Focus on the good side of Guard service! Encased from head to toe in rubber, your feet booted, your head shaved and your primary sexual organ locked away. #serve #rubbersoldier #gummiaoldat #headshave #baldnochoice

its a good day when a friend puts the gorget on your neck.

“Go on,” the second Enforcer said, his tone mockingly encouraging. “Stand up. Walk around. Tell us how it feels to be on the receiving end of the system you love so much.”

D3X19’s face flushed red, his movements stiff and unnatural as the collar guided him to his feet.

"the collar turns an unpredictable subject into a data‑rich, safely restrained source of testimony—without the bruises, broken wrists, or civil‑rights challenges that handcuffs and arm‑bars invite. Use the tech; keep the process clean."

Two red stripes down the forehead, measured exactly apart, regulation distance. They call them the “marks of vigilance.” I think of them as the line that separates before and after. My hair was bleached until the color stopped meaning anything, cut to the bone so the helmet seals clean.

“It’s best for you,” she said.

The collar clicked. A faint hiss. The boy froze, eyes wide, mouth half-open. The control system took over in silence: muscles locked, voice suppressed, breath steady and slow. His scarf slipped from his lap to the floor.

Arven’s smile appeared, slight and private. Pride, possession, and something older that had survived the reforms.

“Of course it is,” he said, and withdrew his hand.

The guard’s eyelids fluttered again, and the scene vanished from his eyes as though overwritten.

Palace Guard kneels in front of the throne to present a sceptre and medal.

The Palace Guard kneels to present the medal.