Salvage Station: The Resistance (Escape from Club Apophis, 49)

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STORYLINE: "Are you sure this is a good idea?" Kyra gripped Romance’s arm.

Romance stopped at the heavy iron hatch leading down into the Resistance headquarters. "Relax. Neither of us is easy to kill. You don’t win wars by playing it like a mortal."

He brought the thick heel of his combat boot down hard on the rusted metal. The booming impact echoed into the vast, hollow chamber beneath them.

Kyra’s grip tightened, her metal knuckles glinting in the dim light. "Do you think they’ll know where Lisa is?"

"Definitely." He paused, looking at her worried face. "Maybe. No. Yes. If anyone does, they will."

The hatch groaned open, spilling pale yellow light across the mud like an invitation into a grave. This was the first time he had entered feeling like his true self, rather than just playing a role.

As they descended the metal ladder into the subterranean office, the air grew thick with the smell of mold, burnt coffee, and old paper. Condensation ran down the concrete walls, and water dripped somewhere unseen in the dark. The tunnel vibrated as a sonic hover train raced by on the surface above, rattling the buzzing fluorescent lights. The sound of Echo’s voice hit them immediately.

"But if the barrier operates on a closed frequency, couldn't we theoretically invert the signal? Or what if we bypassed the main junction completely?" Echo was pacing furiously in front of a desk covered in blueprints, firing questions in rapid, relentless succession. Romance noted how the weakest member of the Jae Won team now seemed like a tiger, already bloody from battle. He wondered what had changed her.

Behind the desk, Hwan rubbed his temples, exhausted. Hwan used to look like a man who could disappear into a crowd. Now the Resistance clung to him like heavy chains. Romance had watched him spend months moving people, supplies, and secrets into place, trying to outplay monsters who had been cheating for a thousand years.

Hwan's office was cobbled together from salvaged junk. Used coffee cups littered every surface. The trashcan overflowed with them. Stacks of maps covered the desk. Diagrams plastered the walls next to a calendar detailing human ration lists. Hand-bound ledgers crammed the shelves, carefully labeled with the name of every person who had gone missing in The Pen. There were even crayon drawings by children tacked with love onto the side of a rusted filing cabinet.

Romance looked away before Hwan caught him staring at the drawings. He leaned back against the concrete wall, folding his arms and watching with deep amusement as Hwan shot him a desperate, pleading look for help.

Echo froze mid-sentence and spun around. She gasped.

His sleek, elegant K-pop idol aesthetic was completely gone, replaced by a street-level nightmare straight out of the badlands. Gone were the immaculate designer suits and the polished, practiced smile. He had styled himself like someone who slept in abandoned train stations and started fires to stay warm. The Resistance was his tribe. It felt good to finally express his rage. His spiked hair defied gravity, and his heavy fur-lined coat was painted with black graffiti that read: Power is not given, it’s taken.

"Whoa. You look different," Echo breathed.

Romance chuckled, a low, rasping sound. He could say the exact same about her. "I’m done pretending."

Echo tilted her head, trying to process the shift, before her eyes darted to the figure shrinking behind him. "Is that you, Kyra?"

Kyra nodded, stepping out from the shadow of Romance's heavy coat. “I’m repaired. Thanks to Romance."

Romance found her quietness strangely endearing. Gone was the malfunctioning cybernetic cheerleader he had purchased at the auction. Faint brass gears ticked visibly beneath the synthetic skin of her neck, and heavy, industrial copper wiring snaked along her collarbone. She looked raw, sturdy, and unmistakably analog. A work of art.

Romance squeezed her hand gently, his thumb brushing her carbon fiber palm. For all that she had survived, he felt the immense weight in her grip. And it was warm. His eyes softened when he looked at her.

Echo looked from Kyra to Romance, then back to Kyra. Romance knew exactly how they must look to her. They were no longer an idol and a toy. They looked like a couple forged in a warzone.

Kyra avoided Echo’s gaze for a second, then looked up long enough to notice the swollen brand across the girl's chest. Her smile faltered. "Are you hurt?"

Echo's hand instinctively pulled the shirt closed.

Romance recognized the gesture immediately. She wasn't trying to hide the wound. She was trying to hide what it would do to everyone else.

"Yes," Echo admitted. "The Resistance had medicine to help me. It doesn't sting as bad now."

Hwan cleared his throat loudly.

The room's attention shifted back to the desk.

"As I was trying to explain to Echo," Hwan said, tapping a heavy finger against a map of the city. "Long before Monstrum arrived, this land already had its own supernatural people. We lost the war against the invaders. Monstrum formed a pact with the government. All supernaturals were imprisoned in the Forbidden Zone. Monstrum claimed the Forbidden Zone as sovereign territory. In exchange for solving the rogue monster problem, Monstrum was given endless business opportunities in the human world."

Echo furrowed her brow, her logic snagging on the details. "But I’ve seen MasterGin, Romance, and you move outside the zone."

Hwan sighed and looked at Romance to explain.

Poor Hwan. He must have been answering questions like this all day.

Alright, Romance thought. I will help on this. He dug into his coat pocket and slapped a sleek, black passport onto the desk. A serpent swallowing the sun was embossed on the cover. "There are exceptions for the Zone elites and management. As for the Jeoseung Saja, like myself, we are too important to cage. Without us, Wandering Ghosts would flood the human world. We get free passage as long as we only guide souls and never consume them." Romance flashed a wicked, sharp-toothed grin. "But we didn’t make any promises about not eating Monstrum."

He licked his lips and winked, his eyes shiny with mischief. There was one asshole in particular he was going to relish.

