Years ago, you were uprooted from the only home you had ever known and captured to be sold as a slave. Now, war is at your doorstep once more while you are left in a delicate position — as a commander of the country that invaded your homeland. While investigating a case of illegal human trafficking, you come across a plot that threatens to rip this tentative peace apart.
This is the first book of the series Eyes of Shan, an 18+ trilogy that follows your character, The Commander, through the tumultous times of an empire on the brink of war. Set in the fictional Empire of Hae, explore the bitter relationship between two countries and make choices that will decide which side you ally yourself with.
Play as male or female, choose to romance characters or build friendships along the way.
Pick between various interactions with those who fate crosses your paths with.
Shape the course of history with your choices.
Uncover a mysterious black market and auction selling body parts to the highest bidder.
Choose whether to aid a slave in attempting to run away from the palace.
Explore the vast Empire of Hae, from the stunning Gwangjeom Palace to the cold walls of the North.
What choices will you make, Commander?
DEMO | KOFI | PATREON
as of 26/12/23,
word count has increased from 121k to 178k
bugs from the previous version have been fixed
romance and relationship system fixed
please feel free to leave a comment or review it!
content warnings: violence, death, attempted sexual assault (not to pc), war, torture, racism, EXTREMELY SLOW BURN
lee hansol (your lieutenant) | m
Your closest friend and your faithful lieutenant in the Samjogo. Honourable and steadfast, you know that you can trust him to guard your back in battle. Although he is of nobility, he has never once looked down on you or your origins.
jeo yongsun (the emperor/empress) | m/f
The sixteenth ruler of Hae who saved you during the last clash between the Shan and Hae. The reason is unknown to you, but you owe them your life regardless. An effective and beloved monarch, they can be airheaded and seem a little too relaxed at times — but behind their unperturbed smile lies a frightening mind...
lee wooyoung (a deviant nobleman) | m
A lively nobleman donning a permanent grin, Wooyoung is a free spirit who flaunts a rebellious streak. He has a deep-rooted distate for the military — and an aversion to doing anything vaguely fruitful with his life, much to his cousin's exasperation.
jang raon (the physician's assistant) | f
The primary physician responsible for the Samjogo, Raon would rather remain hidden away in the clinic testing out new concoctions or grinding away at herbs. Her thirst of knowledge is unquenchable, and she will stop at nothing to reach that elusive 'cure'.
no-eul of the su (an unpredictable foe) | m/f
The right hand of the High Leader, No-Eul cuts a terrifying figure on the battlefield, bearing the moniker "Hundred Man No-Eul". They are completely devoted to the cause that they are fighting for, but when you are confronted with the near fanatical extremes of their beliefs... only time will tell if they are a friend or enemy.
???? (the high leader who touches the sky) | m/f
To be discovered...
#nsfuu: not safe for uuork
#r: the commander's chest: art or content created by fans
#o: wooyoung's letters: asks about all the characters
#o: insu's library: asks regarding world building and lore
idk if you know this already but just to give you a heads up: https://www.tumblr.com/winxroxy5/772796879365931008/dashingdon-free-choicescript-game-hosting?source=share
pengu pengu pengu I'm not sure if you know of EPIC: The Musical, but they just released the final saga and the musical's finale number reminded me sooooo much of the Commander and So (assuming my hunch is right and that So is actually who I think it is 👀). Like please kindly observe, exhibit A:
'Left a trail of red on every island As I traded friends like objects I could use Hurt more lives than I can count on my hands But all of that was to bring me back to you.
So tell me, Would you fall in love with me again, If you knew all I've done? The things I can't undo, I am not the man you knew. I know that you've been waiting, waiting.'
...
'I will fall in love with you, over and over again I don't care how, where, or when; No matter how long it's been, you're mine. Don't tell me you're not the same person, You're always my husband And I've been waiting, waiting for you.'
Just aaaaaaa, 'Would You Fall in Love With Me Again' feels like it could be their song to me, and I just needed to ask you if I'm onto something or completely off the mark with this haha
IF so was theoretically still alive and theoretically a possible RO, this would extremely heart breaking yes </3
Hello! i hope you're doing well. I wanted to ask if this IF was abandonned or put on hiatus. I know you've been rewriting it (i personally don't think there's been anything wrong with it?) but there hasn't been any/much about its progress so i thought asking.
hi!! i'm doing well at the moment :)) internship is wrapping up so i've been taking the time to review some stuff about the story and am also working on the next chapter now!! i'm hoping for the next update to be a bit more meaty which is why i've been taking more time with it :D i hope to have it released some time in february!!
