Engine Room: Mirror Mirror on the Wall (Escape from Club Apophis, 41)

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STORYLINE:   In the mad dash to evade the Enforcers, the team scattered. Lost and half-blind, Minjo ducked into the nearest available door.

The corridor was a jarring contrast to the plastic surgery clinic's sterile white above. Here, everything glowed warm and decadent. She couldn't read the details clearly. Her world had been a smear of shapes and color since the sewers took her glasses. But she could feel the difference. Thick carpet underfoot instead of tile. The air tasted faintly of mahogany and expensive old perfume. Warmth instead of clinical cold.

At the end of the hall, a brass door radiated importance. She didn't need sharp eyes to recognize that shape of authority.

She ran for it, heart hammering against her ribs. She pressed the gold serpent brooch to the kiosk by feel.

"Welcome home, Mistress Paine," the automated assistant chirped. The heavy door hissed open.

Footsteps echoed behind her.

Minjo slipped inside and dropped to the cold floor. She dove beneath what felt like a bed. Her hands found a brass frame, heavy embroidered fabric, the scent of dust and trapped air. She pressed herself flat and waited.

MasterGin's voice cut through the corridor like a razor drawn across velvet. "Trying to break what belongs to me? How ambitious of you."

"You can't do this to me." Paine's voice was tight. Desperate.

"Oh, I already have."

"I built this clinic. I run it."

"And yet here we are. Think of it as a sabbatical. A very long one. Your only duty now is to ensure no one else harms another glorious hair on his head. Now go. Before I'm forced to correct what jealousy has done to your face."

Heels receded. Precise. Unhurried.

The door swung open.

"Welcome home, Mistress Paine," the automated assistant repeated, just as brightly.

Minjo shifted backward into the shadows.

Something heavy smashed against the wall. She flinched at the sound. Glass, by the pitch of it, shattering across the floor. Something small skittered under the bed skirt and came to rest near her knee. She felt the edge of it with careful fingers. A shard. Mirror glass. She moved her hand away.

From under the folds of fabric, she listened more than she watched.

The clinic administrator's breathing was ragged. The rustle of fabric, a zipper, something heavy dropping to the floor. A change of clothes. Minjo filed this away. Paine shedding the white coat in private meant the white coat was a performance. What came after was the real thing. The unmistakeable shape and colors of a nun habit.

Then the soft thud of a body sliding down a wall. Knees pulling in. A choked sob that the room swallowed slowly.

Minjo had expected many things from Nurse Paine. Crying was not among them.

She inched forward carefully, staying low, until she had a partial sightline through the gap in the bed skirt. Shapes and light. The glow of a halophone activating. Paine's blurred silhouette on the floor, something small held up in the amber light, a lock of something pale, silver-bright even to her damaged eyes. Hair. Long and silver.

Jihoon's hair.

Paine gripped it like a lifeline.

"April 13, 2055," Paine said, her voice hoarse. "Club Apophis. Five minutes to midnight."

The phone projected a hologram into the dark room. Minjo couldn't make out faces clearly, blurred shapes and moving light, but she didn't need to. She heard sounds. Clinking glasses, upbeat music, layered chatter. A birthday party. Someone singing Happy Birthday with theatrical confidence. She recognized the timbre of that voice even muffled through projection speakers.

MasterGin.

She heard the wink in his voice, "It's going to be you."

The crowd began to chant.

Ten. Nine. Eight.

Minjo held herself perfectly still. She was beginning to understand what she was witnessing.

Three. Two. One.

A sound she could interpret without seeing: heavy doors opening. Streetlight bleeding in. She could tell by the way the room's light shifted even through her limited sight. The music stopped mid-note. Absolute silence.

Then a voice she knew.

Uncertain. Slightly embarrassed. Completely ordinary.

"Hi."

Minjo's hand flew to her mouth.

No one on screen moved.

Paine killed the projection. The room plunged back into suffocating silence.

