(click to enlarge)
STORYLINE: He ran.
Boots slapped through puddles at a frantic pace, spraying water in rhythm with his pounding heart. The downpour cloaked his presence as if it could wash away what he had become. Neon reflections of acid green, candy pink, and electric blue, rippled across slick asphalt like spilled desires. Neu Seoul dozed behind its steel mask, but something beneath its skin was wide awake screaming.
A sleek black hovercar shrieked overhead. Its searchlight sliced through the haze like a hungry predator. Inside his skull, the whispers began again, low and coaxing, like silk sliding over a blade.
"Come back to us, Lathandro... We love you... We miss your warmth…"
He gritted his teeth and sprinted harder.
"My name is Yoon Jihoon,” he panted, as if the words could ward them off. “I’m a student at Jae Won University. I study. I keep out of trouble. My friends say I’m boring. I had a normal life."
"You had nothing, Little Bookworm,” sneered a new voice, richer and more honeyed with cruelty than the rest. “We gave you Beauty. Power. Desire. Every inch of you was made to be seen. And you ran."
It was the King Cobra himself, no doubt the pilot of the luxurious black hovercar.
He could hear him clearly now: arrogant, theatrical, purring each syllable with operatic flair. Seducer. Sculptor. Sadist. Jihoon could feel the demonic cybernetic surgeon's lingering presence like a phantom kiss on the nape of his neck.
"You don’t belong among *them* anymore, Little Worm. Stay with us. Be adored. Your lips are meant to be worshipped."
The torn fabric of his parka flared behind him like broken wings. His body didn’t feel like his. Too graceful. Too strong. Too perfect. A nightmare had reshaped him, a nightmare called Club Apophis. It felt like three years were lost behind its vaulted black doors, except it had been only one night since he walked into that cursed place on a stupid dare.
The spotlight exploded in his vision as the hovercar swooped low, blinding him for a second. In its sleek obsidian surface, he caught a glimpse of his strange new self: Flawless porcelain skin; Wet dyed hair cascading sensuously across his face in streaks of white, green, cyan, and pink; Bright doll-like eyes framed in high-art makeup; Lacquered lips swollen, flushed and parted in a breathless panic; And tight latex accentuating his shape, squeaked as he spun, dodged, and darted off again.
He no longer looked like the awkward, bookish boy who foolishly entered the abandoned warehouse district on the outskirts of the city. Now he looked like something summoned from a fever dream, -- androgynous, divine, and utterly unforgettable.
Ahead was the last barrier to his real freedom, a tall rusted chainlink fence. Beyond that, dawn was breaking, its rays slicing between skyscrapers in soft hues of pink and silver. It was the first real light he’d seen in what felt like centuries.
He dug deep into his strange new body, summoning a final surge of strength, and leapt.
The fence caught his coat, tearing it. He hit the concrete hard, knees scraped raw. As he lay there, gasping in a beam of sunlight, the creatures behind him howled in fury.
Sunlight ricocheted off the mirrored skyscrapers, cutting through the gloom like a blade of fire as if to say, "You shall not pass."
The menacing black hovercar halted, as if trembling in mid-air. Then, slowly, it too backed away. The shadows hissed one last time before slithering back toward the dark forested ruins.
"Be careful, Little Worm. The daylight might crack your pretty dollface."
Jihoon stood. His knees ached, blood trickling down his shin, but he was finally delivered from what felt like a lifetime of psychological terror and temptation in captivity.
And yet his heart quivered. Part of him yearned to turn around, to run back to that palace of decadence and venom-kisses.
"No," he clenched his fists. He had a more important mission now. "I need to find that rat bastard who dared me to spend a night at Club Apophis." He glanced toward the waking city, a ray of light glinting in his wet hair. "I'm gonna punch his lights out."
This post was inspired by items at event, the movie Blade Runner, colorful SL fashion styles from the furry community, and a story I wrote about a recurring character to the blog during my year away.
The Vertui Jacket from Cubic Cherry comes in male and female fits. It's roomy and could be worn by a variety of mesh bodies. ...The Pyre pants by Wraith have a feminine silhouette but can be worn by girls and guys. The pants include shoes that are perfectly draped by the pants with a slight slit peek a boo slit on the lower leg. They come in a base texture set of cloth or latex. Bodies supported are: Anatomy, Jake, Legacy male, athletic, and female, Lara X, Reborn, and Anatomy. ... The colorful makeup is Michele by Rubedo for Evo X heads. There are 12 colors. I used the limegreen version and layered it with cyan eyeshadow. ...I paired the event items with the Rory hair by Exile that has some badass color options, the Summer Corset and Misaki color by Artificial Hallucination, Fishnet undershirt by AsteroidBox, and this was shot on location at the cybertastic Cobalt Blue Dance Club.
On him, Yoon Jihoon:
Jacket: Cubic Cherry Vertui Jacket, fatpack, Male fit [mesh](Androgyny Event)(1999L)
Pants: wraith Pyre Jake + Bulge, black latex [mesh](Androgyny Event)(400L)
Makeup: Rubedo Michele, evox 09 [BOM](Androgyny Event)(240L)
Hair: Exile Rory [mesh](390L)
Collar: Artificial Hallucination +AH+ Misaki Collar M [mesh](349L)
Corest: Artificial Hallucination AH+ Summer Sun Corset, Jake [mesh](399L)
Thigh bag: RIOT Infiltrator Thigh Bag - B. Jake - Pink gacha set [mesh](2500L)
Undershirt: AsteroidBox Shredded Nets - Black Plain [BOM]
Earrings: Swallow Earrings Goth Human Ears [mesh](group gift)
Eyes: Poetic Colors Jaded Eyes - Jade [mesh](150L)
Hairbase: BRABUS Victor Hairbase // 4 White TINT [BOM](289L)
Body: Belleza Jake V3 Bom/Bento Mesh Body [mesh](2999L)
Head: LeLUTKA Kane Evolution [mesh](3990L)
Pose Run: momomuller / 3M [3M]**_gogogo_A7 (40L)
Location:
BONUS IMAGE: inworld raw shot, hi-res, midday sky.
