuffing food into his face. "So Tieshun, you got your shit prepared for tommorrow?" Nalan asked, to which Beiyuelun responded "yeah, now let me eat in peace" before hanging up.

After finishing his meal, Beiyuelun paid for his food and left to continue walking on the streets.

Although other parts of Neo-Manila boast a more cosmopolitan atmosphere, regardless Beiyuelun continued strolling across Laurel District because he wanted to experience the local nightlife of Neo-Manila away from the more-foreigner friendly areas. He wanted to see the local experience of the city and give a glimpse what life is like now in Neo-Manila. His curiosity for what life was like for the locals back before the creation of the Pan-Asiatic States had grown. And Beiyuelun was even more interested in interviewing the locals, though it was night time and he'd have to wait until tomorrow. For now, all he could do was simply observe the night life of Neo-Manila and get a glimpse of everyday living for the locals in the city.

Flashback to couple of hours ago

Your Sunset - Tekken Tag Tournament 2

The busy skyline of Hexie during sunset

HEXIE
KANGSONG DISTRICT
YANHAI PROVINCE
PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF ZHOURAN
19:05 Zhouran Standard Time (UTC+11:00) - 05/01/2021
Beiyuelun Tieshun - Shenlunluo–Haxikang Workers' Daily

"Damn this cursed rush-hour", Beiyuelun loudly shouted to himself as him and a large crowd of people exit an NRMRN maglev train in Hexie. Beiyuelun had to take the 32-minute maglev ride to Zhouran's busiest city from his hometown since he has a flight to Neo-Manila, the capital city of the Pan-Asiatic States, and even though he only took the Provincial Rapid Maglev Railway instead of the National High-Speed Railways he was still able to get to Hexie very rapidly. Beiyuelun was late because the other night he was drinking high-alcohol clear-spirits with his childhood buddies as they were reminiscing about high-school days and their time in the military together. "I knew I shouldn't of accepted alcohol the night before" Beiyuelun murmured himself as he descended down a deep-underground Hexie Metro station and took a metro train to Hexie International Airport.

After arriving at the airport, Beiyuelun went through the front-desk, got through customs & security, before ultimately boarding a massive Zhouran National Airlines hypersonic airliner from Yongsheng Heavy Machinery Industries. This massive rocket-looking beast was powered by four preecooled hybrid turbofan/ramjet and can carry up to 300 passengers, and with its maximum speed of Mach 8.2, the flight from Hexie to Neo-Manila would only take roughly a few minutes instead of hours like with conventional subsonic airliners.

As the massive hypersonic airliner took off, the load roar of its powerful hypersonic engines thundering across the sky, Beiyuelun, who spent quite a considerable amount of money for a business-class ticket, was able to relax as he adjusted his comfy luxury chair and stretched his legs. Since the plane had no windows due to being hypersonic, Beiyuelun looked at the curve-screen OLED display on the side of the cabin and looked out as the plane began gaining altitude towards the upper atmosphere.

For a man who is a retired soldier working as a foreign correspondent for the politically-hardline Shenlunluo–Haxikang Workers' Daily, Beiyuelun Tieshun has quite a busy life. Before working in journalism, Beiyuelun served 16 years in the Zhouranese People's Army Ground Force as a marksman. During his time in the military, Beiyuelun served eight different tours-of-duty abroad in various military expeditionary operations abroad and overseas military-operations-other-than-war (MOOTW) conducted by the ZPA. Once he retired from military service, Beiyuelun studied journalism and received his Bachelor's in International Journalism just four years ago. After getting a job at Shenlunluo–Haxikang Workers' Daily, Beiyuelun would travel abroad and report on what's happening outside Zhouran. This time he travels to Neo-Manila to report on life in the city ever since the establishment of the Pan-Asiatic States decades ago.

Beiyuelun had never been to East & Southeast Asia before. Considering that Zhouran is North Asian and is uniquely ethno-culturally Kangyulic, travelling to the Pan-Asiatic States was like going to another planet despite the fact that Zhouran and PAS are both in the same continent. Though this massive ethno-cultural difference is quite comparable to the massive difference between Anglo-Saxons and Greeks despite both belonging to the same continent.

Shenlunluo–Haxikang Workers' Daily wanted Beiyuelun to interview the local residents of Neo-Manila in order to interview on how life had changed ever since the PAS was established. The Philippines was once a victim of western colonization and brutal imperialism, and with the Filipino people moving past such dark age towards a new age of unity, Shenlunluo–Haxikang Workers' Daily wanted to demonstrate how socialism helps the Global South rise up from its dark colonial pasts. For Beiyuelun, leaving Zhouran, a highly-developed wealthy nation belonging to the Global North, and travelling to the developing nations of the Global South wasn't new as he has done this since his military service. However, rather than visiting warzones, he was instead visiting a city that was once colonized by brutal western imperialists but has now grown and prospered under a socialist government.

by **Bengal and Assam** » Tue May 25, 2021 4:18 am

Makati, Neo-Manila
Tagalog SSR, PAS
05.25 PM PST

The black Vauxhall was rolling down the packed streets, filled to the brim with traffic as the workday was coming to an end, and people were going back to their designated homes, to their designated families. 'What's the fun in that?' wondered Nancy, as she looked out as the buildings and cars passed by, the orange hue from the setting sun shining on them. The uncanny amount of drones in the sky seemed strange to her. The only times she saw them back at home were when techie photographers wanted to get a good shot, or, in the military, when she patrolled the Bengali-PAS border during her Mandatory Military Service.

"Missing home?" said Daniel Choi, the guy her department sent to pick her up from the airport.

"Not really. Things indeed seem different around here, but I do want a fresh start. Better to meet the good people here than be stuck in a desk job in Minato I guess."

"That's good and all. How's your Tagalog?"

"I do know a bit more than 'Putangina' now, since the Foreign Office put me in a one month course before putting me on a flight here... Say? I did do a 2 month cultural exchange with the Canadians like 6 months ago, and that went along well. But the Canadians are Commonwealth, and aren't that different from us Kawanese. Same goes for the Aussies and the Brits. I do know that we and the Pan Asians share a lot in common, as Asians, but this is a vastly different form of society. How do we do things around here?"