The sound that followed was harder to listen to than anything in the recording. Not sobbing exactly. The specific, ugly sound of a person coming apart when they believe no one can hear them. Ragged breaths scraping against the quiet. The wet sound of grief that has nowhere to go.

Minjo shifted her weight slightly to ease the ache in her knees. Her knee grazed something, the glass shard barely touching it, and the tiny sound it made against the floorboards detonated in the silence.

Paine's breath stopped.

Then the bed was gone. Hauled back with a jarring metallic scrape. Cold air rushed in. A shape loomed over her. Minjo couldn't see the expression clearly but she could read the body language in the set of the shoulders, the raised arm. Something sharp and metallic glinted the ambient light. Shears.

Minjo froze. She calculated what she could: the distance to the door by memory, the approximate angle of the blade by the glint, and her absolute zero percent chance of survival.

She waited.

Above her, something changed. The raised arm didn't fall. Minjo could feel the recalculation happening in the pause, threat assessment shifting, the quality of the silence changing from predatory to something else.

Slowly, the shears lowered.

"I didn't mean to pry," Minjo said. She kept her voice perfectly even. "I just needed a place to hide." She nodded toward the silver strands she could make out in Paine's hand. "You disguised your betrayal with a smaller one. Brilliant."

Paine looked down at the hair. "Twenty years," she whispered. Her voice was entirely hollow. "I gave him twenty years of devotion. I bled for him. He forgot I existed the second that boy walked through the door."

Minjo considered this. "He told you it was going to be you."

"I was the strongest of his disciples," Paine said. "MasterGin had been preparing for centuries. I thought I was the culmination of it all. The pinnacle of his achievement. But I wasn't. None of us were."

The shame left Paine's voice. What replaced it was worse.

"I followed the false god," Paine said, her voice dropping to a fierce whisper. "And I was envious of the real one."

Paine sank to her knees. She bowed her head deeply, almost pressing her forehead against the dusty floorboards.

"I didn't understand, but I do now. Someone appeared by chance. Seemingly unworthy. And..."

"Chaos," Minjo interrupted flatly. "Just the kind of surprise a god of chaos would find funny."

"No." She shook her head. "Jihoon is one of us. A Child of Apophis. He has to be. He's the Lost One. Please accept my apology," Paine whispered to the floor. "My envy blinded me. I will serve the true Chosen One. As the advocate of Yoon Jihoon, how may I assist you?"

Minjo looked at the blurred shape of the woman kneeling before her. She didn't offer comfort. She didn't offer a speech about forgiveness. The variables of their survival had just changed. She needed to exploit them.

Minjo dusted off her knees and rose.

"Can you get us into the ceremony?"

"Yes."

"Good. I need to know exactly what happened to Jihoon when he entered Club Apophis. I need the logistics of the Opening of the Mouth ceremony, Monstrum, the Old Ways." Minjo reached out and found the silver strands by feel, lifting them from Paine's hand. "And I'll be taking this mutant DNA sample. Thank you for your assistance."

For those still following along for the continuing storyline, this chapter just revealed who the Magic Mirror is in my cyberpunk horror retelling of Snow White. Paine is the mirror to MasterGin's evil queen. lol The Prince and the Huntsman will be revealed, as well as wrapping up the character arcs for Lisa, Ghost, Echo and Jihoon. I estimate there are roughly 4 more chapters left and an epilogue. What a journey!

