CYBER FAIR is coming JUNE 2 - 22, 2026
For More information go to: https://www.access-sl.com/cyberfair
Friday, May 22, 2026
Tuesday, May 12, 2026
Fantasy Faire: Reservoir Zero
(click to enlarge)
STORYLINE: A messy haired child hopped across the hot metal plates of the floating city, Reservoir Zero, past the graffiti reading "water is worth more than blood," and "count every drop."
He danced on his feet, "Hot! Hot!" and quickly tied two used feedbags to his bare feet.
In the distance, a dark clad towering man walked across the metal catwalk to the center pumping engine of the city's cistern. Fisher. A warrior from the War for Life.
Scraper smiled. He vaulted off to the balcony railing, swung on a thick trailing vine, and parkoured his way down with all the caution of a celebrity crazed fan.
Fisher was the eldest in the city with white hair, war scars, and black machine eyes that were impossible to read. He was the city's handyman, a jack of all trades. Someone who knew the old technology, and how to fix things.
Scrapper peeked out from behind the pump's flywheel. He pointed to Fisher’s strange oxidized hands. “Does it hurt?”
Fisher chuckled, he seemed to know the child was following him.
“When it does, it’s only a reminder I am alive.” He offered the child a bit of freshly cut sushi.
Scraper squealed excitedly and plopped down on top of a pile of cords, happily devouring the gift.
“What was it like?” He spoke with a mouth full of food. “When there was land?”
Fisher was quiet for a moment, looking out at the vast watery horizon.
“There were vines like we have here," he gestured to the towering shacks stacked upwards. "And so much more."
"Really?"
"Green plants as far as the eye could see. They grew on their own too,” he winked. “Without any effort by humans to keep them alive.”
Scraper gasped. “Wow. That sounds amazing. Do you miss it?”
“I do, and who I was before the War for Life, but that’s the past. What matters now, is the joy of survival. Every day is a blessing, no matter how different things are. Do you understand?”
“Uh...,” Scraper blushed. “Not really. But I think I know what you mean. Do you want some help?”
Fisher picked up his fishing net, “I would love the company. I can show you how to do it. Would you like to catch your own fish next time?”
Scraper nodded eagerly, and together they climbed to the lower level.
He danced on his feet, "Hot! Hot!" and quickly tied two used feedbags to his bare feet.
In the distance, a dark clad towering man walked across the metal catwalk to the center pumping engine of the city's cistern. Fisher. A warrior from the War for Life.
Scraper smiled. He vaulted off to the balcony railing, swung on a thick trailing vine, and parkoured his way down with all the caution of a celebrity crazed fan.
Fisher was the eldest in the city with white hair, war scars, and black machine eyes that were impossible to read. He was the city's handyman, a jack of all trades. Someone who knew the old technology, and how to fix things.
Scrapper peeked out from behind the pump's flywheel. He pointed to Fisher’s strange oxidized hands. “Does it hurt?”
Fisher chuckled, he seemed to know the child was following him.
“When it does, it’s only a reminder I am alive.” He offered the child a bit of freshly cut sushi.
Scraper squealed excitedly and plopped down on top of a pile of cords, happily devouring the gift.
“What was it like?” He spoke with a mouth full of food. “When there was land?”
Fisher was quiet for a moment, looking out at the vast watery horizon.
“There were vines like we have here," he gestured to the towering shacks stacked upwards. "And so much more."
"Really?"
"Green plants as far as the eye could see. They grew on their own too,” he winked. “Without any effort by humans to keep them alive.”
Scraper gasped. “Wow. That sounds amazing. Do you miss it?”
“I do, and who I was before the War for Life, but that’s the past. What matters now, is the joy of survival. Every day is a blessing, no matter how different things are. Do you understand?”
“Uh...,” Scraper blushed. “Not really. But I think I know what you mean. Do you want some help?”
Fisher picked up his fishing net, “I would love the company. I can show you how to do it. Would you like to catch your own fish next time?”
Scraper nodded eagerly, and together they climbed to the lower level.
