#papers please the inspector

[sergeantcowboy]

Papers, please fanart? In the year of our lord 2025?? It's more likely than you think.

Anyways, here's my interpretation of how I think the inspector looks. I tried to make him different from the short movie version but it's impossible, the casting was too spot on, in my head he's just clearly some semi tall skinny pale guy with dark hair and a prominent nose. (I'm going to ignore the family photo you see in game, when I think of bureaucrats I think "clean shaven")

I also gave him scars because he's clearly familiar with guns and a good shot so I decided he has a bit of a war background.

[skullkandiii]

[duckstuff2008]

DETAINED!!

I just played this more-than-a-decade-old game and on golly I love Calensk and Inspector sm.

Also, just finished the Return of the Obra Dinn as well! The last pic is how I imagine the player on the Obra Dinn hehe

Edit: Btw! I'm open to Q&As! Would love to interact with the community :]

[skarxk]

[ryunumber]

Inspector from Papers, Please

The inspector does not have a Ryu Number.

[sweetyart]

On a smoke break

[tobydontknowsh-t]

you are hot like fire object of desire wrap my heart in wire approve my visa please they're gonna kill me

[swanno-arts]

hi my 2 (two) (?) other vonector shippers

[thenortherngoat832]

PART 1 "M. Vonel" (fem! inspector)

YEEEEAH, I`VE FINISHED IT

[momokat]

Inktober 2024 Day 7 "Passport" POV: You're Jorji Costava

[hoodedboy79]

"Next"/Inspector & Calensk

I still believe in Calensk supremacy 🛐

Also this isn't proof read so my bad for any mistakes.

=========

Repetitive.

That was the only word that came to the Inspector's mind as he continued checking passports, stamping documents, and listening to the same tired excuses, threats, and desperate pleas.

Some begged, others got too personal, spilling their misfortunes to a stranger who had neither the power nor the will to help them. A few tried intimidation, but most just pleaded, hoping he’d ignore the discrepancies that would have them detained.

It was a monotonous job.

"Good morning."

Startled, the Inspector looked up at the gruff voice.

Calensk stood at the booth’s entrance, his expression as hardened and indifferent as ever. A hastily rolled cigarette dangled between his fingers, but before stepping inside, he flicked it into the snow.

Before the Inspector could return the greeting, Calensk reached into his pocket and placed something on the counter.

A single 5-credit note.

"You detained five people. Well done," he said, nodding, his mouth curling up just slightly—almost impressed.

He promised 10 credits last time.

"This is not enough."

"Yes, I know."

Calensk sighed, hesitating for a moment before continuing.

"My wife sick now. Neighbor spreads the flu." He gestured toward the note. "This is what is left after medicine."

A pause.

"I give you rest next time. Maybe you detain more people to make it easier," he added with a listless shrug before stalking off back to his post.

The Inspector pocketed the note without a word.

"Next."

---

The snow thickened as the Inspector trudged to work, his boots sinking with each step. The cold wasn’t just biting—it seeped into his bones.

Arstotzka was always cold, but today felt worse.

His house wasn't much warmer. Thin blankets barely helped, and his family huddled together at night for warmth, but it was never enough. With winter rolling in, they would have to turn the heat on soon, but they couldn't afford it. His son had already spent too many nights shivering.

That was why he forced himself out the door every morning.

That, and the man leaning against his booth.

"Morning," the Inspector muttered as he unlocked the door, stepping inside.

Calensk followed, closing the door behind them.

"You look tired," he observed as the Inspector slumped into his chair.

"Son was sick again. Kept us up during the night."

Calensk hummed in acknowledgment, eyes scanning the Inspector’s weary face. This wasn’t the first time he’d heard about the boy’s illness.

"The cold gets to him easy. The lack of food doesn’t help." The Inspector exhaled sharply, looking away. "My wife and her mother try to keep him warm, try to keep him from catching anything from the neighbors, but it hasn’t worked."