This post was inspired by the series and wonderful items on this round of Engine Room which ends tomorrow. The setting has so many lovely things, and both outfits are gorgeous.   ...On MasterGin is the Nixon outfit by OneDays. It's one-piece outfit you buy in a single color or fatback.   ...On the long suffering Paine is the Rebis Scholar Garments. It comes in fits for men and women. It has textures in PBR that give the metallic edges sparkle, and a tattered hem.   ...From Milkbath is the Censer. Just wear it and it will trigger a 1 of 4 poses which you can alter in the texture hud. It comes in left and righted version, swing, and non swing.   .... From Cult is the Cornelia boots (shown below) for female avatars. The boots include gear details, and a spooky spinal vertebra heel. They are elegant gothic style with metallic details. But I really love the suede texture options, along with the leather.   ...The Bedroom set is by Eclectica. It includes the bed, dressers, mirrors, and lamps. The mirrors are PBR and will reflect the environment. It comes with a texture hud to change the metal color, and fabrics.   ...From Lore is the Captain's Lounge Chair, tables, and lamp. They are PBR with a hud to change the chair textures.   ...Also from Lore is matching skybox, Nemo's study. Its fantastic with elegant PBR textures.   ...From Duplexity is an art deco Radio.   ...From Ishiku is another stunning crystal glass set, Vintage Floral Decanter. It's mod, so I tinted it green to match my theme.   ...From Puddles is the Royal Scribe's Collection with lectern, feather pen, and book stack.   ...From Apika is the spooky Madame Palmelope, a hand holding a teacup, that when touched, will give you your fortune.   ..In the back, is the Architect Volta fireplace. I tinted the flames green for a spooky effect.

The Apophis series will be taking a break for the first time in almost a year, as I shift to blogging the Fantasy Faire. Be looking forward to it.  Apophis will return after that. 

On Her, Nurse Paine:

Outfit: REBIS - Scholar Garments . LaraX . OMNIPACK [mesh](Engine Room)(2000L)

Censer, pose: MILKBATH - Samael Censer [mesh](Engine Room)(799L)

Boots: CULT - Cornelia [mesh](Engine Room)(369L)

Headdress: ONEDAYs - UNHOLY HEADRESS [UNRIGED]

Hair: Limerence - Tamesis hair [mesh](990L)

Gloves: ContraptioN - Dapper Dandy's Glove, Maitreya [mesh]

Tears: SAXO - Bleeding Eyes lel EVOX Unisex [BOM]

Eyes: VelvetVue - Hibrida blue eyes :: sclera #1 [BOM]

Skin: VOGLIA - ELEKTRA Skin, EvoX, Icy With Brows [BOM]

Head, eyes: LeLUTKA - RAVEN 4.0 [mesh](3990L)

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

On Him, MasterGin:

Outfit: ONEDAYs - NIXON OUTFIT, Black, LEGACY [mesh](Engine Room)(350L)

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

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

Hair: bonbon - tame hair, naturals [mesh](439L)

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

Setting:

Bedroom set: Eclectica - Steampunk Bed [mesh](Engine Room)(850L)

Chairs. tables, lamp: LORE - Captain's Lounge Chair [mesh](Engine Room)(1700L)

Radio: Duplexity - Aetherys Lux Radio - Wood/Gold [mesh](Engine Room)(299L)

Glass set: ISHIKU - Vintage Floral Crown Decanter Dispenser [mesh](Engine Room)(490L)

Books, scroll, feather pen: Puddles - Royal Scribe's Collection [mesh](Engine Room)(300L)

Hand, teacup: Apika - Madame Palmelope [mesh](Engine Room)(499L)

Fireplace: Architect - Volta Fireplace [mesh]

Skybox: LORE - Nemo's Study [PBR] [mesh]

BONUS IMAGES: inworld raw shot, hi-res, midday sky.

Cyber Fair: The Entropy Engine (Escape from Club Apophis, 34)

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STORYLINE:  The air had changed. Nurse Paine noticed the shift the way a surgeon feels a patient crashing. It was not a sound. It was a pressure. A wrongness in the molecules. MasterGin was somewhere in the building. The clinic grew tense around his presence. The air smelled too heavily of expensive perfume. The immaculate floors felt like ice. Every sterile corridor was listening.

She did not hurry. Hurrying was for people who could afford to be seen trying. Nurse Paine did nothing quickly. Not even betrayal.

Her halo-phone glowed in her palm. She tapped the screen with surgical precision.

Sorry to bother you, Master.

The Tailor is undecided about the ritual garment for Jihoon.