Congratulations to everyone who helped make this year's Fantasy Faire another wonderful, inspired event and raised funds for a good cause. I felt so inspired by the Reservoir Zero sim, I squeezed none more post to highlight it before the Faire ends tomorrow. ... You can read more detail on the sim here: Reservoir-zero.
The theme for this story is what happens after you survive cancer. This post's inspirations are my mom who is a cancer survivor, the movie Waterworld, and the Reservoir Zero sim. ...Fisher is a blend of items from the Faire. I used the OneDay's Hajime outfit and paired it with the fun Grasshopper Street Tiger Shimp Hat, and ERG tool belt. To show his battle scars are, Hexed's Broken blood vessels, Misteria Infected gloves with materials effects, and Curious Kitties dark eyes. His pose and swords (for cutting sushi), are part of UZME's Dual Blade pose set. From Wicked Made is the copper Sterling Gas Lamp (check out the fun hover lamp in the store too), and ERG's Verdant Ceiling Pipe Light with hanging vines for a perfect tone with Reservoir Zero's theme. ... From Starlit-Endeavor are the Venusion Sci Fi Props available at the current round of the Warehouse. They are PBR and full mod, so you can scale them up or down, however you wish.
On him, Fisher:
Outfit: ONEDAYs - HAJIME - LEGACY [mesh](Fantasy Faire: Heian)
Hat: Grasshopper Street - GHS Tiger Shrimp Hat [mesh](Fantasy Faire: Bến Tôm Rơi)
Belt: ERG - Legacy (m) Mechanic Tool Belt / Blogger Pack [mesh](Fantasy Faire: Reservoir Zero)
Tattoo: Hexed - Broken blood vessels Face EvoX [BOM](Fantasy Faire: Reservoir Zero)
Tattoo: Misteria - Infected gloves - Rust [BOM, materials](Fantasy Faire: Requiem)
Eyes, makeup: Curious Kitties - Dark Eyes - Face [BOM](Fantasy Faire: Amon Galadrann)
Sandles: Gabriel GB::Geta (male) White [mesh](gift)(Fantasy Faire: Heian)
Hair: Dura U109-HAIR-FAT PACK FA/ Male [mesh](380L)
Head, Lips, piercings: LeLUTKA Kane Evolution [mesh](3990L)
Body: TheShops [BODY] Athletic Meshbody (Legacy)(m) [mesh](5000L)
Body: TheShops [BODY] Athletic Meshbody (Legacy)(m) [mesh](5000L)
Pose, Swords: UZME - DualBlade Set#1(Fantasy Faire: Stoneveil Crossing)
Setting:
Street Lamp: Wicked Made - WM Sterling Gas Streetlamp(Fantasy Faire: Reservoir Zero)
Hanging light, vines: ERG - Verdant Ceiling Pipe Light [mesh](Fantasy Faire: Reservoir Zero)
Scifi props: Starlit-Endeavor - Venusion Sci Fi Props [mesh](The Warehouse)(1932L)
Reservoir Zero - Sponsored by Oyasumi, Fantasy Faire 2026
BONUS IMAGES: inworld raw shots, hi-res, midday sky :
Thursday, May 7, 2026
Fantasy Faire: God of the Desert
(click to enlarge)
Caw Caw Caw.
Above were two black birds racing deeper into the wastelands. His little paws pounded excitedly up the dune, climbing higher and higher towards the birds and the source of the hum.
“Yes, yes, I felt it too.” A man’s voice echoed off the dunes.
When he reached the top, his little paws stopped. In the distance was a great stone circle held in place by two large stone hands. The excited crows had landed on top of them, making a great fuss. Black feathers flying.
The hum was louder here, powerful. It vibrated in his bones. The wind was picking up. He raced down the dune to take shelter from the coming storm. As he neared the stone circle, he saw the glint of gold held by one of the hands. It was a golden circular scepter, with circles swirling within circles. It vibrated and then shot through the air into the distance.
“You think the Unweaver is any match for me?” An annoyed voice replied to the crows. “You can thank me for the sun rising everyday. It is only I, Seth, God of the Desert, that can drive away the Great Serpent Apophis every night.”