"Are there any further questions?" Hwan added dryly. He looked at the cracked concrete ceiling, silently praying there were not.

Echo ignored him, turning her focus entirely to Kyra. "Are you okay? I mean, really?"

Kyra nodded. She patted her side, where the faint, rhythmic ticking of clockwork could be heard. "Analog power source. The Zone can't touch it. I'm not running on their energy anymore." She looked up, her quiet voice turning urgent. "Do you know where Lisa is?"

"No," Echo said. "But I know where we are all supposed to meet back up."

Romance pushed off the wall. Hwan straightened up from his maps. Both of them were suddenly very interested.

"All the students of Jae Won are planning to attack the ceremony?" Hwan asked.

"Well, we don’t exactly have a plan. Or we didn’t before we scattered. But we are supposed to reunite at the Safe Zone."

Hwan sat very still for a moment.

"The Sewer Safe Zone." He stood up abruptly and grabbed his heavy jacket from the back of his chair. "I know the place. Follow me."

He paused, his hand freezing on the collar of his coat. He turned back slowly and placed a heavy palm on Romance’s shoulder. "Actually, no. I am sorry. You stay here and wait. There is something down there you should not see."

Romance searched his friend’s face, his punk bravado dropping into genuine shock. "I’m not staying here. What are you trying to hide from me, old Dokkaebi?"

Echo made a soft sound, drawing their attention. She reached into her pocket. "I think he means this. I’m certain this letter was meant for you."

Romance looked from Hwan to Echo. Then back again. Something inside him went cold.

Echo held it out further.

Romance forced a puzzled smile. He tried to brush it off dismissively.

Then he noticed that neither Echo nor Hwan was smiling.

The fluorescent lights buzzed into the silence.

His smile faded.

He snatched the folded paper from her hand and began to read.

The cocky smirk vanished completely. His jaw tightened. His gold eyes scanned back and forth across the page, going wide. His next breath never came. The paper trembled softly between his fingers.

A flash of Sophia dumping water on his head, her laugh so infectious. He had never loved her more than in that moment.

Echo reached out, gently touching his hand. “I’m so sorry. Sophia’s body is where we are going."

The paper stopped trembling.

Somewhere above them, another hover train roared overhead.

The room suddenly felt impossibly quiet.

On him, Romance:

Jacket, belt: Oracle - Armageddon Jacket, Belt, LegacyA, yellow [mesh](Salvage Station)(299L)

Necklace: SIGMA - Spike necklace [Unskinned M][mesh](Salvage Station)(320L)

Hair: TRASH - Ignite Hair - Fatpack [mesh](Salvage Station)(1000L)

Earrings: BADa - Cross B Earrings [mesh]

Nose Chain: Garmonbozia - Write me - Nose Chain - Black [mesh]

Goggles: MILKBATH - Axel Goggles - Unrigged [mesh](399L)

Tongue: The DeadBoy Narius Tongue (Bento)[mesh](699L)

Collar: Artificial Hallucination +AH+ Misaki Collar M [mesh](349L)

Piercings: STOIC - HEART DERMAL PIERCING SILVER [mesh]

Pants: AVEC TOI Kai Pants, Turmoil, LegacyM [mesh](595L)

Boots: L&B Swear Havoc Ops Boots, LegacyM, Black [mesh](499L)

Brooch: Schelm - 2.Devil Heart Straight Barbell [mesh]

Waist Piercing: SOLIAC - Waist Piercing - LEGACY M ATHLETIC [mesh]

Eyes: Gloom - Savage Fantasy Collection - Sclera 03 - Yellow M [BOM]

Tattoos: HISS - PATTERNS FACE ROMANCE [BOM](250L)

Head: LeLUTKA - Kane Evolution [mesh](3990L)

Body: TheShops - [BODY] Athletic Meshbody (Legacy)(m) (1.7.1) [mesh](5000L)

Pose: Le Poppycock - Hip hop hooray

On her, Kyra:

Mask: Waffle Science & Research Lab - [W] Dental Phantom [mesh](Salvage Station)(499L)

Cap: KROVA - PILOTKA [mesh](Salvage Station)(499L)

Bodysuit: Eudora3D - Harker BodySuit Legacy, set 2 [mesh](Salvage Station)(225L)

Boots: Eudora3D - Harker Boots, set 2 [mesh](Salvage Station)(225L)

Pouch: Blue Blood - Witch Survival Pouch - Legacy F [mesh](Salvage Station)(149L)

Tattoo: RaptorJenny - Mk4 / Stain, Neck fade [BOM](Salvage Station)(349L)

Hair: MINA Hair - Echo [mesh]

Collar: Naberius - Untamed Collar [mesh]

Skin, tattoos: SOMEONE - Machina NOVA, Gold [mesh](1000L)

Head, eyes: LeLUTKA - lel EvoX LILLY 3.1 [mesh](3990L)

Body: TheShops - Meshbody Legacy (f) Special Edition (Basic) 1.2 [mesh]

Pose: Stiff Pose - SPGF15P1

Setting:

Bedroom: Eclectica - Wasteland bedroom set[mesh](Salvage Station)(850L)

Suitcases: Eclectica - Vintage Suitcases [mesh](Salvage Station)(75L)

Floor Screens: Eclectica - Wasteland Floor Screens [mesh](Salvage Station)(120L)

Bedroom: Eclectica - Wasteland Bucket- yellow [mesh]

Hatch: Bykee - The Nowhere Co. Hatch [mesh](Salvage Station)(349L)

Hanging Lamp: Bykee - The Nowhere Co. - Lamp [mesh](Salvage Station)(249L)

Flowers: Blue Blood - Irradiated Petunias FATPACK [mesh](Salvage Station)(399L)

Bunker: FallenGods - BW BUNKER 313  [mesh](Salvage Station)(890L)

BONUS IMAGES: inworld raw shots, hi-res, midday sky:

Midnight Order: Martyr of the Underground (Escape from Club Apophis, 32)

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STORYLINE: The sewer had gone quiet. Not the usual dripping, echoing quiet. This was curated silence, like a museum after closing. The Ford coupe smoked faintly, frozen mid-disaster, exactly how it had crashed a century ago. No rot. No decay. Just a moment pinned to reality like a butterfly on velvet.