"Not much I can say, but be cordial, and you'll be fine. Think twice before posting anything online. No fireworks for the Queen's Birthday. And if you do take a trip to Hong Kong, do make sure to keep any Union Flag or Kawanese coins, stamps and 50 dollar bills with good Queen Lizzie on it out of view. The locals love em, but the coppers don't coz they eventually end up at the hands of activists who want Hong Kong indy. Aside from that, we normally go to schools, explain our country and culture, take part in organising cultural conventions, both pop and traditional. Do be a bit careful when organising and taking part in pop cultural events though. Certain things are censored here.

"Aye, I've heard that Section 9(OOC: Kawanese Ghost in the Shell) is banned around here. But given all those drones scanning people, I can say that I am currently in the anime itself"

"We're here." said Dan, as he took a right turn into the parking garage of the RCBC Tower. He stopped in front of the elevator as a chaffeur opened the door on the passenger side. "We share the place with the Canadians, and a lot of other offices of certain corporations, and a few businesses as well. But we will be moving back to the compound once renovations are done. Go to the 20th floor, and one of our guys will guide you to your room, and introduce you with the team."

"where are you going?" asked Nance

"To park the car of course..."

OOC

Regarding the coin and stamps reference...
https://www.nationstates.net/nation=ben ... id=1422992

by **Pan-Asiatic States** » Tue May 25, 2021 8:58 am

Bengal and Assam wrote:Nancy Suyeon stepped out of one of the airport's maglev trains, and walked towards the arrivals reception area with all her luggage. A man in a suit and shades was waiting for her, leaning onto a black sedan, the number plate marking the car as belonging to one of the many diplomatic outposts located in this important city.

She walked near the car as the man waved at her.
"Nance Suyeon, yeah?" Said the man "I'm Daniel Choi, PR div, Kawanese embassy. Call me Dan. How'd the flight go?"

"Tell me about it." said Nancy "Am not a big fan of airline food. And I would really like some sleep. Plus, don't really like househunting."

"Not so fast" said Dan "Ambo would like to meet you on your first day at work, which is technically today. And the guys from the Commonwealth representative office will also be there."

"Can we stop by a store thought? Would really like something to eat, and also booking a BNB would be nice. Can't sleep on the streets, yeah?"

"Sure... And regarding accomodations, we have an empty room in the Embassy. You can freeload there for a week until you get your own place."

"Nice. The rest of my stuff is coming in next week. So it'll do me great"

"Really? Do take care thought. The commies will go through your things. You might as well find some stuff magically disappear. If you're lucky, they'll write you a receipt."

Neo-Manila International Airport

The capital's airport wasn't as glamorous as one would expect from a communist hegemon like the Pan-Asiatic States—it had certainly seen better days. Perhaps it was the sheer density of people that used the facilities, or maybe it was one of those examples of corrupted infrastructure funds slipping right through the Asian Communist Party's fingers. Nobody knew for certain, but the ill-maintained restrooms; faulty chairs in the lobbies; brutish handling of passenger luggage; and other such appurtenances of an airport that functioned (barely) but was not at all glamorous, usually leaves a bad impression on those visiting the Tagalog SSR for the first time. Perhaps Suyeon should have traveled privately, rather than commercially.

Foreign emissaries from Bengal and Assam have been treated better on previous occasions. Those above Suyeon's station certainly received higher regard from the people of Neo-Manila when they visited for the first time. Memories of flag-waving, speech-making, warmly-welcoming crowds, and confetti as soon as legations step foot on the tarmac, broadcasted by Pan-Asiatic state media are brought to mind when one thinks of an official state-visit or summit wherein Benagli-Assamese representatives are involved with the Pan-Asiatic States' government. Suyeon did not receive these things, in fact, she was met with apathy at every interaction with the city's locals this far, but it was worth noting. She tread the same path, and used the same walkalators, as those of her superiors.

Despite all of the ideological differences between the two countries, mutual economic interests could not bring the Pan-Asiatic leadership to declare personnel from Bengal and Assam persona non grata. And those who are not the Asian Communist Party's immediate enemies, so long as they prefer quiet just as much as the Pan-Asiatic government when it comes to conflicts, are, at least on paper, the Pan-Asiatic States' friends.

by **Pan-Asiatic States** » Tue May 25, 2021 9:16 am

[Global Event]
Xinyazhou News Neo-Manila
Car Radios, Hotel Televisions, and Public Screens Everywhere...

"—and now in other news... The Ministry of Culture would like to remind all citizens in Neo-Manila that the city administration's synchronized fireworks display will begin at 6PM later... These fireworks, in line with today's Labor Day celebrations, shall be visible throughout most of the Maynila, Makati, Mandaluyong, Laurel, and Pasig Districts. Please consult with the MOC's official website to find the best parks from where to view the display although we advise our viewers to continue to observe social distancing protocol while doing so. If parks are not accessible to you at this time, Xinyazhou will be broadcasting the display live via our TV broadcast as well as on our YouTube channel... We also recommend watching it from the rooftops of skyscrapers, if they are accessible to you... Please enjoy yourselves, and happy labor day!"

*Reporters sign-off as the news outro plays*

by **Zeloria** » Tue May 25, 2021 9:44 am

Eric was watching the news. "Fireworks sounds fun." he thinks. "I would like to see it." He went to the balcony to watch the skyline. "Wow, even from up here, I can still smell the central Manilan traffic" Eric thought. "Wait, I forgot something." he thought again. Eric went to his bag, and pulled out a bag of chips he bought at the airport. He then went back to the balcony. "If the fireworks doesn't form a red star, or a ying-yang symbol, then I'm going to be disappointed." He took a seat, and looked at the skyline.

by **Bengal and Assam** » Tue May 25, 2021 8:56 pm

20th Floor
Bengali (Kawanese) Embassy, RCBC Tower,
Makati, Neo-Manila, Tagalog SSR, PAS
05.40 PM PST

The elevator doors opened, the 'Tiger on the Bay' emblem with the words "Embassy of British Kawa" written on a sign fit on the wall across. "Bengal and Assam" written in a smaller font underneath. A rather fit looking blonde 'Anglo' was scrolling through her phone as she leant on the wall. She looked up and walked towards the elevator as the doors opened.

"You're the Newbie right? Nancy Suyeon?" Said the blonde

"Yeah. And you are?" Said Nancy

"Miranda Lambert. Dan called ahead, told me to pick you up, show you the room and the team. Lemme help you with the bags" said she as she picked up 2 suitcases, and beckoned to Nancy to follow her.