The Fennec felt afraid. The hum was emanating from the other side of the circle. The fox crept around it until he saw the man in the distance, plowing forward in knee high sand. His skin the same color of sand, and hair brighter red than the fieriest sunset. He held the golden scepter forward, and the sands began to swirl around him. Growing larger and larger until it formed a great tornado of sand.
“Tell your master, the Harpy King, the Unweaver will not be driven back forever, only until this time next year. You’re Welcome.”
The little Fennec pressed himself flat against the cool stone and watched, ears pinned back, as the desert whirlwind swallowed the God whole. Then, silence. He sneezed out a pawful of sand, and trotted home with an amazing story to tell his kits.
This post is inspired by the Ennead makeup available at the Fantasy Faire by Find the Fish. The Ennead makeup sets include designs for many gods: Thot, Anubis, Isis, Ra, Osiris, Also by Find the Fish is the hieroglyphic Sahu full body tattoos. They come with options for gold, black and gold, tintable, plus tattoo options for only upper, legs, or arms. ...From Auro is the Saturnia Staff. The rings and center star gently rotate. It's mod, so I tinted the gemstones black. ...From Slavia is the Ra Crown. It's also mod to create the perfect fit, and I tinted the Sun Disk black since Seth isn't Ra, but he defends Ra everynight, so I think I can be forgiven for letting him wear it. ...Speaking on daring, Seth is wearing the male fit for the Petrichor Lekeri dress. It has beautifully detailed metal pieces, and the texture hud contains many options, plus hides. ...From The Looking Glass are the Not Ok Hand Sculptures. I had fun making them look like they were holding the staff and the stone circle. ...The Stone Circle is by Good Furniture and has a great stone texture that worked perfectly for a surreal desert landscape. The seating includes many sit options.... The Faire is still going on strong. Keep checking the website for the latest events and news: https://fantasyfairesl.wordpress.com/
On him, Seth:
Staff: AURO - Saturnia Staff, Gold [mesh](Fantasy Faire: Canny Valley)
Outfit: Petrichor P&E - Lekeri Dress, M-Legacy [mesh](Fantasy Faire: Reservoir Zero)
Crown: Slavia - GOD RA Crown [mesh](Fantasy Faire: Amon Galadrann)
Makeup: Find the Fish - Ennead Makeup Seth, EvoX [BOM](Fantasy Faire: Requiem)
Tattoo: Find the Fish - Sahu, Full Body [BOM](Fantasy Faire: Requiem)
Jewelry: MILKBATH - Ankh - Chest, Cloth, Collarpiece, Thighs, LegacyM [mesh](799L)
Hair: A&Y - Electric-rain hair (Male) - multicolor [mesh](290L)
Armwraps: AxisMundi - The Embalmer, BandagesArmor, Legacy [mesh]
Shoes: David Heather - Ramses Sandals/LG [mesh]
Headdress: Arwen's Creations - Tiye Underscarf with Diadem by Arwen Serpente (249L)
Claws hand: L'Emporio&PL - Oblio Vampire Claws male [mesh](350L)
Necklace: Montauk chained collar - necklace [mesh](350L)
Rings: Kartel Originals - Ram Bento Rings - Right - LEGACY [mesh]
Eyes: Gloom - Savage Collection - Sclera 01 - Red S [BOM]
Head: LeLUTKA - CAMDEN 4.0 [mesh](3990L)
Body: TheShops - [BODY] Athletic Meshbody (Legacy)(m) (1.7.1) [mesh](5000L)
Pose: Le Poppycock Ain't 2 proud
Setting:
Hands: The Looking Glass - TLG Not Ok Giant Hand Sculpture [mesh](Fantasy Faire: Requiem)
Seating: Good Furniture - Stone Torus Sofa [mesh](Fantasy Faire: Vervaine Moors)
Fennec: JIAN - Fennec Fox Collection [mesh] (500L)
Land: ProjectBlank - Dune sim surround terrain (75L)
BONUS IMAGES: inworld raw shots, hi-res, midday sky :
Wednesday, April 29, 2026
Fantasy Faire: The Kitsune of Heian
(click to enlarge)
Doubt, rage, envy, fear, hopelessness.... These emotions had suddenly surged in the populace. The Oni were growing stronger. The Unweaver was approaching, bringing a cold miasma of doom with it.