Lisa’s mouth opened, then shut. For the first time, she looked genuinely rattled. Then a slow, predatory smile spread across her face.

“Oh my god,” she whispered. “Say that again. But slower. Because that is the lead of the century.”

Ghost raised the brass lantern. The light swung in a nauseating arc, illuminating the limestone walls above the wreck.

High on the dripping wall was the seal of the Monstrum Serpent, slashed with a jagged red mark.

“Look up there. Safe Zone,” Kyle looked upwards, wiping blood from his forehead. “Hwan’s mark. He said Monstrum had no power in its boundary.”

They approached the vehicle slowly. As they crossed the invisible threshold, the gloom shifted. The air felt lighter. It tasted different. Less metal. Less wrong.

The low, dangerous hum of the Forbidden Zone died instantly.

It was too still. Too deliberate. As if the room had been waiting for them for over a hundred years. History itself paused, waiting for witnesses.

The trunk of the 1929 Ford Coupe had been cracked open in the impact.

It was not empty. Inside was a cache. Organized. Stockpiled. Not random scavenging. More like a prep bag for the end of the world.

“Over here,” Lisa said, voice unsteady as she pointed to the logo stamped on a silver medical crate. A heart with devil horns. Her eyes widened. “It's Romance,” she realized.

The trunk was a shrine of survival. Cans of peaches. Vacuum-sealed thermal clothes. Bottled water. Medical kits. Bandages still clean enough to look holy. Inside a lead-lined box, translucent batteries glowed with swirling, cursed purple energy.

Zone power. The forbidden kind.

Plague grinned, grabbing a battery like a starving man grabbing bread. “Jackpot.”

Minjo stood near the fender, not looking at the supplies. She stared at a blur of shapes, squinting painfully. To her damaged eyes, the car was just a smudge of shadow against the dark.

“Don’t touch anything,” she snapped, blinking hard, trying to force clarity through irritation alone. Her hands were shaking, so she curled them into fists and hid them in her sleeves.

“Guys,” Echo whispered.

Her voice was so small it barely existed.

They all turned. Echo was peering through the shattered driver’s window.

“There’s someone in here.”

Ghost moved the lantern closer. The light slid across the interior, illuminating mold that bloomed on the leather upholstery like pale veins. The smell of oil and iron hung in the air.

A body was slumped over the wheel. It was draped in the rotted remains of a nun’s habit, the white cloth clinging to the bones as if it had fused there in obedience. A gold rope necklace hung untouched at her throat, a serpent's head and tail meeting at the clasp, the only thing time hadn't dared touch.

In the skeletal hand was a glass bottle marked Devil's Tongue.

Plague leaned in, sniffing the air near the mummified face.

“Poison,” he whispered, as if not to wake her. “Probably Ricin.”

On the dashboard, preserved in a sealed bag, was a folded note.

The sight of it made the room colder. Not physically. Emotionally. Not just death. Death with intention.

“She… she did this to herself,” Kyle realized, his face paling.

“Someone read it,” Minjo said, frustration cracking her voice as she squinted uselessly at the dash.

Echo reached in, her movements reverent. She retrieved the bag, opening it to release a faint scent of old ink and something sweet. Roses.

Echo’s hands trembled as she unfolded the paper.

“My love…”

The words landed like a whisper in a cathedral. Not romantic. Not cute. A confession written with shaking hands and no future.

Echo read:

My love, 

If you are reading this, I did not betray you. 

I am too weak to burn daylight into night. 

I am sorry I failed. 

Do not punish yourself for my choice. 

This was my last act of disobedience. 

I die with hope the lost one will come and avenge us all. 

My heart belongs to you always. 

Pink is not a sin. 

Pink is a door. 

— S. 

Echo stopped.

She stared at the paper as if it had spoken back.

The cavern didn’t feel like a room anymore. It felt like a tomb.

The skeletal hand suddenly slumped down in the driver’s seat. The empty bottle rolling out of its fingers.

Echo’s mouth opened once, silently. Then the sound came. A strangled sob, ripped out of her chest like a confession.

“No…” she whispered. “No, no, no…”

Kyle moved to her immediately, wrapping his arms around her as she pressed the note to her heart and shook.

“She died in here,” Echo choked. “She… she wrote him a goodbye letter…” Her eyes flicked back to the skeleton. “A Nun of the Zone. She had a face. She had a name. Not a monster. A person,” she whispered, as if to herself.

The words landed like a stone in water.

Even Plague went quiet.

Even Ghost’s hands stilled.

Minjo stared at the skeleton, her bare eyes reflecting the flare like twin knives. Her jaw trembled once before she locked it down. Anger was easier than grief.

Kyle sniffed. “Who even was she? Why would Romance—”

“SHUT IT.” Lisa snapped both hands up like she was stopping traffic.

Everyone froze.

Echo’s sobs hiccuped into silence.

Lisa didn’t look at them. She stood very still, head tilted, like a predator listening for a heartbeat. She looked at the scene. The money. The bullet holes. The trunk stash. The Devil Heart logo.