"You one of us?"

"Yes and No. I am Kawanese and work with the Embassy, yes. But I am in Finance, not PR dept. Can't much of a senpai of yours in terms of helping out at work I guess. And we don't have much to do these days either, other than figuring out what part of the budget Minato might cut next. Fucking Brits always setting an example for the government back home to follow"

They passed by a meeting room somewhat full of people, following COVID distancing rules of-course, but very rare since Labour Day is a bank holiday in the PAS, and Bengal as well although under a different name. Miranda asked Nancy about her experiences through the airport, and whether her luggage got involved in 'the daily ritual of the staff there'. Apparently, the only Kawanese, according to Miranda, who can come out of that airport with good experiences are "the Queen, the Governor-General, the PM or any cabinet members, and the Boss".

They entered a small yet rather furnished room, with a good view of the city outside. A folded up futon and table to the side, and a small wardrobe, the flooring made of tatami.

"This is what we call 'the Suite'" said Miranda. "You can live here until you can find a new place. There is a bathroom over there, do freshen up, then I'll take you to meet the team."

by **Katase** » Wed May 26, 2021 12:42 pm

Katase, an absolute monarchy nestled in the Southeastern portion of Greater Dienstad. Neo-Manila, a sprawling capital city nestled in the Pan-Asiatic States. Really, nothing in common, different ideologies driving different nations. But for this little group of students and their teachers, really politics and all that didn't matter. This isn't a group of ambassadors, this isn't a group of spies, frankly PAS was just another nation to Katase as is the rest of the world. Katase had more things to worry about than fighting about who's economic systems were better, it didn't matter, that's why this group of young teens was here today! A small group from a middle school in Katase, one of hundreds spread across the country here on this trip. Right now schools all over the nation were trying to organize cultural/educational trips but with so much of the world affected by a devastating pandemic over the past year, it's been difficult. But a few have been able to slip in, including Ikeda Middle School. Granted it cost a pretty Motsu to go on this trip, which is why this group was so small but hey two is a party!

The students freshly arrived ready to head for their hotel and relax after such a long trip before hitting the streets and seeing the sights, how exciting this was! They were all a sight though, Katase being a rather old fashioned country, many people including students still wore kimono. One teacher, Asuka Katou, a rookie teacher fresh out of college, with her two friends from both her high school and college days, Shirayuki and Ichika, both had graduated before her and already secured their jobs, it was actually a lucky break because they put in a good word to get Asuka hired at the same school. And well they kind of talked her into this.

"Uuuh yes, okay everyone!" Asuka had to yell a bit over the noise of crowds of people coming and going around them. "Is everyone here? Do we have everything? Wait, Souma-san, where might Yuna-san be?"

"She's still waiting on her bag, Sensei." Yuki's friend, Haru, replied. Well all the girls were essentially friends as classmates but some just closer than others. "Oh dear." Asuka frantically cycled through her list of students, continuing roll. "I'll go find her, you keep at it" Shirayuki said to Asuka.

Poor young Yuki was indeed still waiting for her bag to appear on the baggage carousel. "Mmmm" She moaned rather pensively, it would be just her luck to lose her bag.

"Yuna-san?" Shirayuki placed a gentle hand onto her shoulder "Any luck?"

"Noo....It hasn't come yet."

"I'll wait with you a moment, if it doesn't come we'll talk with someone here."

"What if they lost it?"

"Well nothing in there that can't be replaced, right? Don't worry." Yuzuki, another one of Yuki's friends walked on over. "Still no luck, huh?"

"Yuzu-chan, what am I gonna do? I spent all my money on the trip fees alone, that was my only bag."

"Hey if they lost it, we'll buy you anything you need while here and wait, you spent all your money?"

"It was a bit more expensive than I thought. Even with pay from my job."

"Yuki, Yuki, good grief, Haru-chan and me could easily have chipped in. At least cover the school fees. Guess it doesn't pay to be a handmaid huh?"

"Well, you've seen my math scores..."

"Silly! Sensei, I'll wait with her a bit longer, maybe go find out what happened?"

"Thanks, Shijou-san. I'll let the other teachers know."

"I'm sorry, I'm holding everyone up."

"It's fine, we can't leave until all the students are together."

Well there were complications indeed, Yuki's bag had been misplaced in one of their transfers between Katase and here. With no direct flights, it's really easy to see why. Well that was that, they'd figure a solution to that later, for now they boarded a bus to head out to their hotel.

"Could be worse." Haru tried to cheer Yuki up, "I mean you could have lost all your documents and worst of all the picture of your mom."

"yeah, I suppose you're right."

"cheer up!" Yuzuki said to her, "Like I said, you got me and Haru here to help you! Can't let our best friend have a bad time on her first school trip!"

"Hey don't forget us." Fumie Fukube had heard everything. "As class rep, I especially gotta look out for all of you!"

Next who spoke up was Tanya, "Hey, I can help too. I don't have a lot of spare cash but I can imagine what a major downer it is to lose your luggage."

Madoka, the last of the group, gave a silent nod in agreement. Well she was a shy one. The teachers also felt pretty sorry for their young student. "I can't believe it, my first field trip with students and this happens." Asuka sighed in disappointment.

"Hey it'll be fine. If she needs anything, we'll just pay for her." Shirayuki patted Asuka's shoulder "C'mon these things happen."

"You could ask me about the first field trip I had..." Ichika also offered her two cents of advice, "If I survived that, you'll be okay. Besides better to lose the luggage than the student." Ichika rlipped the page of the book she was reading, seldom looking up at her two colleagues.

"What else can go wrong?"

"Well providing the hotel hasn't lost our reservations, not much else." Shirayuki chortled

"Eeek, don't jinx us!"

"Hehe relax, I called ahead before we arrived, we're all set. And gurantee you, the girls are gonna have fun while we're here. Remember our high school trip to Shidokima?"

"Oooh yeah...Uuh wait that's where you dared me to jump in the pool, naked! And then I got yelled at by Nishimura-sensei!"

"Ahahaha, I didn't think you'd actually color me surprised when you did it!"

"You know how much I valued you as my senpai!"

"But still, you're a level headed girl, Asuka!"

"All I remember is the typhoon." Ichika recalled.

"Well it was a lucky break we had that typhoon because it kept us from getting sent home because of your antics!"

"And it kept us stranded there for three more days! by then most everyone forgot you decided to go skinny dipping at midnight!"