Hi pengu, is your patreon going to be paused if you're not going to be active? It looks like the last patreon post was 5 months ago, but there's no announcement there & it's still taking money.
hi, omg i'm really sorry about this! i thought i should leave it on in case people still wanted to access some of the posts, but i didn't think about those who were still subscribed 😰 i should have made it clear! if any of you were affected by this, please dm me your email (keep your personal information safe!) on tumblr or patreon and i'll provide a full refund for july onwards! so sorry about this again
has no-eul appeared in person in the story yet? i'm trying to get through all the possible romances that i can and i don't think i've heard them mentioned at all yet, so
nope! no-eul will only be romanceable in book 2 :)
How long has High Leader been working on the unification of the Shan tribes? And if it isn't a spoiler, how did High Leader do it? Was it through conflict, peaceful means, or mix of both?
how long have they been actively working towards it? they've only started to make big moves in the last year or so. as for how they did it... through any means neccessary :)
Hansol makes me so conflicted because on one hand he obviously cares for MC a lot but on the other hand his family is responsible for so much of MC's strife and he would love for them to just get along somehow. He strikes me as an action hero who would sacrifice his love to save the world so i'm not sure how good for MC he would be after all they went through (he is so attractive tho help).
honestly i think hansol has some of the most gut wrenching conflicts with the commander (if you choose it). i fully expect to make myself cry writing it ♥️♥️
(Please forgive me. I have Yongsun brain rot again. Feel free to ignore lol
MC was told to keep a dairy/journal to practice their writing. One drunk entry tucked between the pages is waiting for a certain someone to find, perhaps a certain royal they have it bad for)
My first memory of you is a fever dream.
Stumbling into halls I did not know,
Lost and limping in rooms I have never seen,
And there you were.
As if you had been waiting for me.
You took me by the hand,
And how am I not supposed to think of you as mine when
How effortlessly that hand slipped into mine,
And how bright you were when you smiled at me then,
And despite everything I knew thats where your hand belonged
And you taught me this language, how to read and write,
Did you know my first words would be your name?
Did you know I love the taste of it on my lips?
I am not supposed to think of you as mine?
I know I should not want
But I can never seem to care
Now when I see you all I want
Is for you to shove me against the wall
And ravage me with that pretty mouth
Until we both have forgotten what breath is
When I see you in your garden
I want to push you down in the gazebo
I want to see you flushed and wanting
Until you cannot think of anything else but me
I keep telling myself that
I know I should not want
But I can never seem to care
That you are not mine….
damn what an absolute simp of a commander and you know what? completely valid
Sorry if this has been asked before, but do the Shan have a preferred colour to their clothes? And does it vary between grown-ups and children? Thank you <3
shan nomads wear something similar to the mongolian deel - a long sleeved tunic that comes to about knee length, folded right over left at the chest, with pants beneath! dressing is similar for both men and women, but different tribes in different regions have their styles. the colours are usually dull and come in shades of blacks, red-browns, dark greys and navy blues, with brighter colours and better materials reserved for festive occasions such as weddings or first year celebrations. as for children, they just wear miniature versions of what the adults do :)
i just finished eyes of shan for the first time & went through a rollercoaster of despair & joy ystd [when i saw the last update was 2023.. then shortly after u came back to life]. i really love your writing (the lyricism of it?!)! that said welcome back to life, burnout rly sucks. atb for school & life.
ps. you somehow also got me rehooked on saegeuk music (e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DLf-9MW1i8) because of all the ahn ye eun i went to listen to again... (night flower insane loops was my thesis writing hell, but i still decided redflag emperor/empress is my drug, lol).
thanks for what you put out so far! <3 take care.
sageuk music was my drug for writing eos, although i've become partial to the dune ost and amvs!! redflag yongsun is one of my favourite characters that I've ever written, hope you're excited to explore more of them as the story goes on 😉
Just wanna say until I read through your tumblr I thought Insu was supposed to look like Chancellor Chi-Fu from Mulan. Imagine my shock when I learned he's actually younger than me.
Penguuu you are back! I am so glad you are okay and healthy and that you were just away due to life getting busy and not because of something serious! 🥹
For a minute there, I thought that we scared you away with our thirsty table aks or that that anon had captured you with that cheese trap🪤 I am honestly so glad you are okay and that nothing seriously wrong happened 😊 do not worry about the burnout and lack of motivation, you have so much on your plate. It is only natural to feel this way. But I know you can do this! Just take it one step at a time and do not worry about us. Now that we know you are okay, we can wait 😊 Life cannot keep you down! You are pengu!!! This is you:
i will never fall for the cheese trap ever 🧀 but thank you for the well wishes!! i will work on getting the next chapter out soon <3