Calensk didn’t respond right away. He knew medicine was expensive. Too expensive. It was why he’d turned to certain… alternatives to make extra money. And he could see the toll it was taking on the Inspector, too.

Before he could say anything, the checkpoint alarm blared, signaling the start of the workday.

"You should get to your post," the Inspector said, voice lighter now. "Boss will have your head if he notices you're not."

Calensk scoffed, unbothered by the thinly veiled threat. Without another word, he stepped outside.

The Inspector pressed the buzzer.

"Next."

"Entry is not guaranteed."

"Next."

"Please have your papers ready."

More people came through. More were turned away. As usual, curses and insults were hurled his way.

A typical day.

Another buzzer press. Another hopeful face.

This one was different.

A rough-looking man strode in, his posture skittish but his steps confident.

Before the Inspector could ask for his documents, something was shoved into his hands.

"DEATH TO ARSTOTZKA!"

The man bolted back into Kolechia.

The Inspector barely had time to process what had just happened.

Then he heard it.

Ticking.

His eyes snapped to the box on his desk. His breath caught in his throat.

"What is going on?"

Calensk’s voice cut through the moment.

The Inspector turned, panic barely concealed. Calensk followed his gaze—then scoffed.

"Oh. Hah."

"What is this amateur shit?"

He stepped closer, peering down at the bomb like it was an insult rather than a threat.

"Should we evacuate?" the Inspector asked.

"For that little thing? No, of course not."

"Just disable it. Open the cover."

The Inspector hesitated, but did as he was told. His hands trembled slightly as he removed the panel.

"Stupid fucking terrorists," Calensk muttered, unimpressed. "Could not even add a display."

The Inspector glanced at him. "How do you know so much about bombs?"

Calensk ignored the question.

"This is the poorest bomb I ever seen. A simple mind created this."

He pulled a pair of pliers from his coat and shoved them through the paper slot.

"Just cut the wires in order."

With unsteady hands, the Inspector followed his instructions. One by one, the wires snapped.

Then—silence.

The ticking stopped.

The Inspector let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

"Ok. All done—back to work."

"We should close the checkpoint."

"Bullshit. I need to earn money today."

The unspoken 'So do you' lingered between them.

"Give bomb to me."

The Inspector blinked. "What?"

"I sell materials and give you a cut."

A pause. Then, wordlessly, the Inspector slid the bomb forward. Calensk grabbed it, tucking it under his jacket.

"What a piece of shit," he muttered, mostly to himself. "Doubt it’s even worth much."

He turned to leave.

"Call the next immigrant."

"Next."

---

"Inspector."

Calensk always had a habit of appearing without warning.

The Inspector barely looked up from the disorganized stack of papers in front of him.

"What now, Calensk?"

A brown paper bag landed on his desk.

"Here."

The Inspector finally glanced up, eyes narrowing. "What is this?"

"Food. From my wife. Bread and lard. She made extra." Calensk hesitated, then added, "For your son. Good for colds."

The Inspector stared at the bag.

Gratitude felt foreign these days. Like a muscle he hadn’t used in years.

"Thank you." His voice was quiet. Sincere.

Calensk waved it off. "You look worse than usual."

The Inspector huffed a tired chuckle. "You’re full of advice today."

"Somebody has to be."

The radio crackled. A voice barked out orders: a Kolechian diplomat was expected soon.

Calensk scowled. "Diplomats. Pieces of shit. Always think they’re better than the rest of us."

The Inspector smirked faintly in agreement.

Calensk turned to leave, but the Inspector called after him.

"Be careful with that… thing you took earlier."

Calensk glanced back, smirking. "Don’t worry about me, Inspector. Worry about your lines."

Then he was gone, his boots crunching in the snow.

The Inspector shook his head, returning to his work.

As he pressed his stamp onto the next document, he realized something.

For the first time in a long while, he didn’t feel entirely alone.

"Next."

========

I'm starting to get writer's block again and just losing motivation in general, but I might write a part 2 to this if anyone wants it before I fall off the face of the earth for another 3 months 💀

Hope this was decent!