Asuka's face flushed red, it almost looked like steam might shoot out of her ears. Well the trip through the city was uneventful as they arrived at long last at their hotel.

by **Pan-Asiatic States** » Fri May 28, 2021 12:18 am

Zhouran wrote:
After finishing his meal, Beiyuelun paid for his food and left to continue walking on the streets.

Although other parts of Neo-Manila boast a more cosmopolitan atmosphere, regardless Beiyuelun continued strolling across Laurel District because he wanted to experience the local nightlife of Neo-Manila away from the more-foreigner friendly areas. He wanted to see the local experience of the city and give a glimpse what life is like now in Neo-Manila. His curiosity for what life was like for the locals back before the creation of the Pan-Asiatic States had grown.

Laurel District

Though the socialist system in the Pan-Asiatic States had its inefficiencies, perhaps one of the greatest aspects of its authoritarianism that was cause for celebration was the vast array of public spaces accessible to the citizens of Neo-Manila. The Laurel District wasn't the most rural of regions in the Tagalog Soviet Socialist Republic, but still, even beneath the vast underground strip malls, sky-high offices, and sprawling entertainment plazas, there were just so many places where Beiyuelun could mingle with the people. Perhaps his journalistic mind observed these things subconsciously, perhaps he sensed it deliberately.

Everywhere in the Laurel District, there were scores of coffee shops where cultural workers engaged in snobby bourgeoise rhetoric. There were churches of every denomination (and even a few cults) that talked freely about worshipping anything under the sun. There were universities large and small that taught a variety of different trades, from the Tagalog State University that housed bureaucrats, accountants, and sociologists to the Neo-Manila Polytechnic University that honed the skills of physicists, mathematicians, and chemists. This was the modern heart of Neo-Manila—a district that embodied the 21st Century era of the Pan-Asiatic States. It is a pristine section of the city filled with life and wonder, where the artist expresses his will free from political censorship; where the scientist is not discouraged by the servile chains of morality; where the worker is judged by his merit and not the race of his origin. Magnificent skyscrapers and vibrant architecture deck its horizon. Neon lights and clean alleys emanate from street to street.

Beiyuelun's exploration ultimately took him to a billboard that called the Laurel District "the shine in the Pearl of the Orient".

It seemed that there were lots of places where he could conduct his interview the following day.

by **Zhouran** » Fri May 28, 2021 12:31 am

Pan-Asiatic States wrote:Laurel District
Though the socialist system in the Pan-Asiatic States had its inefficiencies, perhaps one of the greatest aspects of its authoritarianism that was cause for celebration was the vast array of public spaces accessible to the citizens of Neo-Manila. The Laurel District wasn't the most rural of regions in the Tagalog Soviet Socialist Republic, but still, even beneath the vast underground strip malls, sky-high offices, and sprawling entertainment plazas, there were just so many places where Beiyuelun could mingle with the people. Perhaps his journalistic mind observed these things subconsciously, perhaps he sensed it deliberately.

Everywhere in the Laurel District, there were scores of coffee shops where cultural workers engaged in snobby bourgeoise rhetoric. There were churches of every denomination (and even a few cults) that talked freely about worshipping anything under the sun. There were universities large and small that taught a variety of different trades, from the Tagalog State University that housed bureaucrats, accountants, and sociologists to the Neo-Manila Polytechnic University that honed the skills of physicists, mathematicians, and chemists. This was the modern heart of Neo-Manila—a district that embodied the 21st Century era of the Pan-Asiatic States. It is a pristine section of the city filled with life and wonder, where the artist expresses his will free from political censorship; where the scientist was not discouraged by the servile chains of morality; where the worker is judged by his merit and not the race of his origin. Magnificent skyscrapers and vibrant architecture deck its horizon. Neon lights and clean alleys emanate from street to street.

Beiyuelun's exploration ultimately took him to a billboard that called the Laurel District "the shine in the Pearl of the Orient".

It seemed that there were lots of places where he could conduct his interview the following day.

Although Beiyuelun's trip to Neo-Manila was strictly a journalist trip and not a holiday, Beiyuelun just couldn't help but wander around like a tourist. While exploring the streets of Laurel District, he stopped in front of a large billboard that describes Laurel District itself as "the shine in the Pearl of the Orient". He then looked around and found an available taxi.

Sprinting towards the taxi, he kindly asked the driver in the typical Zhouranese blunt-but-kind way "hey, sir, is it alright if you can drive me around the district and drop me off at any entertainment plazas, in fact I'll pay you double". Even though Beiyuelun was speaking English, he had a slight Zhouranese accent to him. If one was to describe what such accent would sound like, it would basically be strong word stress, phrase prosody, strong rhotic hard-Rs, and weird tonal-shifting that gives a funny pitch-accent sound.

by **Bengal and Assam** » Sat May 29, 2021 6:42 am

20th Floor
Bengali (Kawanese) Embassy, RCBC Tower,
Makati, Neo-Manila, Tagalog SSR, PAS
05.45 PM PST

Nancy Suyeon came out of the room, freshened up and changed into clothes more appropriate for good first impressions in the eyes of her coworkers and the Ambassador. Like in the receiving room, Miranda was leaning on the wall a few feet away from the door, and looked towards her as the newbie came out.

"Really?" said Miranda. "I did forget to tell you that the work environment on days off is rather informal here, even if the Ambo is around though. Ditch the suit, loosen up a bit and come along. Lemme introduce you to the rest of the team."

They went to the meeting room that Nancy and Miranda went past when they went to the embassy guest room. The guy who picked her up was over there as well, holding a little bag. 'What was his name again? Dan Choi?' Suyeon thought. Due to the glass partition, there weren't that many opportunities for the embassy staff to give Suyeon much of a welcome surprise.

“Guys, the Newbie is here.” said Miranda.

“Anhio(hello).” said Suyeon. “I am Nance Suyeon. Nice to meet you all, yoroshhoi ne.”

“The pleasure’s all ours.” said an elderly gentleman. “I am Horatio Chatarjee, the ambassador here and the Foreign Office’s top punching bag in the PAS. Everyone calls me ‘Uncle Tan’ around here, courtesy of Dan. He didn’t give you any trouble on the way here, did he?”

“Um, no… He’s rather helping me get settled up over here..” said Suyeon. Then she scanned through the welcoming faces in the room with a smile on her face. “I hope to get along with all of you well, but who’s the enlightened leader of our department?”

