Red Valentine

## Red Valentine(VU-57)

"It’s a fairly potent drug, impeccably strong in higher doses. But it’s also very dangerous."

### Intended Effects

Heightened sex drive
Uninhibited thinking

### Side Effects

Physical and mental deterioration
Brain damage
Weakened immunitty
Diminished cognition
Bruises at injection sites
Body aches (withdrawal)
Skin lesions (withdrawal)
Restlessness (withdrawal)
Anxiety (withdrawal)

### Risks

Highly addictive
Long-lasting and irreversable long-term effects

### First Appearance

Chapter 44: Visit Twenty One - Discovered

VU-57, also known as Red Valentine, is a drug produced by the facility and featured in the story later on. Its nickname comes from both its effects, and tinted red color.

## Administration

Red Valentine appears to be given as an intramuscular (IM) injection, given that both times we've seen it has been during a direct injection into the leg. While doctors who might want to use the drug for any reason administer it themselves, we've seen in Chapter 62 that workers who take the drug might administer it on their own, but it's unknown whether they always do. Lucius seemed to indicate in Chapter 50 that he'd be visiting a Nurse, likely to administer the drug to her since she was "due".

Red Valentine takes a bit of time to fully absorb into the body. The first and so far only time Ten was ever injected with the drug, Yosuke talked with her for an unknown amount of time before it started to take effect. It also appears that the effects take hold incrementally, as Ten's inhibitions were slowly removed with time when the drug finally hit her, rather than all at once. More than likely, the drug takes a good few minutes to work like some of the other drugs used in the facility.

## Dosage

The exact dosage has not been explicitly said in story, however it has been mentioned that any doses given to workers to subdue and control them start small, then gradually become larger as their addiction grows.

The author has chosen to divulge the following about the dosages:

* Small doses start at about 0.5 mL-1 mL doses (it's likely Ten received the former since the dose was halved)
* Dosage amount moves up from 1 mL to 3 mL, then 5 mL over the course of the addiction. There may be adjustments to larger doses as needed.
* As with the general anesthetic, any dose around 10 mL can be lethal if given at once, or injected too quickly in succession.
* Doses MUST be spaced out with time, which is why Lucius tends to keep track of what workers get dosed, with how much, and when.

## Effects

Red Valentine is a pleasure drug that is meant to heighten sexual pleasure, and it does so to such an intense degree that anyone under its influence completely loses their inhibitions and continues to pursue sexual satisfaction even to the detriment of their physical health. In essence, someone under the influence of the drug will seek to engage in sex and will not stop until their body simply cannot keep going. Users will remain conscious of their actions, but be unable to fight them even if they initially want to while the drug is just barely starting to take hold. While a small dose won't kill the user, it is a highly addictive drug, and can be deadly if abused.

In Chapter 62, Lucius reveals that giving regular doses of the drug to workers is how he and The Overseer keep them in line and under their thumb until they eventually die off from the drug's effects. He explains to Ten that long-term usage of Red Valentine can have a myriad of negative effects like brain damage, compromised or weakened immune systems, and diminished cognitive function. Heavy users of the drug eventually become less alert, and while they can often still function normally for a while, their physical state will eventually reach a point to where they’re "of little use to anyone", and they either die, or are murdered due to lack of utility.

## Withdrawals

Withdrawal from Red Valentine reportedly causes several effects such as aching, skin lesions, restlessness, and anxiety. Damage to the body from an addiction is reportedly irreversible and will persist even long after usage stops. Lucius explains that this was learned after punishments of workers who could still fight back were given by taking their dependable doses away from them. He affirms that no matter what, all regular users eventually "wither away and die".

## In Story

Red Valentine made it's first appearance in Chapter 44 when Yosuke uses a small dose of the drug on Ten as punishment for lying to him. The intention was to humiliate and force her into sexual submission through the drug's intense effects. It's unknown for just how long one feels effects of the drug even after stopping it, even after one or two doses. However, many hours after the initial, small dosage, Ten reportedly still felt the lingering effects of the drug.

When the topic of the Red Valentine was brought up again in Chapter 62, when Lucius uses a dose on a worker on it's last leg. He further explains that the reason why the workers are always willing to follow orders is due to their addiction to the drug and are motivated by promised of another dosage. However, due to the degrading side effects, the workers eventually die off and are replaced.

It's revealed that Jade's doctor, Richard Lafayette had died from Red Valentine overdose after being turned into a worker.

## Creation

Currently, nothing is known about Red Valentine's creation, who its founders are, or what its purpose is (if any, beyond local use within the facility).

## Trivia

* Lucius states in Chapter 62 that the drug was named because of its color and effects, and that unlike something akin to Rohypnol (roofies), an individual under the drug's effects will still completely remember what happens while on it.
* It's unlikely that Lilah has anything to do with the drug's creation or namesake despite her surname matching it's nickname

1. ↑ First description in Chapter 44
2. ↑ Description in Chapter 62