[sergeantcowboy]

Papers, Please headcanons?

Hi anon thanks for the cool ass question. (Sometimes I feel bad like I've abandoned the papers, please fandom when in reality I'm just focusing on other things)

Anyways here's some papers, please headcanons for you guys.

The inspector and his sister used to be some sort of rebellion fighters or saboteurs. Possibly during the war with Kolechia. That would explain why EZIC is so trusting of the inspector even if you completely ignore all their tasks. And that's also why your sister gets arrested during the game. Her husband and the inspectors nieces father was probably also part of it and either he was arrested earlier or he's dead.

The inspectors niece is also a bit older than his son, she's much more aware of how corrupt Arstotzka is and doesn't fall for the propaganda.

The inspectors son on the other hand is younger and has fallen for the propaganda Jojo Rabbit style. He's a sweet kid he just believes what the TV and teachers and politicians say. The rest of the inspectors family knows better but they don't correct him, you can't really trust a child that young to keep it to himself and they don't want to risk M.O.I knocking on their door over something a 6 year old said in school. It's safer to let him believe it and hope he isn't too radicalized by the time he's older.

The inspectors son is also a scout of some kind. Like the Soviet Unions young pioneers but the Arstotzka version.

I like to think the EZIC messenger is not the same guy every time. (There's actually some proof on this since the weight is different every time)

Sergiu lives with his mother, he's young and he's just been fighting in a six year war, he hasn't had the time to get his own place.

Sergiu's mother is around the same age as the inspector and went to school with him back in Nirsk. They weren't friends and barely talked but she would recognize him by name alone, the inspector on the other hand would barely remember who she was.

The one lady that recognizes the inspector says "you were such a little brat" so I like to imagine that the inspector was this shrimpy little kid who had a short fuse, was a bit of a know it all, and picked fights with kids over half his size.

Also the same lady says she worked with the inspectors father, for some reason I like to think that his father was a mortician.

His father was also abusive and distant, the inspector barely talks about him. Other than maybe occasionally doing the old man thing where he tells a "funny story" involving him that isn't funny at all.

Sergiu and Elisa met when Sergiu was deployed in some small village while Arstotzka was occupying parts of Kolechia. There wasn't much fighting to be done during that time and in that area, and Sergiu always tried to remain kind and respectful to the people living there, so he and Elisa had the time to form a sweet romance.

By the end of the war when Sergiu was no longer deployed in her village Elisa's family was killed, possibly in a bombing, and she was left with no one else.

Sergiu's mother was a bit reluctant about Elisa being a Kolechian and coming to live with them, but she trusts her sons judgement and was aware of the relationship since the beginning (he probably wrote to her about it during the war). She eventually started liking her a lot.

Elisa and Sergiu had a child pretty soon after Elisa moved in with him. Elisa insisted on the inspector becoming their first borns godfather, which he agreed to.

The inspector has a resting bitch face that makes him look threathening to most people. The entrants as well as the guards are usually are pretty surprised to find out how lenient and kind he can be if you have enough of a sob story.

The inspector is skinny and doesn't have much muscle (he works behind a desk all day and one of the entrants says "you're nothing but skin and bone" before giving him an ad for a gym) so he isn't really physically threathening but he is one of those threatheningly tall people.

Some of the entrants who insult you and who you have to detain have tried to get physical with him, but the glass divider thankfully makes it hard. The most anyone's gotten is grabbing his hand through the slot the papers go in and out of and pulling him against the glass but Calensk got to the guy before any real damage was done.

The inspector also has a ridiculously good aim. He has to open the booth door in order to shoot which also puts him in the direct line of fire, but he almost never misses. He may seem panicked when he tells the entrant to leave the booth but when he gets the tranquilizer gun or the sniper rifle in his hands he's scarily cool headed.