The fox flicked its tails annoyed. Something must be done quickly to rebalance the land.
Kyubi no Kitsune rose on his gigantic paws and stretched out nine magnificent tails. With a leaf on his forehead, and a poof of fox magic, he transformed into a striking, friendly looking street performer, albeit his fox nature was not completely hidden.
He landed gently in the large square, and announced himself as the mighty Kyubi no Kitsune, to many dubious laughs. His fluffy tail waving, and ears twitching, he began to tell jokes and perform amazing tricks to people's delight. A crowd around him grew. His sunny nature was infectious. He encouraged everyone to sing with him, and even pulled audience members into a silly dance. Soon a full street party broke out. Food was brought and served. Young couples met. Children giggled. And by the time the sun set, Heian was full of warm hearts once more. The Oni had shrunk to the size of mice.
Outside, the Unweaver seethed. Joy was the one thing it could never consume.
It sneered and moved on.
The celebrations and fund raising for a good cause continue at the Fantasy Faire continue. Read more about events, live shows, the adventure game, and more. Learn more about the Heian sim here: MEET OUR SPONSORS: GABRIEL
On him, Kyubi no Kitsune:
Kimono: Fluffy Kreations - FK Kimono, Legacy M [mesh](Fantasy Faire: Aventurine Promenade )
Tattoo: Beastie - INUARI OVERLAY, Red [BOM](Fantasy Faire: Vervaine Moors)
Parasol: floro - Tien Parasol [mesh](Fantasy Faire: Bến Tôm Rơi )
Earrings: VISUALPHA - oneness earrings [mesh](Fantasy Faire: Heian )
Necklace: VISUALPHA - saint necklace [mesh](Fantasy Faire: Heian )
Hat: KROVA - HEAVY Coolie [mesh]
Hair: Dura - U129 -LIGHT - Men [mesh]
Tail: Aurascape - Vixen Tail Classic [Bento] [mesh](500L)
Claws hand: L'Emporio&PL - Oblio Vampire Claws male [mesh](350L)
Claws feet: L'Emporio&PL - Damned Claws For Feet [mesh](340L)
Sandals: CerberusXing - Male Fang Geta (edit tint)[mesh](350L)
Eyes: Aii - Kitsune Red Eyes (50L)
Tattoo: Nuuna - Forehead fades 2 White [BOM](past gift)
Tattoo: Sn@tch - Fishnets [BOM](past gift)
Skin: MUDSKIN - Hajimu, A, no Brow, WINTER [BOM]
Location:
HEIAN by GABRIEL Takuya Jinn
Head: LeLUTKA - KANE 4.0 [mesh](3990L)
Body: TheShops - [BODY] Athletic Meshbody (Legacy)(m) (1.7.1) [mesh](5000L)
HEIAN by GABRIEL Takuya Jinn
BONUS IMAGES: inworld raw shots, hi-res, midday sky :
Sunday, April 26, 2026
Fantasy Faire 2026: The Watch of Requiem
(click to enlarge)
STORYLINE: On the windswept hillside of the Fairelands, a lone crow hopped across the mossy ground, his talons clicking on paving stones. A cold breeze ruffled his feathers. Something about it felt wrong. Black Beak tilted his head, surveying the silent crypts and towering spires of Requiem. He had carried many souls gently to the next life. He knew the difference between a quiet passing and something darker. He cawed loudly in protest.
Dark clouds were gathering overhead.
He took flight, soaring through the flying buttresses, higher and higher he climbed. Caw. Caw. The Harpy King had felt it too. His enormous shape shadowed against the angry sky, white feathers gleaming in the last rays of the golden sunlight. With a thud, his sharp talons gripped the tallest spire, overlooking all the Fairelands. He raised his scythe. His screech ringing off every ancient stone below. The alarm was raised, the Unweaver was coming.
Black Beak landed gently on the King's armored shoulder. Caw Caw. Together they watched as the Fairelands stirred and readied once more for the Battle of Life.
Welcome back to the biggest event in SecondLife, The Fantasy Faire!