Like a crime board. A puzzle begging to be solved.

Lisa paced three steps. Then two. Then three again. Boots scraped on stone. She tapped her lip, eyes unfocused, brain chewing.

“Okay…” she whispered.

Then, quieter, like she was speaking to the universe itself:

“Okay, okay, okay…”

She stopped.

For the first time, she hesitated.

“This is insane,” she murmured. Then her eyes sharpened.

Her hand darted toward her pocket. Empty. “Oh my god," she hissed. "I’m about to crack the biggest story in the Neu Seoul with zero footage.”

She whipped toward Ghost. “Do you have a camera?”

Ghost just stared at her, soaked and unreadable.

Lisa exhaled hard. “Fine. I’ll narrate it like a podcast from hell. Do not interrupt me.”

She pointed a finger at the cache of humans supplies in the trunk, then back to the note. “Romance isn't just a smuggler of goods into The Pen. He’s running an extraction team. Smuggling humans out. And this dead nun was his accomplice. Traitors to Monstrum. Both of them."

“Hwan too,” Kyle added quietly, nodding to the Safe Zone mark. "Created for escaping humans. Jihoon." 

“Exactly. And this...” she gestured to the dead nun, “...she clearly wasn’t trying to escape.”

Kyle blinked. “What?”

“Think about it,” Lisa hissed, pacing again. “The recording you saw in the workshop. The Time File. Valentine’s Day, Chicago, 1929. The birth of Monstrum. You thought it was just a history lesson. But how does a file like that exist? Who was holding the camera?”

She pointed at the nun.

“She was.”

Minjo’s head turned, slow and controlled. “Lisa. Explain.”

“The Resistance,” Lisa said, the pieces clicking together like a loading gun. “They knew they couldn’t beat Monstrum in the present. The vampires are too strong. Too entrenched. So they tried to hit them where they were vulnerable.”

“The past,” Echo whispered, looking at the car.

“Exactly.” Lisa’s eyes were manic now. “This isn’t a getaway car. It’s an assassination vehicle. She went back. She tried to sabotage the birth of Monstrum. To kill them in their crib.”

She looked at the skeleton with a terrified respect.

“But she failed. ‘I am too weak to burn daylight into night.’ She couldn’t do it. She barely made it back here to the Safe Zone... and then she drank the poison rather than let them catch her.”

"That’s impossible,” Plague said flatly. “We don't have the technology to time travel.”

"No," Minjo said, her voice cutting through the damp air like a scalpel. "Human tech can't. But Zone tech might."

She stormed toward the coupe, her hands fumbling blindly for the hood latch. “I need to verify the power source,” she muttered, fingers scraping against the cold metal.

Her fingers found the latch. The dented hood groaned as she heaved it up.

“What the hell is that?” Kyle growled.

There was no engine block. No pistons. No carburetor.

Inside was a carbon fiber lattice wrapping a core of matte black ceramic. Obsidian coils spiraled around it like ribs around a heart. Tubes of violet liquid pulsed in slow, deliberate rhythms, syncing with a sound that was less a hum and more a vibration in their teeth.

Minjo froze. She reached out, her fingers hovering inches from the pulsing core. She didn't need to see it clearly. She could feel the cold radiating from it.

“I know this architecture,” she whispered. “I’ve seen fragments. In the mirror. In the snakeskin box.”

She swallowed, her face pale in the violet light.

“This is cursed Zone energy containment. An Entropy Drive.” 

She turned back to them, eyes wide and hollow. “It’s not power from combustion. It’s power from decay. From chaos.” She looked at the machine with terrified awe. “...from unmaking creation. That was Jihoon’s theory. And I cannot debunk it, because it is sitting right here.”

Kyle inched closer, looking between the nun and the machine. “So… she really drove this thing to 1929?”

“Yes,” Minjo whispered. “And the file we watched in the workshop... that was her black box recording. We were watching her failure.”

“She tried to save the world,” Echo sniffled, looking at the skeleton. “And no one ever knew.”

“We know,” Lisa said firmly. “And now we have her engine.”

Minjo was already pulling out her equipment, slamming her kit onto the fender.

“Ghost. Wrist mount. Now.”

She squinted into the pulsing violet core, her fear replaced by the cold calculation of an engineer.

“We’re going to unlock that map,” Minjo said. “And then we’re going to finish what she started."


Happy Valentine's Day, Gothic styled! Our tragic heroine is wearing the MDN Dark Habit Bodysuit pack. It includes multiple pieces and textures, and ability to the turn on and off some parts of the outfit. Its mod too, so I turned off by hand a few sections on the choker to better show the snake necklace.   ....She is drinking from the Ishiku Devil's Tongue Whiskey Bottle and shot glass. It has PBR textures and triggers a hold pose. The bottle top comes with an option of one or off. Its mod, so I tinted the whiskey red for the image.   ... But let's talk about the bloody Valentine! The skin texture by Someone has a dramatic splash down the chest, and mouth area, gorey. It comes in male and female skins, and 10 fantasy skin tones, and fit Legacy and Reborn too. The matching eyes are a gift.   .... Adding an extra element to the blood, is the Artemisia animated add ons, Blood Rivulets. There is non rigged upper section for the mouth, and lower section rigged to the chest. A must have for all vamps.   ....From Sigma is the elegant high fashion snake necklace, Minos. It comes in rigged and unrigged, and a texture hud.  ....From Eudora3D are the RoadRider Boots and kneepad, shown the raw shot below.   ... And from Cabalpier is the Preacher's Lectern. It comes in set with parts of the podium, candle stand, scrolls, book, and base. 