He fears displeasing you. Might you inspect it personally?

Send.

A lie stitched with perfect etiquette. MasterGin loved beauty. He loved craftsmanship. He loved being admired. He would come. And while the god of vanity obsessed over silk, Nurse Paine would commit treason.

She reached the sealed maintenance hatch deep below the clinic. She unhooked her gold serpent brooch and pressed the metal to the optical reader. The heavy door hissed. It unlocked the passage to the sewer.

On the other side, the team of filthy students practically collapsed into her.

Ghost had been mid-hack on the exterior keypad. He yelped and jumped backward. His tools clattered loudly across the wet stone.

Paine offered a sweet, dead-eyed smile. "Welcome to GIN AESTHETICA™."

"You bitch!" Minjo lunged blindly at the white-coated figure. "I would know your stench anywhere! You drugged me! You kidnapped Jihoon!"

Plague caught Minjo around the waist. He hauled her back before she could tear the nurse's throat out. The struggle was silent but volcanic.

Paine did not flinch. She lifted the edge of her pristine coat just enough to reveal the serrated chrome of a bone saw and a glowing syringe of paralytic neurotoxin.

"If I intended to harm you," she said softly, "you would not have made it this far." Her eyes flicked down the dark corridor behind them, calculating the shadows. "I do not have time for this. If you want Yoon Jihoon back, follow me. Make no sound. Touch nothing. Or we are all dead."

She turned and walked away.

The Team hesitated. Suspicion moved through them like a cold river current.

Lisa darted in front of Paine. She planted herself in the corridor like a barricade. "Why are you helping us?"

Paine tried to brush past her.

Lisa raised one finger. "Answer our questions or I start screaming. Trust me. I have influencer lungs. I can hit frequencies that shatter glass and summon security."

"Go ahead and scream," Paine replied. "The soundproofing here is excellent. I had it installed myself."

"Okay then. Here goes." Lisa inhaled deeply. She prepared to let out the full force of her voice.

Paine stopped walking.

Lisa smiled sweetly. "Much better. I'm Lisa Liemawr of the Hexa Herald. Reporter. Survivor. Professional chaos correspondent. Now why exactly should we trust the nurse with a bone saw and serial killer energy?"

Paine's eyes moved to Lisa. It was the flat assessment of someone deciding whether a specimen was worth the formaldehyde jar.

"Because he replaced me." The words landed heavy and bitter. Paine’s gaze shifted to the approaching elevator doors. "I helped build this place. Lead the Children of Apophis. My devotion to Master Ginerva was absolute. Then the Lost One arrived. Suddenly he is the masterpiece. The obsession. And I am reduced to grunt work. I want him gone." 

Kyle took in the tunnels with a security guard's eye. Posh. Immaculate. They were a jarring contrast to the decaying, foul-smelling sewers they had just escaped.

His deep voice cut the tension. "Where are you taking us?"

Paine moved forward. "These are the VIP corridors. They are safe. They connect to the Presidential Blue House and Yeouido’s financial towers. Only human clients are permitted to access this sector."

"No Monstrum?" Kyle raised a brow. His voice was edged with heavy suspicion.

"No," she replied. She picked up her pace and checked her silver halowatch. "The powerful invest in miracles. Not nightmares."

Minjo’s jaw tightened. "Humans only. Meaning you are still human. Able to go where the vampires can't." She began to follow Paine, firing her questions like daggers. "You planted those bugs and devices in Jihoon’s dorm. You were the one behind the Black Snakeskin Box."

Paine spun around and sneered. "You are wasting time you do not have."

She turned and walked faster than should have been possible in couture heels. She disappeared into an obsidian elevator.

The team rushed inside after her. When the elevator doors parted again, they were greeted by a pair of brushed gold cathedral doors. The metal slid open soundlessly. The air beyond was immediately cooler and heavier. It felt as if the room itself had lungs.

They stepped into The Museum of Catastrophes.