“That would be me.” said the familiar face with the bag. “And this is my welcoming present for you. You said that the airport guys lost your personal grooming kit, right? Hope you like it.” continued Dan.

“So, you coming with us to the rooftop for the Labour Day fireworks?” said a rather ‘cheeky’ looking lass from the team. “Apparently we can get a decent view.”

by **Sky Reavers** » Sat May 29, 2021 1:02 pm

Flight to Neo-Manila, the very heart of Pan-Asia was long and unpleasant with two small children constantly screaming like there was no tomorrow. Thankfully for Ian Suarez, he was drunk on rum, so he just peacefully slept through the most of this flight, and woke up just in time, when the airliner was flying near the airport, right before landing. The international airport wasn't exactly the place of interest, Ian was extremely eager to see the city itself with all it's festivities, even if they are limited due to covid restrictions.

And so, Ian Suarez exits the airport. Dressed in his black tank top and beige cargo pants with some old grease stains, he got in auto repair shop, while fixing various cars and motorcycles. Their pockets held many things, from skllfully smuggled weed joints to a small wrench, which apparently was his lucky charm. With it, he belvied, he could fix anything, car, pipe, or even a terrorist attack. His sandals revealed, that he misses one of his toes. He lost it in a workplace accident, when he was younger and stupider, but instead gained an insight in common sense and safety rules. Ian also wore a steampunk gear necklace, sunglasses and an ammo bracelet, made of leather and ten dummy rounds. His red long hair was assembled in a ponytail. In his hand, he held a bottle of beer, which he emptied really fast and after some refuelling, he went on to get these Labor Vouchers.

"What the heck are those vouchers anyway? And if I end up short on them, where can I fix some things to earn some?"- He thought, as he exchanged his money and after that, he looked at the list of top locations. He decided, to visit the Great Pacific Revolution Monument. He just walked there, then he observed the revolution monument for a while. He felt some sort of a spiritual link, as his grandparents have fought in other revolution, where the people of Sky Reavers have earned their freedom with blood. He silently stood for a while, and after awaking from this feeling, he decided to visit one of the souvenir shops and buy a Red Army helmet replica, he decided to put on right after buying.

Suddenly, he saw a familiar face among the other people - that Pan-Asian soldier, side by side with whom, he fought against the common enemy. He never exactly planned to fight in battles, and he fought, because Azure Beaches Five Stars Resort was attacked by Crusaders, when he had a vacation there. He remembers, how at first, he grabbed his revolver and helped to build the barricades... then, when Pan-Asian soldiers have arrived, he was fighting the enemies with an assault rifle, he picked from a fallen comrade, while still wearing his beach shorts. And this guy, he recognized, was one of the ally soldiers, near whom he was during the battle. Side by side. Now, he is either off duty or just ended his service.

He looked again at the face and then he became certain, that this is the man, with whom he fought side by side. Ian was so glad to see this man alive and well and so curious about his life after military service, that he came near him and patted his shoulder -"Oh, howdy there dude! I still remember ya'! Ya' save mah' ass so many times during that battle! How it's hangin' now?"

by **Zhouran** » Mon Jun 07, 2021 4:18 am

HOME - Resonance

Various apartment towers by the Yongkang River in Hexie lit up at night

HEXIE
KANGSONG DISTRICT
YANHAI PROVINCE
PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF ZHOURAN
21:50 Zhouran Standard Time (UTC+11:00) - 05/01/2021
Ouxikong Aili - Shenlunluo–Haxikang Workers' Daily

It's only been three months ever since she broke up with Beiyuelun Tieshun, but even then she found it difficult to move on. The two had been dating ever since Beiyuelun started working at Shenlunluo–Haxikang Workers' Daily roughly four years ago. However, Beiyuelun broke up with Ouxikong because of 'incompatibility' and that he wanted to "see other people". Despite breaking up, the two were still friends, especially since they work for the same employer. However, no matter how hard she tried, Ouxikong still can't move on and instead yearns to re-ignite the spark between her and Beiyuelun. "I fucked up the first time so I'm not gonna fuck it up again" Ouxikong whispered to herself. "There's still a chance that Teishun wants me back, I made a mistake and I'll avoid it next time."

Ouxikong was sitting by herself in the sofa at her apartment. It was night time, apart from the bright lights outside the window the only light inside was her kitchen light and the lamp light by the corner of her living room. She sat in her grey linen couch, both her legs crossed. Ouxikong took a sip of her hot chocolate while she sat meters away from her 50-inch flat-screen UHD 4K Smart TV, watching episodes of her favorite Zhouranese animated sitcom. Back when they were still together, Ouxikong and Beiyuelun would always watch TV together, but now Ouxikong was on her own and the experience was never the same without Beiyuelun.

Ouxikong was the type of girl who may appear rough on the outside but was soft on the inside. Prior to becoming a journalist for Shenlunluo–Haxikang Workers' Daily, she served in the ZPA Air Force for eight years and was a fighter pilot. One day, while off-duty, Ouxikong injured her right knee while out for a jog, and from that very injury she left the ZPA Air Force. However, not giving up on the sense of adventure, Ouxikong studied to become a journalist, receiving her Bachelor's in International Journalism just five years ago. One interesting thing about Ouxikong was that she wasn't full-blooded Kangyuli. While her father, a highly-decorated commissioned officer in the ZPA Navy, is a full-blooded Kangyuli Zhouranese, her mother, a registered nurse, on the other is an ethnic Indonesian coming from Jakarta, PAS. Despite her mixed background, Ouxikong saw herself as Zhouranese by heart and the only culture she understand is the Zhouranese culture. This is no surprise however as mixed Zhouranese children are 99.4% from marriages between Zhouranese men and foreign women. Plus, like with the very tiny percentage of foreigners living in Zhouran, her mother integrated into Zhouranese society in order to coexist with the Kangyuli Zhouranese. Thus, Ouxikong's Indonesian mother never taught her anything about Indonesian culture, and instead like with any mixed Zhouranese kids, Ouxikong only knows Zhouranese culture. This is also further reinforced by the fact that Ouxikong looks more Zhouranese than Southeast Asian.

As she missed Beiyuelun, Ouxikong grabbed her smartphone and decided to ask one of his mates where he his.