It's not to be missed! And all for a good cause, raising money for The American Cancer Society's Relay for Life. You can read more information about it here, look at the shopping guide, see the schedule of events, daily reports from the event, roleplays, jail and bails, live performances, Faire radio, tabletop games, LitFest, the interactive Hud based Quest game, and more: FantasyFaireSL website.
This post was inspired by the gorgeous and gothic Requiem sim created by Fallen Gods with it's crow, the movie The Crow, and cool items for sell at the Faire. ...From Air are the ornate Opium glasses, in silver or gold. They are mod, so you scale and adjust them for the perfect fit. ...From Schelm are the Seiryu Earrings and matching Scythe. The Earring are unrigged for you adjust for a perfect fit. The scythe includes a hud with a 2 poses, and texture changes. ...From Poet's Heart is the romantic Reina Crown. I used the fatpack version which includes many texture options. ...The aura energy effect is Limb Swirls by Starlight Designs. Just add to your outfit, change the color options, and watch as magical energy animates around your avatar. ... Black Beak is the American Crow by CKit Falconry. He is Animesh, and includes a hud for triggering animations, and poses. Plus you can name your crow too. ...From past releases are items I have been itching to show, and finally got the chance. ...Aii's Harpy collection is gorgeous, with fits for men and women. The body feathers, arm feathers and feet include a hud for changing textures, and to show and hide certain parts. Matching it is the body jewelry with the same options. And then add to that the Wings plus their jewelry. It's just so much fun, and stunning. ...Adding elegance is the AURO Virtue material shine. I used it without the chainmail BOM layers, because I wanted it to be a lighter color. It worked great! ...Adding motion is the Haruka hair for Argrace.
On him, the Harpy King:
Glasses: Air - Opium, gold, [mesh](Fantasy Faire: Ben Tom Roi)
Scythe: Schelm - FF012 - Seiryu Scythe [mesh] (Fantasy Faire: Heian)
Earrings: Schelm - FF014 - Seiryu Earrings [mesh] (Fantasy Faire: Heian)
Crown: Poet's Heart - PH Reina Crown, fatpack [mesh](Fantasy Faire: Requiem)
Aura: Starlight Designs - Limb Swirls [mesh](Fantasy Faire: Aventurine Promenade)
Pet: CKit Falconry - American Crow [animesh] (Fantasy Faire: Ben Tom Roi)
Outfit: Aii - Galewing Harpy - Full Harpy Avatar, Jewelry [mesh]
Wings: Aii - Galewing Harpy - Wing, Jewelry [mesh]
Wings: Aii - Galewing Harpy - Wing, Jewelry [mesh]
Hair: ARGRACE - Haruka - Misty White [mesh]
Shine: AURO - Virtue - Masc [BOM, Applier]
Body: TheShops - [BODY] Athletic Meshbody (Legacy)(m) (1.7.1) [mesh](5000L)
Pose: Poseidon - Ranger 2
Location:
BONUS IMAGES: inworld raw shot, hi-res, midday sky.
Sunday, April 19, 2026
Engine Room: Mirror Mirror on the Wall (Escape from Club Apophis, 41)
(click to enlarge)
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:
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:
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:
Fireplace: Architect - Volta Fireplace [mesh]
Skybox: LORE - Nemo's Study [PBR] [mesh]
BONUS IMAGES: inworld raw shot, hi-res, midday sky.
Tuesday, April 14, 2026
Engine Room: The Masquerade (Escape from Club Apophis, 40)
(click to enlarge)
STORYLINE: A damaged cybernetic cheerleader in a Zone that ate power like a starving beast ate flesh. Surrounded by monsters. One of them, for some reason, wanted to help her. Right.
"This will never work," Kyra whispered, her voice fractured by digital static.
The masquerade dress she wore was a masterpiece. Spun from dark velvet and rich red silk, it was Zone aristocracy chic. The kind of outfit that cost more than a year’s tuition and existed purely to be seen. But she had no business being in Monstrum Haute Couture.
She sat rigidly in the makeshift dressing room behind the auction block, her internal processors whirring a frantic, broken rhythm. A sharp click echoed in her auditory sensors, followed by a sickening, warm slide. A black bloom of hydraulic fluid spread through the velvet, warm and slow at her hip.