An oppressive, deep hum ruled the circular, domed chamber. It sounded similar to the barrier protecting the border of the Forbidden Zone, but the frequency was much stronger here. A low vibration pulsed through the glass floor beneath their boots. It rattled their teeth. Around the chamber’s perimeter, illuminated holograms endlessly repeated historic disasters, displayed like priceless, curated jewelry.

The team slowly entered. The air smelled faintly metallic, like a lightning strike trapped in glass. Plague turned in a slow circle, staring at the vivid, looping tragedies.

"Okay," he whispered. "So we have the burning of the Library of Alexandria." He pointed at one glowing display, then another. "The Titanic snapping like a glow stick. A mushroom cloud blooming over Hiroshima."

He swallowed hard. "Guys."

No one answered.

"Guys, this is exactly like the movie Aliens. Exactly. Like when Ripley realizes she just walked into the Queen’s egg chamber."

Silence.

"For the record, I voted we stay in the sewer." Plague gulped and looked around the terrifying room.

Suddenly, a sharp chime pierced the chamber. It was Paine’s halo-phone. She went completely rigid.

MasterGin’s voice slid through the speaker. It was sharp and highly irritated. "Where is the Damascus silk? It was to arrive two days ago."

Her ruse had backfired. She angled her body away from the team. Her voice dropped to a state of professional calm.

"My apologies, Master. I will investigate at once."

"Do so. The ceremony must not be delayed." The line went dead. Paine shot the students one hard, genuinely panicked look. "Do not move," she mouthed. She vanished through a dark side corridor, leaving them alone.

Ghost snapped his fingers for their attention. He pointed his dimmed halo-wrist light toward the perimeter of the room. Six vertical stasis pods lined the curved walls. They glowed softly. The seventh pod stood dark. Above each pod pulsed a name and a date, flashing in perfect time with the heartbeat of the chamber.

Sister Hana. April 13, 2029. Jeju Island. Sister Mireille. April 13, 2029. Jeju Island.

Ghost blinked. He rapidly tapped on his halo glove, projecting the glowing blue text into the air. "Same birthdate."

Echo's hand flew up to cover her mouth. She already knew which pod would be dark. She did not make a single sound as she read the glass.

Sister Sophia. Missing.

Further inside the room, Minjo stood transfixed by the displays. Because she had lost her glasses in the sewer, she had to lean in close. Her face was lit by the ghostly glow, mere inches from a repeating hologram of a sinking ocean liner. "This is not archival footage," she whispered, her breath shallow. "They are extractions. Time files." She reached out and touched the cold edge of the glass casing. “And these displays? Chronal Resonance Viewers."

The holograms pulsed with sickening rhythm. From each looping disaster, thin filaments of anti-light throbbed beneath the glass floor. The strange shadows actively consumed the surrounding glow. They left only the faint memory of light at their edges, behaving exactly like miniature black holes.

She squinted hard, trying to follow the eerie, bisected light tracing across the floor. "This power. It's not energy born from creation. It is born from destruction. They are extracting it," Minjo said. Her voice dropped into a clinical, terrified cadence.

"Oh!” Echo blurted out. “Like Jihoon’s theory about the Black Snakeskin Box?"

"Yes,” Minjo gestured to the vast chamber. "It is horrifyingly genius. Disasters throughout time, focused into one place like a solar array from hell. This entire room is the Entropy Engine."

The anti-light raced in a mathematical spiral. It converged in a tightening whirlwind toward the beating heart of the room.

"Hey, Dragonlets." Lisa pointed upward, her voice entirely losing its usual commercial gloss. "Is that Apophis?"

A vast projection dominated the domed ceiling. It showed a massive celestial body skimming the Earth's atmosphere. Satellites fell from orbit like burning embers. Northern lights circled the globe on fire.

Plague's eyes widened. "It was almost directly over Jeju Island during its closest approach."

"Wait," Plague whispered, taking a step forward. "Jihoon’s gamer tag was Meteor Strike." He rubbed his arms as goosebumps rose on his neck. "He never did tell us when his birthday was."