"Hey, Sulan. It's me, Aili. Do you know where Tieshun is?" She asked calmly. "Oh, uh, yeah, Tieshun is out of the country" Beiyuelun's mate replied. Anxious, Ouxikong asked for Beiyuelun's whereabouts, to which Beiyuelun's mate replied "some city called Neo-Manila in some country called the Pan-Asiatic States". Ouxikong thanked him and rushed to her desktop in the living room as she began searching for any flights to Neo-Manila from Hexie. Luckily, there was one flight from Zhouran National Air Fleet Express, however this flight doesn't leave Hexie until the next morning. "Are you kidding me!" Ouxikong shouted in anger. Regardless, she quickly booked for a ticket and began frantically packing clothes into a luggage. "Tieshun you cheeky bastard, your ass can't hide from me."

by **Pan-Asiatic States** » Mon Jul 12, 2021 6:58 am

Capital District, Neo-Manila

Sky Reavers wrote:He decided, to visit the Great Pacific Revolution Monument. He just walked there, then he observed the revolution monument for a while. He felt some sort of a spiritual link, as his grandparents have fought in other revolution, where the people of Sky Reavers have earned their freedom with blood.

The monument, 279 ft tall, towered over Ian Suarez. Similar to the Washington Monument in the United States, it was surrounded by several tall flagpoles that bore the Pan-Asiatic States' standard. It was a clear, high-visibility day and the flags were fluttering in the wind of a bright, quiet Neo-Manila afternoon.

Sky Reavers wrote:Suddenly, he saw a familiar face among the other people - that Pan-Asian soldier, side by side with whom, he fought against the common enemy.

In the sea of families taking their children to the historic site; of locals hanging out around the statue; and of teachers with their students on field trips of the city Ian Suarez easily spotted his Pan-Asian acquaintance (despite his relatively shorter, Asian stature) by his distinctive war-veteran's attire: an all-black suit decorated by numerous medals signifying achievements in the recent Skyhookedian Resistance War, and an accompanying black Mao cap that had a red star stitched on to it.

As Ian Suarez advanced up the flight of stairs leading closer to the base of the monument (phasing through a small crowd of locals and fellow tourists alike), he saw a better glimpse of his friend—a Filipino man in his mid-30s observing the visiting schoolchildren as they curiously read a plaque near the statues' feet, upon which was etched the following:

"This monument commemorates the many shared sacrifices of the brave men and women of the Pan-Asiatic States Armed Forces and the Soviet Red Army. From the Long March of Jiangxi to Shaanxi, from the Volga River to the Black Sea, from Lingayen Gulf to the Pacific Ocean - Communist Revolutionaries have fought and died through the ages to secure our nation’s unity and independence. May their sacrifices remind us all that freedom is a privilege afforded to the many, yet hard won by a noble few."

Sky Reavers wrote:"Oh, howdy there dude! I still remember ya'! Ya' save mah' ass so many times during that battle! How it's hangin' now?"

"Ah, Ian, my good friend," the veteran said warmly, responding to Ian Suarez's query. "I am well, very well—my tour in Brunei ended just a few weeks ago, and my wife is expecting another child. How about you, how is your country? Still rebuilding?"

by **Pan-Asiatic States** » Mon Jul 12, 2021 7:15 am

Zhouran wrote:
Pan-Asiatic States wrote:Laurel District
Though the socialist system in the Pan-Asiatic States had its inefficiencies, perhaps one of the greatest aspects of its authoritarianism that was cause for celebration was the vast array of public spaces accessible to the citizens of Neo-Manila. The Laurel District wasn't the most rural of regions in the Tagalog Soviet Socialist Republic, but still, even beneath the vast underground strip malls, sky-high offices, and sprawling entertainment plazas, there were just so many places where Beiyuelun could mingle with the people. Perhaps his journalistic mind observed these things subconsciously, perhaps he sensed it deliberately.

Everywhere in the Laurel District, there were scores of coffee shops where cultural workers engaged in snobby bourgeoise rhetoric. There were churches of every denomination (and even a few cults) that talked freely about worshipping anything under the sun. There were universities large and small that taught a variety of different trades, from the Tagalog State University that housed bureaucrats, accountants, and sociologists to the Neo-Manila Polytechnic University that honed the skills of physicists, mathematicians, and chemists. This was the modern heart of Neo-Manila—a district that embodied the 21st Century era of the Pan-Asiatic States. It is a pristine section of the city filled with life and wonder, where the artist expresses his will free from political censorship; where the scientist was not discouraged by the servile chains of morality; where the worker is judged by his merit and not the race of his origin. Magnificent skyscrapers and vibrant architecture deck its horizon. Neon lights and clean alleys emanate from street to street.

Beiyuelun's exploration ultimately took him to a billboard that called the Laurel District "the shine in the Pearl of the Orient".

It seemed that there were lots of places where he could conduct his interview the following day.

Although Beiyuelun's trip to Neo-Manila was strictly a journalist trip and not a holiday, Beiyuelun just couldn't help but wander around like a tourist. While exploring the streets of Laurel District, he stopped in front of a large billboard that describes Laurel District itself as "the shine in the Pearl of the Orient". He then looked around and found an available taxi.

Sprinting towards the taxi, he kindly asked the driver in the typical Zhouranese blunt-but-kind way "hey, sir, is it alright if you can drive me around the district and drop me off at any entertainment plazas, in fact I'll pay you double". Even though Beiyuelun was speaking English, he had a slight Zhouranese accent to him. If one was to describe what such accent would sound like, it would basically be strong word stress, phrase prosody, strong rhotic hard-Rs, and weird tonal-shifting that gives a funny pitch-accent sound.

Laurel District

The taxicab driver shrugged. He didn't mind the foreigner in his vehicle, it was a nice change in pace that this one was culturally and linguistically closer to the Chinese citizens of the Pan-Asiatic States than the more Western tourists he was accustomed to driving around the city during occasions like Labor Day. Though he did make a mental note that this encounter meant that what he had heard from his fellow members in the local public transport union was correct—the Zhouranese tourists that came to visit the country were stacked with cash to pull something like this off.

"I will take you to the Laurel District Center, bossing. Well, if you don't mind the university students that is—they usually hang around there during these hours to have drinks and take a break from studying." With that, the vehicle zoomed into the night—the lights of the city faded into blurring neon.