On her, Martyr of the Underground:

Outfit: MDN - Dark Habit Bodysuit Fatpack(Legacy)[mesh](Midnight Order)(2311L)

Necklace: SIGMA - Minos necklace [mesh](Midnight Order)(320L)

Skin: SOMEONE - Bloodbound Maneater Skin - Legacy - Void[mesh](Midnight Order)(1000L)

Eyes: SOMEONE - Bloodhound eyes (Midnight Order)(gift)

Blood effect: Artemisia - )O( Blood Rivulets [mesh](Midnight Order)(450L)

Boots: Eudora3D - RoadRider Boots Legacy, white [mesh](Midnight Order)(499L)

Bottle: ISHIKU - Devils Tung Whiskey Bottle [mesh](Midnight Order)(480L)

Head, eyes: LeLUTKA - lel EvoX LILLY 3.1 [mesh](3990L)

Body: Meshbody - Legacy (f) Special Edition (Basic) 1.2 [mesh]

Setting:

Candles: CABALPIER - Preacher's Lectern [mesh](Midnight Order)(375L)

Scene: Dirty Rat - Sewer [mesh](549L)

BONUS IMAGES: inworld raw shots, hi-res, midday sky:

 

Engine Room: After-Hours Gossip

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STORYLINE: “No no,” the Newspaper Delivery Guy said, “I heard it was a secret society behind the Earthquakes.” His incredulous friend, the Barista of Steam Beans, laughed and slapped him on the arm. “For a newsman, you sure do love your fancy conspiracy stories!” He huffed, “It’s not a conspiracy story if its a real conspiracy!” She shook her head and poured gain alcohol on a napkin and dabbed his face with it. “Ouch,” he jumped. “So tell me, you big baby," she smiled, "how you really got those nasty gashes on your face?” He blushed with her so close to him, tending his wounds. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.” She gave him The Look. “Fine, fine. I saw a comet hit the ground, buildings fell, and people running out of that Secret Society building I told you about. One of them was screaming back to others still inside, “Lord, he’s coming! Reset it! Reset it!” She was leaning in on his every word, “and then?” He shifted nervous, “I saw a giant emerge from the crater. He was twice, no four times as tall as me. He looked really pissed. And he held a great sword. But get this, it was on fire!” She had that skeptical look on her face once more, "And then what?” "Nothing," he shrugged sheepishly. "Nothing?" ...“Ok fine, I ran! You would have run too if you were there!" She laughed, "Don't tell me, you tripped on a stack of newspapers, and hit the railing with your face." He looked away and blushed. "Oh shit, you did! Poor baby," she pet his arm. He yanked it back, "Nuh uh! I fought that big Angel barehanded and kicked his huge big ass!" She chuckled and shook her head. 

Head over to the Engine Room for steam coolness and gifts, today is the last day! A gallery of products can be seen here: https://secondlifesyndicate.com/events/syndicate-events/engine-room/

On Him, the Newspaper Boy:
Shirt: oni vintage man grey Jake/Legacy [mesh](Engine Room)(300L)
Hat: Deadwool Newsboy hat "1920" herring light [mesh](Engine Room)(120L)

Tattoo face: Broadwing B.W. Mechaneer Wound, Scar [mesh](Engine Room)(200L)

Shoes: Deadwool Dandy shoes - non rigged - black/silver wingtip [mesh](360L)

Tattoo: Clemmm Wretched Arms Black [BOM]

Pants: TheShops PANTS Legacy m Chinos Black(bundled with mesh body)

Head: LeLUTKA lel EvoX KANE 3.1 [mesh](3990L)

Body: TheShops [BODY] Athletic Meshbody (Legacy)(m) (1.0) [mesh](5000L)

On Her, the Barista:
To see Aarya Phantomhive's complete stylecard and continuing story, go to: Dark Phantom Blog
Dress: Insomnia Angel Francesca dress Blouse Mpetite [mesh](Engine Room)(350L)
Boots: Eudora3D Ylva Boots (Legacy) [mesh](Engine Room)(399L)
Earring: Arts & Gear *AG* Steam earrings [mesh](Engine Room)(180L)
Hat: Wicca's Originals  Engine Room Gift Wickham Hat [mesh](Engine Room)(gift)

Setting: 

Cafe set: Kumagami KMGM Steam Beans Cafe [mesh](Engine Room)(398L)

Hanging Plant: Architect Airship Plant [mesh](Engine Room)(275L)

Hanging Light: Air Light_Anniversary gift for CCB_Light [mesh]
Bottles: Apple Fall Argentinian Malbec [mesh](gift)
Newspaper: Apple Fall Crumpled Newspaper [mesh](100L)
Glasses: Apple Fall Wine Glasses [mesh](gift)
Desk Lamp: 22769 [bauwerk] Petroleum Lamp [mesh]
Posters: Noctis barber shop posters
Skybox: TROPIX Vintage Room 01 [mesh](275L)
Poses: ExclusiveShop Bar [mesh](1950L)

Thanks for your help, Aarya!

Engine Room: The Guardian of Time

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STORYLINE: Time is a serious matter. It separates what-was from what-will-be. Without a present, there is no future. This simple fact is what caused the Great Time Calamity of New London. Freezing the movement of time cracked the sky. Through the fissure, a powerful being fell to Earth, Chronus.

This round of Engine Room is to die for. I can't believe just how amazing these items are! This post was inspired by the Time themed items, wings, and flaming sword at the Engine Room. 