Drawn by the hypnotic pulse of the anti-light, the team approached the central dais.

At the focal point of the exhibit, someone reclined across a luxurious, serpent-shaped chaise lounge.

At first, they thought it was a marble statue.

The sleeping figure lay perfectly still. He was draped in flowing ceremonial white. His limbs were arranged with deliberate, artistic grace. Silver hair spilled across the velvet cushions like molten metal.

He was beautiful. Far too beautiful.

A brass placard glowed gently beneath the dais.

Echo leaned closer to read it. Her voice faltered immediately.

"Lathandro Ginerva. April 13, 2029. East China Sea, off Jeju Island."

Absolute silence fell across the chamber.

Kyle stopped breathing.

Minjo stumbled backward, her hands flying to her head. "No," she whispered. "No. No. No."

High above the dais, coiled in the slow silence of the ceiling projection, something vast moved in the dark. It was not a shadow. It was not smoke. It was the outline of something ancient. It was ringed in stolen anti-light. Its attention was fixed on the sleeping figure below, possessing the terrifying, absolute stillness of a predator that had already won.

Spooky! Thanks to everyone who has stayed with me. We are racing towards to the end of this gothic cyberpunk horror.... Ready for more Cyberpunk? Yes? Then hop on your hover bike, it's Cyber Fair time!  

For this post, we get to peek into setting from my ongoing series, the VIP Tunnels of GIN AESTHETICA™ with our tour guide, Nurse Paine. ... The wonderful "007" Sky Tower Building 1 is by Amebic. It has built in lighting, sliding glass doors, and is able to stack, connecting passageways between skyboxes. I used 4 connecting boxes for my image. Love that! ...Nurse Paine is wearing the dramatic and elegant Tamesis hair by Limerence. The side of the hair has a led glowing effect thats pretty cool. I love the long braids too. You can purchase texture packs for more colors, and tint in the hair hud. For my image, I used a white texture and added a slight gold tint match her hair color used in a past post. ...Paine has doubled up on face masks, because you can never be too safe. *snorts*. The lower layer is the most beautiful Face BOM cyber mask I have ever seen, Tactical Cyber Mask by Guapa. You almost don't even notice the lips are not behind a mask! It's a great illusion! I used the Blue version from the Fatpack. ...The upper mask is the Tusk Metal Mask by VERBOTEN. It has animated LED textures, and a texture hud. It's mod, so you can move it around. I turned off the text that said "Tusk" in the edit menu. ...Paine's eyes are the S H I M M set one turquoise eyes, they worked perfectly. They come in BOM or Lelutka eye applier. ...The sporty Xenu outfit by Error worked great as cyberpunk Nurse outfit! It has a hud to change its colors and the animated LED colors. ...The fun Cyber Haute Couture shoes are Ruchell 's Lux Heels. (see image below). The sole has a rotating Diamond hologram, fabric is Hexagon, and has a LED glow too. It's just too fun. Has a texture hud also. ...Other items I used, the Effervescence Miranda Gloves for that nurse latex glow look, the Hexclave Snake Tie Pin as Paine's VIP badge, its a gift on the marketplace. From BluPrintz is the DataPad doubling as a halo phone. I used the Voglia ELEKTRA Skin once more for Paine to keep her consistent. Pose by Yzk.

On her, Nurse Paine:

Hair: Limerence - Tamesis hair [mesh](Cyber Fair)(990L)

Outfit: Error - xena set - legacy  [mesh](Cyber Fair)(199L)

Mask object: VERBOTEN - Tusk Metal Mask [mesh](Cyber Fair)(300L)

Mask tattoo: Guapa - Tactical Cyber Mask For Lelutka Evox, fatpack [BOM](Cyber Fair)(499L)

Eyes: S H I M M - CYBER XIII BONUS [BOM](Cyber Fair)(288L)

Shoes: Ruchell - Lux Heels [mesh](Cyber Fair)(349L)