There was mild traffic on the way there so the driver attempted to make some small take with his passenger. He revealed his face, that of a fat, middle-aged tsinoy, via the rear view mirror. "You know, my cousin's brother-in-law studied in Ouyang for a while. I believe it was part of some sort of exchange student program. He used to send me some pirated Zhouranese movies he buy at the bazaars there.. that's how I know you're Zhouranese. Or at least I think you are, sometimes I'm wrong about these things..."

by **Sky Reavers** » Mon Jul 12, 2021 7:57 am

Pan-Asiatic States wrote:"Ah, Ian, my good friend," the veteran said warmly, responding to Ian Suarez's query. "I am well, very well—my tour in Brunei ended just a few weeks ago, and my wife is expecting another child. How about you, how is your country? Still rebuilding?"

Ian Suarez takes a hearty gulp of beer and responds to this question: "Well, the damages were not crippling. Those crusaders have only managed to cause chaos on the beach district of Auzre Beaches resort, but it looked like it was hit by tsunami. All while other enemies launched some chemical weapons at several villages. It took some sweet time to decontaminate the villages and fix the resort, but this wasn't a nationwide disaster, but many people were killed or injured. Thanks to your nation's investments, we have rebuilt the resort in record time and made it even more attractive to tourists and businesses. It now has an additional oriental style district and a war monument at the town center. It depicts our warrior and Pan-Asian soldier fighting back to back agaisnt crusaders and commemorates our ferocity and your iron discipline, united agaisnt common enemy.

As for me, after the battle, I have taken my share of loot, sold some, then took a vacation, smoked weed and had lots of ice cold booze. I also decided to keep some loot, for example, a sword, which replaced my baseball bat near my bed. Or a helmet, I put on a shelf. I still work in auto-shop, fixin' things and gettin' some grease stains. Hope your wife is fine and fit as a fiddle! And your kids too! I personally decided to live as a bachelor. Kids are nice, sure, but ain't my glass of whiskey. Wonder, how did ya' feel after the battle? And how was that tour to Brunei?"

by **Pan-Asiatic States** » Mon Jul 12, 2021 10:22 am

Sky Reavers wrote:
Pan-Asiatic States wrote:"Ah, Ian, my good friend," the veteran said warmly, responding to Ian Suarez's query. "I am well, very well—my tour in Brunei ended just a few weeks ago, and my wife is expecting another child. How about you, how is your country? Still rebuilding?"

Ian Suarez takes a hearty gulp of beer and responds to this question: "Well, the damages were not crippling. Those crusaders have only managed to cause chaos on the beach district of Auzre Beaches resort, but it looked like it was hit by tsunami. All while other enemies launched some chemical weapons at several villages. It took some sweet time to decontaminate the villages and fix the resort, but this wasn't a nationwide disaster, but many people were killed or injured. Thanks to your nation's investments, we have rebuilt the resort in record time and made it even more attractive to tourists and businesses. It now has an additional oriental style district and a war monument at the town center. It depicts our warrior and Pan-Asian soldier fighting back to back agaisnt crusaders and commemorates our ferocity and your iron discipline, united agaisnt common enemy.

As for me, after the battle, I have taken my share of loot, sold some, then took a vacation, smoked weed and had lots of ice cold booze. I also decided to keep some loot, for example, a sword, which replaced my baseball bat near my bed. Or a helmet, I put on a shelf. I still work in auto-shop, fixin' things and gettin' some grease stains. Hope your wife is fine and fit as a fiddle! And your kids too! I personally decided to live as a bachelor. Kids are nice, sure, but ain't my glass of whiskey. Wonder, how did ya' feel after the battle? And how was that tour to Brunei?"

"Ah, I see," said the veteran, smiling. "Well, I'll have to see how that resort of ours is faring then one of these days ha-ha! Preferably on a trip where shells aren't going over my head. I know this is a tropical country but honestly, I've not visited a real nice beach in ages—I've been working too hard, so my wife tells me.

In this country, there's nothing more important than family; and well, I have to provide for the newest little member of the Manlangit Family so I've been working my ass off. My two daughters, Calandria and Josefina, are doing well in school—do you remember when I told you about them? Back in that foxhole on Azure Beach? Ah, well, maybe you were a little too drunk back then to remember. Anyway, they performed a few leading roles in their high school play—I heard they got a standing ovation. Unfortunately, I wasn't there to see it but my wife sent me a recording.

And I've also been trying to keep myself out of harm's way for once. I got promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-General so now I'm mostly a paper-pusher. I know you Sky Reavers are battle-born and relish in the euphoria of combat but honestly, I'm just surprised we made it out alive... I know for a fact that the Pan-Asiatic States Armed Forces had entire company's worth of losses because of how rushed our defense was and how unpredictable those damn crusaders were. If we had only known just how well-trained, and well-equipped such a seemingly insignificant European microstate was..."

As Ian Suarez gulped his beer, the veteran pulled out a cigar, smoked it, and looked out into the distant skyline. There was really something about the picturesque harmony between parks and urban development, a kind of cleanliness that was one of the perks of an authoritarian socialist culture. "You wouldn't guess from the looks of it but it's been a rough year for the People's Federation, comrade. This is how it looks like here what with all the flag-waving and saluting, but out there, in Brunei—in Malaya, they're angry at us. We were told we'd just be going to pose for the governor there—something about maintaining public appearances so the Catholic settlers there feel a little safer—but upon our arrival we were immediately welcomed with protests from the Muslim locals. I don't know if you heard about it in the news. The whole time we were there we were anxious. Everyone who saw us in uniform gave us that stare, like they were ready to pull out an RPG on us at any moment."

Lieutenant-General Manlangit checked the time on his watch. It was sometime around 2. "Hey, Ian, have you eaten lunch? There's a pizzeria just two blocks from here if you want to go for some Hundredstar food. Or would you prefer we dine somewhere more local? I can't guarantee you'll like the food though," Manlangit asked, chuckling.

by **Sky Reavers** » Mon Jul 12, 2021 12:33 pm

Pan-Asiatic States wrote:"Ah, I see," said the veteran, smiling. "Well, I'll have to see how that resort of ours is faring then one of these days ha-ha! Preferably on a trip where shells aren't going over my head. I know this is a tropical country but honestly, I've not visited a real nice beach in ages—I've been working too hard, so my wife tells me.