The Master of Ceremonies’ voice boomed over the loudspeakers as he made disgusting jokes about devouring humans.
She felt like she might vomit oil.
"Romance, please. I don’t like this. We need to hide. Go underground, or..." She tried to pull the heavy fabric away, but her arms barely lifted. A warning pulse fired through her left arm. Low power. Critical.
Romance knelt before her, immaculate in a pale pink cavalier suit that caught the dim light like a blushing cheek. He didn't look at the stain. He stopped fussing over the high collar that hid her exposed ports and dying wires.
“Kyra,” he murmured, his voice low and intimate like a weaponized melody. "Your friends tripped the alarm. Enforcers are swarming everywhere. There is no time to delay." He glanced toward the chaotic glare of the auction plaza beyond the curtain. "There is only one way out now. Through the front door."
Kyra squeezed her eyes shut. Where was Lisa? For the first time in her life, she was about to do something outrageous, and Lisa wasn't there to pump up her confidence. But through the fear, she heard her best friend's voice anyway, clear as a recording: You got this, Ky! Look like you belong. Look bored and jaded, like you’ve seen it all before. You own every room you walk into.
Kyra lifted her chin. “No. I’m not walking on stage until you tell me why you’re helping me.”
Romance’s eyes widened. He glanced left and right and then leaned in close to whisper in her ear. “I am a moth to your flame. Let me care for you.”
She didn’t believe his words. How could she?
“Don’t say things you don’t mean. You don’t even know me!” she fired back.
Romance dropped to his knees, almost begging. He took both of her cold metal hands into his. “I do know you. I need you.”
The words shot through her like a jolt of power.
“How? Why?" she asked softly.
Romance's head dropped. “This is not a good time to discuss this.”
“It’s the only time.”
He looked back up at her, his demonic eyes blazing with gold fire. “I reap souls,” he said quietly. “But you remember what I was before that.”
“A lot of people remember you. How do you know my memories?”
Romance’s shoulders drooped. He exhaled slowly. “You were dying. The smell of a soul leaking away drew me.” He closed his eyes and deeply inhaled, savoring the moment once more. “I can see your future too, in a way. I just... don’t understand it.”
He held her gaze.
“You’re human. But you will not die. Not today. Not tomorrow.”
A woman screamed in the distance. A chill crept into her circuits.
“Not ever.”
His voice softened, almost breaking, as he looked away. “Do you know what it’s like... to stand before something you could never destroy?”
She considered his words. Finally, the truth. Strange as it was.
She fixed her expression into something that approximated aristocratic boredom. “Ready."
Romance’s eyes snapped to her, a dazzling grin growing on his face. “You look so beautiful right now.”
For a second, she almost believed him. Not because it was true. Because he said it like it was.
He leaned in close. She felt the ghost of his lips press hard against her metal cheek. Shame and ache flashed through her. She wasn’t a woman, wasn’t flesh, wasn’t warm. And yet something in her system misfired anyway. A phantom response with no source code.
The Master of Ceremonies announced Romance as the honored Big Spender, making an off-color joke advising the crowd to watch out: Romance might outbid them for the next least desirable human.
The crowd laughed.
Kyra kept her head held high and did not react. She leaned against Romance for support as they emerged into the limelight of The Pen.
He lifted her off the ground, spinning her. The gown twirled in the air dramatically to applause.
For a moment, she forgot she couldn’t stand on her own. Forgot the weight of failing systems. Forgot where she was. His hand at her back was steady. Certain. She leaned into it. Just for a second. Long enough to forget she didn’t trust him. Long enough to want to.
But it was a grotesque theater of monsters masquerading as civilized. The auction was in full swing. Hunger pressed in from every direction, dressed in silk and velvet, buyers gliding through aisles of glass cages like they were browsing fabrics.
Romance guided her off the stage with the practiced ease of a VIP who could easily own the room. His charisma was undeniable. But Kyra had spent her whole life paying attention to the people next to her. His breathing didn’t match his smile. He needed her to exist. He needed her to stay by his side. His words echoed in her ear.
Outside, the Zone air pressed against The Pen, thick and wrong. A sleek, obsidian hovercar bearing the devil heart logo idled just past the heavy iron gates. Romance guided her into the plush interior. Kyra sank into the seat, leaving another smear of oil on the pristine leather.