Gloves: Effervescence - EF Miranda Gloves - MEGAPACK - Legacy [mesh]

Brooch: HEXCLAVE - Snake Tie Pin [mesh](gift)

Syringe, bone saw: CABALPIER - Mad Doctor's Equipment - Bundle [mesh]

Halophone: BluPrintz - BP - Data Pad [mesh]

Skin: VOGLIA - ELEKTRA Skin, EvoX, Icy With Brows [BOM]

Head, eyes: LeLUTKA - RAVEN 4.0 [mesh](3990L)

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

Pose: yzk - mens pose2 - 5

Setting:

Skybox: ambice - "007" Sky Tower Building 1 [mesh](Cyber Fair)(899L)

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

WINTERS HALLOW: Fear is for the winter

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“Oh, my sweet summer child, what do you know of fear? Fear is for the winter, ...when the snows fall a hundred feet deep. Fear is for the long night, when the sun hides its face for years at a time, and little children are born and live and die all in darkness. ... Thousands of years ago, there came a night that lasted a generation. Kings froze to death in their castles, same as the shepherds in their huts. And women smothered their babies rather than see them starve, and wept, and felt the tears freeze on their cheeks. ...In that darkness the White Walkers came for the first time. They swept through cities and kingdoms riding their dead horses, hunting with their packs of pale spiders, big as hounds.” - Old Nan, Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

Who here is hyped for the final season of Game of Thrones? Me me me me!  I was inspired make a Whitewalker for this post by the awesome Deadly Nightshare Nityr's Staff on sale at the appropriately dark Winter's Hallow. It throws out some badass effects in mesh and particles, and you can send your friends flying off the sim with a good blast. hahaha Good times. Winter's Hallow is packed with dark and pagen winter items, and there are gifts under the tree, and hunt prizes too! You can see all the hunt prizes here:

https://darkpassionsevents.wixsite.com/secondlife/sg-2018-winters-hollow

Also shown above are a new Talon claws by Contraption at equal10. They were updated for Belleza Jake 2 too. They come with a hud to change the textures. Also shown by Contraption is the Ice Beast mesk and horns. To see just how cool it looks with its icey materials, turn on advanced lighting and have at least one local light. For some more ice, I used Izzie's body glitter tattoo over the beautiful Fallen Gods' Winter Nymph texture for men. I love the color of it! The rest of my Whitewalker outfit items are the PFC Iron Arms, and imho the best kilt for men on the grid, Cult's Male kilt with boots. it comes with a texture hud for the kilt and boots, black, denim and grey. The setting is a brand new hallway prop by CerberusXing on sale at another great dark themed event, Eclipse. .. Stay warm, Sweet Summer Children. Winter is coming....

On Him, the Whitewalker:
Staff: Deadly Nightshade .~DN~. Nityr's Staff, Spell Hud [mesh](Winter's Hallow)(350L)
Claws: ContraptioN Vulture Talons [mesh](equal10)(325L)
Mask, horns: ContraptioN Ice Beast set [mesh](250L)
Tattoo: Izzie's Body & Face Glitter applier, omega (269L)
Armbands: Pucca Firecaster's Creations PFC~Iron Arms [mesh] (300L)
Kilt, boots: Cult Male Kilt, Kilt Boots slink male, belleza, gianna [mesh](425L)
Hair: Limerence Willow hair, left side, RARE, Winds of Fall gacha [mesh](75L)
Eyes: Devae Rue Eyes/Pluto: Plutonium [mesh](250L)
Skin: Fallen Gods Wood Nymph, Winter xy +FGInc, Omega PG (990L)
Mesh head: Raven Bell James, Bento [mesh] (2000L)
Teeth: 6DOO bento vampire teeth Cuspid fangs [mesh](250L)
Body: Signature Gianni - Mesh Body [mesh](3500L)
Setting: CerberusXing [CX] Crucifix Corridor[mesh](Eclipse event)(450L)
Pose: VON Wrath of the Whitewalker 14