In this country, there's nothing more important than family; and well, I have to provide for the newest little member of the Manlangit Family so I've been working my ass off. My two daughters, Calandria and Josefina, are doing well in school—do you remember when I told you about them? Back in that foxhole on Azure Beach? Ah, well, maybe you were a little too drunk back then to remember. Anyway, they performed a few leading roles in their high school play—I heard they got a standing ovation. Unfortunately, I wasn't there to see it but my wife sent me a recording.

And I've also been trying to keep myself out of harm's way for once. I got promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-General so now I'm mostly a paper-pusher. I know you Sky Reavers are battle-born and relish in the euphoria of combat but honestly, I'm just surprised we made it out alive... I know for a fact that the Pan-Asiatic States Armed Forces had entire company's worth of losses because of how rushed our defense was and how unpredictable those damn crusaders were. If we had only known just how well-trained, and well-equipped such a seemingly insignificant European microstate was..."

"But even the best and hardest worker must have a vacation, at least to prevent burnout. When ya' tried to tell me about your family, when we hid behind the "Freezio" ice cream fridge, I didn't exactly hear that, middle of the fight was a lil' bit too loud. I am glad, that your kids are performing very well and that they have a caring father like yourself. And nice to heer, that ya' managed to get promoted to such a high rank. Lieutenant -General... Our equivalent rank is "Aspiring warlord". It's a hard job to command a large numer of people. Especially, in an orderly nation like your's.

We didn't expect the crusaders to be that tough either, so we also lost lots of good men and women. Near the statue, we have built twin obelisks. One has names of our fallen warriors engraved, and the other has the names of Pan-Asian fallen soldiers. As for our warrior culture, it has appeared after the revolution of our own. We weren't always warriors. Long time ago, before I was born, our nation was called Enthorea. We were a nation of thinkers and artists, in it's golden age. We were also pacifist and disdained violence. However, one day, a private army of mercenaries and religious fanatics had come and staged a coup in our country, establishing a theocratic fascist regime. We were oppressed by the corporations, church and so called "superiors", they killed our intellectuals and sold our resources, while working us to death. For more than 20 years. Then we have revolted and barely won. Revenge was oh so sweet. We won our freedom by blood, we have created a hardy warrior culture, where everyone can bear arms.

As for Brunei... Being on guard is actually tiring and exhausting as far as I know, especially, when one doesn't know, when the potential terrorist may make the first shot, while alpha strike is too risky. May shoot innocent and start trouble when this is uncalled for."

Pan-Asiatic States wrote:Lieutenant-General Manlangit checked the time on his watch. It was sometime around 2. "Hey, Ian, have you eaten lunch? There's a pizzeria just two blocks from here if you want to go for some Hundredstar food. Or would you prefer we dine somewhere more local? I can't guarantee you'll like the food though," Manlangit asked, chuckling.

"Why not? I would like to sample some local dishes. We, Sky Reavers also have a varied cuisine. Perhaps there, we can talk a lil' bit more, after all, it's really nice to communicate with someone, who watched my back, while I watched his."-Suarez agrees.

by **Pan-Asiatic States** » Tue Jul 13, 2021 12:06 am

Sky Reavers wrote:Our equivalent rank is "Aspiring warlord". It's a hard job to command a large numer of people. Especially, in an orderly nation like your's.

Manlangit grinned at the mentioning of this rank. It was sort of funny that even the Sky Reavers themselves admitted to being warlords, but then again, they were known for being a very straightforward albeit indulgent people.

Sky Reavers wrote:We didn't expect the crusaders to be that tough either, so we also lost lots of good men and women. Near the statue, we have built twin obelisks. One has names of our fallen warriors engraved, and the other has the names of Pan-Asian fallen soldiers. As for our warrior culture, it has appeared after the revolution of our own. We weren't always warriors. Long time ago, before I was born, our nation was called Enthorea. We were a nation of thinkers and artists, in it's golden age. We were also pacifist and disdained violence. However, one day, a private army of mercenaries and religious fanatics had come and staged a coup in our country, establishing a theocratic fascist regime. We were oppressed by the corporations, church and so called "superiors", they killed our intellectuals and sold our resources, while working us to death. For more than 20 years. Then we have revolted and barely won. Revenge was oh so sweet. We won our freedom by blood, we have created a hardy warrior culture, where everyone can bear arms.

Manlangit quietly nodded in approval. This was one of the reasons the Pan-Asiatic States had such an affection for the Sky Reavers. Even though the Pan-Asian government wasn't too fond of anarchists—or any sort of disruptions in general—there existed an innate respect that it shared with peoples who have gone through similar historical experiences. Any and all ideological doubts Manlangit himself held about the Sky Reavers were washed away during the Crusade.

Sky Reavers wrote:"Why not? I would like to sample some local dishes. We, Sky Reavers also have a varied cuisine. Perhaps there, we can talk a lil' bit more, after all, it's really nice to communicate with someone, who watched my back, while I watched his."-Suarez agrees.

"Very well then," Manlangit answered. "You are our guest in this country, you should indeed try to do things you wouldn't be able to do back home," he continued. "I know a hole-in-the-wall grill a couple of blocs from here, if you don't mind walking."

Manlangit led Ian Suarez across the main avenue, diametrically-opposed to the rear of the monument. The two headed through a commercial compound clearly meant to attract tourists—there were trinket shops selling various souvenirs like refrigerator magnets, statuettes, and commemoration postcards of the Great Pacific War; as well as stores that sold wartime history books, tour guides, maps of the city, desk portraits of various Pan-Asian leaders, and ideological propaganda.

The sidewalk ran thinner and thinner, and the two tread carefully as to not be run-over by the hordes of buses, cars, and motorcycles that raced to meet their respective destinations. Eventually they reached a narrow alley that led to a cul-de-sac of three local cuisine restaurants. The third from the left smelled of pork roasting on an open fire, and freshly-brewed beer. "Best in the neighborhood," Manlangit told Suarez, inviting him to dine there.

There were no waiters or attendants—the restaurant was very plain-looking and simple. It was mainly just a dimly-lit unpainted concrete room with chairs and tables inside and outside. Of the staff, one man manned the grill and did the cooking, while the cashier took the orders. The few patrons being served seemed to mind their own business, watching television from the far side of the room as they themselves enjoyed a few drinks. Manlangit approached the counter and ordered something in the native language.

"Is there anything in particular you'd like to try?" Manlangit asked, turning to his comrade.

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