The wings by Aii & Ego are the best so far in SL. They come with armor, halos, texture change hud, and lots of animations. I'm just blown away by the feather textures.   Let's talk about this lovely time themed coat by Somnium. It has matching hat, pant and boots, and a hud to change the colors. You just know my dapper heart is doing flips for this. So awesome!    I recently discovered Legacy Female Boots can often fit Legacy Male. So I just had to try this with the Eudora3D boots! It's not a perfect fit, there was a little poke on the outer inner thigh, but otherwise it works, just make the foot shape larger.   RavenBell has created another elegant hairstyle for men and women, Soleil. The braid down the back worked perfectly with the jacket.  The pants are a BOM texture by toksik, which comes in handy for thigh boots.   The earring by Quixe are a rigged fit for the Evo Elf ears.  And of course I wore my favorite L'Emporio&P claws.   ....yeah yeah, you want to hear all abut that flaming sword, right? Its Beautiful! I love it so much! It comes with a sheath, just click to draw the sword, and then touch the sword to light the blade! The flames are animated and even have sparks when start it it or extinguish the flame. Super cool. 

p.s. For Freebie Hunters, I just came from the Engine Room event and can confirm there are 39 gifts there. To get them you need to join the "Second Life Syndicate" group here:

( secondlife:///app/group/d35c55f4-6a4f-eb2d-1dae-af9665f6f4cd/about )

On him, Chronus:
Coat: Somnium Chrono Mage Tailcoat - Legacy [mesh](Engine Room)(450L)
Wings: Aii & Ego tarfire Angel Wings - Windy [mesh](Engine Room)(1500L)

Sword: Requisition Avalon's Tear Rapier [mesh](Engine Room)(850L)
Hair: RavenBell Soleil M2 Mirror [mesh](Engine Room)(250L)
Hairpins: Static Chrono Hairpin {Cluster} [mesh](Engine Room)(265L)
Boots: Eudora3D Ylva Boots (Legacy) [mesh](Engine Room)(399L)
Earrings: Quixe Crusade Earrings Male ELF

Claws: L'Emporio&PL Oblio Vampire Claws male [mesh](350L)

Pants: toksik Leather Leggings, Black [BOM]

Head: LeLUTKA lel EvoX KANE 3.1 [mesh](3990L)

Body: TheShops [BODY] Athletic Meshbody (Legacy)(m) (1.0) [mesh](5000L)

Pose: Poseidon Nightmare Slasher 2

Location:
Memento mori

Thanks for your help, Aarya!

Mainframe: RAB8 and the Crystal Palace

(click to enlarge)

STORYLINE: The crowd was cheering at the Crystal Palace. RAB8 was preparing to take the stage when gravity on the space station suddenly failed. Darkness. Emergency bots flicked on and buzzed around him. He heard gunshots. An explosion. People shouting... Alarms blaring. What the hell? Was the Space Station was under attack?

This image is inspired by a combination of things: the endings of the video game CyperPunk 2077 and their Kitsch style, my past post for RAB8, and from the Mainframe event items like the Omise CyberRabiEars and Black Cat anti-gravity poses. Speaking of Mainframe, have you checked out all the awesome loot at the event this round? Its ending soon. Don't miss it!

On him, RAB8:

Ears: Omise CyberRabiEar [mesh](Mainframe)(350L)

Corset: Fika Chassis Augmentation Maitreya [mesh](Mainframe)(700L)

Boots: Eudora3D Road Boots (Maitreya)[mesh](Midnight Order)(499L)

Hair: KMH Hair CP006 (Male) Unrigged[mesh](Mainframe)(325L)

Armbands: krankhaus Cross Straps Maitreya [mesh](Midnight Order)(250L)

Jacket: krankhaus Mahou Shonen V-Tech Jacket [mesh](500L)

Collar: A&Y Helix Cyber collar Maitreya multicolor [mesh](MF gift)

Shorts: Cubura Arcangel Shorts Maitreya [mesh](399L)

Guitar: Mug Punk Rocker #17 Electric Guitar Black, gacha [mesh]

Eyes: By Snow Citadel Eyes - Carbon Cyan [mesh] (200L)

Makeup: Lovely Disarray Dead of Night [Complete](150L)

Bodysuit: Graves G242 Mainframe - White - male (460L)

Tattoo: Apocalyptic Tattoo Circuited body M&B tattoo (500L)

Skin, Boi layer: Pink Fuel [PF] Doll V2 Vamp [BOM](2500L)

Mesh head: Raven Bell  BJD Bento Head James // OMEGA-UV [mesh] (2000L)

Body: Maitreya Mesh Body Lara [BOM] [mesh](2750L)

Pose, helmet: Black Cat Poses BCp Cyber Helmet Pose 3 [mesh](Mainframe)(150L)

Setting:

Pet: Solares Zap-01 Blue Dron, gacha [mesh](Mainframe)(99L)

Skybox: PALETO Backdrop Blueshift purple version [mesh](199L)

Necrotize: An Impostor Among Us

(click to enlarge)

STORYLINE: The PA system of The Skeld suddenly crackled to life, "Emergency! Emergency! Meeting Called!" Crewmate Pink rushed down the spaceship hallway. Not again... not another death. First was Purple, then Yellow, and now... ? She was so lost in her thoughts that she ran right into crewmen Blue. A monstrous tongue whipped out of a gaping hole in his belly right at her. She screamed. BANG! BANG! BANGBANG! Bullets ricocheted off metal. She ducked and covered her head. After the smoke cleared, she heard heels clicking towards her. "Is he dead?," she shyly asked. The heels stopped. It was Cyan, "You mean IT. Blue died a long time ago. And you're welcome." She put her gun back into it's holster. Green kicked off Blue's helmet to reveal the skeletal remains hidden inside. White gasped, "That's not possible! Blue was with me in engineering the whole time! He couldn't have been dead!" Red sighed, "Of course its possible. How long have we been without oxygen? With these stupid helmets on, none of us can even see each other! We have no idea how long he was like.... that," she shuddered. "Umm... guys," Black began slowly. "If Blue was in engineering, who sabotaged the oxygen so we needed to wear helmets?"  They all looked at each other suspiciously, and slowly backed away. Among them was another alien, if not more....