Dimitri comes to the checkpoint every time a terrorist attack happens, mostly to assess the damage and get a run down on what happened. He's never happy to learn that the inspector was usually the one who took down the terrorist and not the actual guards. "You are armed and trained men!! He's just an inspector! He does paper work all day goddammit! What am I paying you 2 credits an hour for??" Meanwhile the inspector is there like 🧍‍♂️ "I'm right here you know?"

Dimitri doesn't like M. Vonel poking around in the checkpoint, but he doesn't complain. M. Vonel probably has much more power than Dimitri does.

The inspector actually jumped the first time M. Vonel was in his booth. Just opened the blinds to start the day and that fucker was just standing there, menacingly. M. Vonel didn't mention it, but took note of the jumpiness.

Also M. Vonel doesn't really ever get mad if people mention his height to him. He's just disappointed they didn't come up with anything more creative than that. Not to say it happens often, his position is too indimitating for most people to try to insult him.

That being said the first time the inspector stood up in front of him his first thought was "oh god he's tall"

When dinner is served in the inspectors household the inspector is always "not hungry" and lets his son and later on his niece eat his food as well if they want. Once they've finished, if there is anything left over, he goes "maybe I could eat something". He wants his son and niece to eat their fill and he wants it to be guilt free so instead of just giving his food to them he pretends to not be hungry. His niece caught on after the second time of him doing that but she hasn't told him.

After you let Elisa through to Arstotzka and you save Sergius life once again they come to drop off some money for you (canon, mentioned in the game). I like to think the inspectors wife insisted they come inside for tea or coffee as well.

None of them said outloud that the inspector let Elisa cross the border illegally, it's not exactly a safe thing to say outloud, but everyone expect the inspectors son kinda figured. It was an unspoken understanding between everyone.

The inspectors wife was really proud of him for reuniting the young couple. She didn't acknowledge the illegal part outloud either but as soon as she put two and two together (which didn't take long, it was probably while Sergiu and Elisa were still at the door) she turned to her husband and went "oh [affectionate diminutive of his name], you're such a sentimentalist" and kissed him on the cheeck.

The inspector isn't too big on PDA especially in front of a co-worker so he was a bit embarrassed. Meanwhile Sergiu and Elisa were both thinking "aww, can't wait until we're also like an old married couple"

The inspectors son thought that Sergiu was really cool and asked him what working as a guard is like. Sergiu answered with the slightly more child friendly version of the job.

Sergiu and the inspector sometimes walk home together as they leave work. They may or may not talk much but the silence is never awkward. Sometimes they just complain about their jobs.

The inspector usually stops by the store to do grogery shopping (if his paycheck allows him). On the day before his sons birthday Sergiu tagged along as he went to the store and watched the inspector stare at the price tag of the crayons intensly. When Sergiu asked him about it he explained that his son wants them for his birthday and proceeded to complain about how expensive they were. Sergiu slowly took out his wallet and was about to offer to pay for it but the inspector firmly told him "don't you dare" and paid for them himself.

The inspectors and his wife had some fertility issues for most of their marriage, as to why they're in their early 40s with only one child who is 6 years old at the time.

Jorji has tried to talk to Calensk while waiting in the line, but Calensk as remained a stone wall and has never really answered to him, other than maybe telling him to shut it.

After the inspector lets Jorji through he has sometimes stopped to try to talk to the guards on the other side of the checkpoint. Sergiu is the only one who has acknowledged him. Jorji told him that the inspector is a good guy and very chill even though he looks like a grouch. The inspector then opened his booth door to tell him to stop bothering the guards.

[z0mbiebitchb0y]

This is so fucking dumb I love it

[nikovsky]

so , yeah , I just came to leave the drawings I've made about the game , I love the inspector so much !

he's my pookie :3 ( this is a redraw , the drawing below is too old )

[annkama]

Не стоит прогибаться под изменчивый мир, достаточно прогнуться под власть

[jadzio-writing-prowess]

Papers please characters morning and bedtime routines headcannons

Calensk: 

⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊

- Early to rise, between 4-5am. Doesn't linger in bed too much.

- Half of the time, kisses his wife on the head, before stepping out of bed.