Necrotize is open to fill your Halloween with creepy Scifi horror.  If you haven't guessed already, this image was inspired by the game "Among Us," the animated Maw from Ambix, and the many super cool alien and astronaut boots available at Necrotize. (Be sure to check out the Cinphil and Cureless boots with male fits!) The event looks like the alien mothership from the nightmares of H.R. Giger. You have got to go check it out. And also there are lots of gifts for you too, just touch those icky green eggs... if you dare!  Booowahahahahah.

Shopping guide here: https://secondlifesyndicate.com/events/syndicate-events/necrotize/

Astronaut Crewmates, left to right:
Cyan: cinphul raptor boots Legacy Male [mesh](Necrotize)(500L)
Green: Cureless Xenomech Boots green Legacy Male [mesh](Necrotize)(299L)

Red: Eudora3D Vertigo Boots browns & reds [mesh](Necrotize)(399L)
Black: Human Glitch NCHRGX boots black [mesh](Necrotize)(299L)
Pink: SEKA's Cyberlita Stomper Pink [mesh](Necrotize)(249L)
White: Cubic Cherry Dalamud boots white [mesh](Necrotize)(249L)

On him, Astronaut Blue:
Mouth: AMBIX Monster Maw Mouth + Tongue Rigged][mesh](Necrotize)(599L)

Skeleton: ZED Skeleton Avatar [mesh](Shop and Hop - Aurelian)(gift)

Helmet: The Black Forest TBF Space Helmet [mesh](10L)

Outfit: Radix Enigma 77 Cyber Suit Jake Blue, gacha [mesh](75L)
Collar: Antinatural Deathracer Biker Mask blue, gacha [mesh](75L)
Gloves: Contraption Dapper Dandy's Gloves [mesh](350L)
Pose: Del May Dead To the World (50L)

Setting:
Blood: Pixelancer Spillage [mesh](99L)

The Engine Room: Wrath of the Dolls

(click to enlarge)

STORYLINE: Neither Belladonna or Rose Kuro spoke. It was impossible with their artificial porcelain doll bodies. They rarely moved, and expressed themselves only with music. Even the coldest vampire's heart would weep from their heart wrenching cello performances. If the twins were angry at their creator, no one knew. He had been a kindly old vampire who adored them in life and rescued them from certain death. A jealous rival had brutally attacked them and left them for dead. The vampire held their broken bodies and wailed. His tears of blood raining down on them preventing them from passing quietly into death. You see, their creation had been an accident. Not knowing what else to do, he merged them with doll bodies and tended them for years, hoping one day they would revive and play music once more. Thanks to his tireless efforts and years of tender care, they did. And it was not long after the twins joined the Vampire Ballet that their mentor disappeared. Nervous members of the troop whispered he had been attacked by vampire hunters. Hearing this, the twins stirred from their stupor. One grabbed a scythe, the other a gun. No one stopped them. They gasped as these awkward stumbling dolls exited the theater into a dark ominous storm.

Engine Room reaches its one year anniversary. It's not only bigger and better, with an awesome Aetherpunk custom build by Contraption and it has gifts to celebrate too! You can view the Shopping Guide here. The picture above was inspired by the lovely Insomnia Angel Aisha dress, CerberusXing Scythe, the Schadenfreude Vampire Hunter kit, and the past Kuro Twins stories from my collaboration with Aarya Phantomhive.

On Her, Belladonna Kuro:

Weapon: CerberusXing [CX] Reforged Reaper prop [mesh](Engine Room)(250L)

Eyepatch: kosmii Lance Eyepatch L silver [mesh](Engine Room)(399L)

Dress: Insomnia Angel Aisha gothic dress MaitPetite [mesh](Engine Room)(Fatpack 1000L)

Collar: Insomnia Angel lolita detachable collar Mait[mesh](Engine Room)(300L)

Boots: Eudora3D Lyra Boots (Maitreya) Black1[mesh](Engine Room)(399L)

Gloves: Contraption Dapper Dandy's Gloves *ASTROM* [mesh](350L)

Headdress: Casse lustre Rose Princess headdress black, gacha [mesh](75L)

Hair: barberyumyum *barberyumyum*93(anime) [mesh](300L)

Necklace: deviousMind !dM LaSombra VampireNecklace Onyx/Silver [mesh](225L)

Lips: The Little Black Dress LBD-Glossy-Sheer-Lipstick-12-Pack (149L)

Skin, makeups: Pink Fuel [PF] Doll V2 Vamp [BOM](2500L)

Head: GENUS Project Genus Head Strong Face GIFT001 v1.7 Mocap [mesh](group gift)
Body: Maitreya Mesh Body Lara [BOM] [mesh](2750L)

On Her, Rose Kuro:

Guest appearance: Aarya Phantomhive of the Dark Phantom blog

Weapon: AiiZawa Pneumatic Peacemaker 1.0 [mesh](Engine Room)(499L)

Dress: Insomnia Angel Aisha gothic dress MaitPetite [mesh](Engine Room)(Fatpack 1000L)

Collar: Insomnia Angel lolita detachable collar Mait[mesh](Engine Room)(300L)

Hat: MIL*MIL Gothical Hat [mesh](fatpack 350L)

Boots: Eudora3D Lyra Boots Maitreya Black1[mesh](Engine Room)(399L)

Setting:

Book kit: Schadenfreude Vampire hunting book kit [mesh](Engine Room)(350L)

Flask: Schadenfreude Vampire flask [mesh](Engine Room)(75L)

Cross: Schadenfreude Large cross [mesh](Engine Room)(group gift)

Pose: MGSIT-STORE Horror [mesh](420L)

Fantasy Faire 2020: Auxentios Pass: War of the Worlds

(click to enlarge)

STORYLINE: Above the endless mechanical heartbeat of Auxentio's Pass the sirens began to wail. The city was under attack! Detective Moth cursed under his breath. Of all the rotten days to be assigned undercover in the Red Light district...  Suddenly a trumpeting blast a shook the ground. Snow and ice on the roofs above him suddenly gave way. He quickly jumped back to the facade of his favorite hangout in this frozen hellhole, Ye Olde Cigar Shop. A deadly falling ice spear missed him by mere inches. It would be been an impressive display of agility if he had not also slipped in his high heeled boots and fell on top a hot steampipe. He cried out in pain. More bad luck, and this time it was attracting the wrong kind of attention. The ground trembled under the heavy stomp of a towering behemoth as it rounded the corner of the brownstones. It aimed directly at him. "Shit!" No time to run. The Moth quickly jumped up, his mechanical wings straining under the demand. Up! Up! An angry blast of wrath shot out where he once was. ...Ha! missed him. The lumbering machine's armor was impressive, but from above, The Moth spied what must be a vulnerable spot. A smirk curled up around his cigar. Maybe it was his lucky day after all....

Have you seen all the amazing sims, cool items for sale, games, role plays, artwork, live performances, literary readings, and quest hunt at the Fantasy Faire 2020? It's always the best event of the year: lively, passionate, creative, beautiful and good hearted for an excellent cause, -- American Cancer Society's Relay for Life. I was honored to work on the Auxentio's Pass for the Fantasy Faire shopping catalog. I got to see this amazing sim come together. The textures are wonderfully detailed, I'm amazed by simple things like snow on glass creating a realistic look. You can read more about the sim's creation here: Meet The Sponsors: Contraption As you explore the sim, be sure to explore around above and below! There is even music created for sim by Contraption, check out their Hyland Gramophone. There are 2 uniquely retextured coats designed with the sim mind as Relay for Life donations. Contraption fans can collect a miniature of the City's heart in the Bard Queens's Garden Quest, as well as all the sims in Fantasy Faire, and there are more Auxentio's Pass gifts for visitors in the front entrance of the Contraption store.

While you are visiting Auxentio's Pass, shown above are these cool Animesh wings by Static. And over at Raven Bell's is Crystal Fantasy hair pack. Many of of Raven's hair at the Fantasy Faire have a special Crystal Fantasy color pack. The Faire is open until May 10th! It is NOT to be missed! For more information, go to: Fantasy Faire

And in an explosion of cool happening at the same time, is the Engine Room. The Pathos skirt and top by Toksik are really interesting. The top has fits for men, women, and even v-tech. Love it! Of course I had to try to see if I could come up with an interesting character for this outfit. Also from the Engine Room is the wonderfully textured Staff by Sempiternal. It has several different hand pose positions (men & women, left or right, and 2 hands). The intricately detailed monocle by Air comes in left or right, gold or silver. And rounding out the outfit are the impossibly high and impossibly steamy steampunk boots by Eudora.

In other news, if you have been watching the blogs, you might have heard both Genus Lab and Catwa released a gift head this week. Genus Lab is fighting a DMCA now, but I expect they will be back up and running soon. The Strong Face 001 gift head is wonderfully made. I'll cover the Freya Catwa head soon, it has neck fits for male and female. TMP Classic body is back for 1L, and if you slap the board for Lucy body, you might win that too. Its been a fantastic week for the alts and those New to SL to get up to speed on mesh heads and bodies. Excellent.

On him, Detective Moth:
Hair: Raven Bell Adel Hair, Crystal Fantasy Pack [mesh](Fantasy Faire: Auxentios Pass)(250L)
Wings: Static DaVinci Faewing Old World [Animesh](Fantasy Faire: Auxentios Pass)(350L)
Monocle: Air Queen Victoria monocle gold [mesh](Engine Room)(300L)
Staff: SEMPITERNAL LUX AETERNA The Throne's Staff [mesh](Engine Room)(399L)
Top: toksik Pathos Blouse (V-tech) [mesh](Engine Room)(245L)
Skirt: toksik Pathos Skirt (Lara) [mesh](Engine Room)(240L)
Boots: Eudora3D Della Boots (Maitreya) [mesh](Engine Room)(399L)
Wrap: Junbug Holly Fur Shawl Cream [mesh](195L)
Claws: ContraptioN Vulture Talons [mesh](325L)
Hat: deviousMind dM VictorianGothic - RoseHat, gacha [mesh](75L)
Cigar: Fallen Gods R.U.L.K. full avatar + Fallen Gods Inc. [mesh](1200L)
Skin: GENUS Project GENUS Skin Applier ELENA - Honey MakeUp 05 [BOM](100L)
Head: GENUS Project Genus Head Strong Face GIFT001 v1.7 Mocap [mesh](group gift)
Chest: [V-Tech] Boi Chest Mod v2.2 - Maitreya [BOM](499L)
Body: Maitreya Mesh Body Lara [BOM] [mesh](2750L)
Pose: Del May DM - Kick off (50L)

Location:
Fantasy Faire: Auxentios Pass Sponsored by Contraption
This post was made possible thanks to a loaned monitor. Thank you!