- Spends little time to refresh himself in the bathroom. Running a comb through his hair and beard. Splashing some water on face. Brushing teeth.

- Makes himself and his wife a quick breakfast.

- Takes out lunch of the fridge, for work. His wife made it for him the day before.

- And he is off to work.

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆

- Early to bed too. He has a pretty strict routine due to his time in the army (however short it was). After 8pm, if he hits the pillow, he immediately falls asleep. 

- Rarely dreams.

- Before bed, he always showers. The nature of his jobs usually leaves him sweaty, so it's a must. Showers with cold water for the sake of his wife (and his kids, in the past). When his wife is out of the house though, he also enjoys some boiling level hot water.

- Overall both his routines come down to essentials, no fancy stuff. He'd rather spend that time on something more important.

Sergiu: 

⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊

- Life as a soldier screwed up his internal clock badly.

- Wakes up at 5am sharp. Tries to linger in bed sometimes, to try to tell his brain that it's ok,  to sleep in longer now. Doesn't really work that well…

- Also basic essentials in the bathroom. Showers in the morning, as well as in the evening. Doesn't mind whether the water is warm or cold.

- He doesn't eat breakfast in the morning. Used to eating the first meal of the day, only around 10-11am, so he just packs himself some lunch to work.

 ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆

- Writes letters to Elisa, in the evenings. He isn't much of a romantic poet, but he tries his best to put down on paper, how much he loves and misses her. Also writes about his week and includes some cash to help her out a bit.

- Rarely, he will include a dry, compressed in a book flower, to the letter.

- Then he is off to have a quick meal, before bed.

- Shower, brushing teeth, nothing special.

- And he is off to bed. Hopefully to fall asleep quickly and not spend a few hours, laying in bed anxious, with a big hole in his chest, unable to sleep.

- His dreams are a mixed bag, usually filled with nightmares.

Sergiu and Elisa: 

⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊

- Sergiu still wakes up early, but this time he has an excellent excuse to stay longer in bed. Cuddling with Elisa really helps his sleeping problems.

- Long showers together. Maybe a bit shorter in the morning, but in the evening… (..ofgjgj the water bill…)

- Sometimes Sergiu will brush Elisa's hair and vice versa.

- They make their breakfasts together. Lovey lovey, casually flirting while doing so. Sergiu slowly starts adjusting his eating times, so he can spend more time with her.

- Kiss goodbye before going to work. 

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆

- Making a quick meal before bed is just as fun for these two, as in the morning.

- Showering together part 2.

- Elisa likes reading books before bed, so she just lays in bed and uses Sergiu's chest as her pillow. He loves it, finally having filled the hole in chest. He just looks at her and combs her hair with his fingers, satisfied.

- Sometimes instead of reading, they will talk about anything and everything.

- And after that, it's just all cuddles and kisses. They end up falling asleep tangled together.

- They help each other ease their nightmares. Elisa's soft kisses taking away Sergiu's tears. Sergiu's tight hugs, and soft whispered reassurances, calming Elisa.

Inspector: 

⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊

- He wakes up pretty easily with the sun, but he needs his alarm clock to ring, to drag him out

-Alarm rings.

- Wakes up.

- Groggy.

- Kiss wife good morning.

- Cuddle wife, go back to sleep…

- 2nd alarm

- There is no arguing with that.

- Mostly also just essentials in the morning. Though he prefers to shower before the day starts. Also spends some time washing his beard, he hates when it's dirty or uncombed.

- When walking out, passes his wife, who already made breakfast.

- Kiss wife thanks.

- Eats breakfast with the rest of the family, grabs lunch for work and he is out.

- Sometimes when he has time, will walk his kids to school.

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆

- Before going to bed, hugs kids goodnight. Maybe read or make up some bedtime story for them, if not too tired.

- Bathroom routine shorter than in the morning. Brush teeth, splash water in face and that's all.

- Rarely, he will read one of his books before bed.

- Cuddle wife, cuddle wife, cuddle wife. Kiss her goodnight.