Before she could apologize, the world narrowed to a single figure. An Enforcer loomed in the driver's side window, large and armored in black. The window lowered, letting in the sharp, chemical stench of burnt circuitry and leaking oil.
"Unmarked cargo," the Enforcer growled, his nose wrinkling in disgust as he eyed the velvet dress. “And she’s leaking. State your business."
Kyra's internal cooling fans spun into overdrive.
Romance didn't flinch. He sighed with the perfect air of an inconvenienced aristocrat and produced his halo-pad, tapping it twice. MasterGin's voice, laced with theatrical, venomous contempt, poured into the cabin like poison:
"Get this scrap metal out of my pristine suite before it stains the floor."
Kyra stiffened when she heard herself dismissed and described as scrap metal by the legend who was supposed to save her life.
“You heard the man. He wants her gone.”
The Enforcer huffed, clearly no fan of MasterGin. He stepped back and waved them through. "Proceed."
The Enforcers parted. Ghouls beyond the gate caught in the headlights, sniffing the air in excitement as their giant bat wings beat against the smog.
“Driver, turn on the shields,” Romance commanded.
The Automated Assistant electrified the car’s shell. “Yes, Master Romance. Where to?”
“Get us out of the Zone, but fly casually. Don’t attract any attention.”
The hovercar lurched forward, leaving the fog. Monsters jumped on the car, shrieking as the electric shield threw them back into the dark.
Kyra jumped, her hand tightening around Romance’s.
He looked over at her, highly amused, and squeezed back. “I can’t believe that worked. Sorry you had to hear that.”
He didn't even spare a glance for the beasts scraping at the roof and thumping on the hood. His attention was locked onto her, as if she were the only thing in the world.
She felt the heat of his golden gaze sinking into her wiring. “You’re so handsome, it should be illegal.” The words left before she could catch them. She almost winced. Like she’d handed him something sharp and personal.
As the invisible boundary of the Forbidden Zone slipped past them, the suffocating pressure in the air vanished.
A tingle started in her fingertips. A current, clean and sharp, completely unlike the sludgy, cursed energy she'd been running on in the Zone. It flowed down her spine. Then her legs. Like a system rebooting after a hard shutdown, everything came back online at once.
The oppressive hum of the Zone vanished like a speaker switch flipped.
Kyra gasped, the sound turning into a bright, undignified laugh. Her systems roared to life. Heat surged through her chest. Lights powered back on, racing up and down her shell.
Without thinking, she tore the cursed devil-heart battery pack from her side. It came free with a wet metallic sound. She hurled it, watching it spark and die.
The battery pack rolled to a stop at Romance’s feet, its devil heart logo facing up.
“If I had a choice, I would never set foot in that hellhole again,” Kyra declared.
Romance blinked, startled. "Kyra?”
She was already moving. Her body found angles it hadn't reached in months, her limbs articulating at ranges that broke human limits, transforming her into a sleek, spider-like shape of fluid cybernetic agility.
She vaulted directly over the console and slid into the driver's seat. Both hands and her one functional leg found the controls simultaneously.
“Disengage autopilot,” she commanded, and slammed the pedal.
The hovercar tore forward at breakneck speed. Romance was thrown backward, shrieking in genuine, unbefitting terror as the g-force hit him.
His composure shattered so easily. She hadn’t expected that. It tightened something in her chest she didn’t have a name for. His panic sent a thrilling rush through her circuits.
She laughed harder, pushing the hovercar faster than necessary. Romance only knew her as a broken, dying doll, but she was an athlete, a cat burglar, and a machine enhanced beyond human limitation. She pulled the vehicle into a screaming barrel roll just to hear his beautiful screams again.
“STOP!” Romance yelled, pressing himself against the door.
She flipped the car into a loop, gravity snapping hard against them.
"I AM BEGGING YOU!"
She laughed in pure joy.
Romance was pressed against the far door, clutching his chest and breathing in fast, panicked gasps. His immaculate outfit was disheveled, his careful composure completely destroyed.
Eventually, she leveled out, mostly because her chassis was sending her excited warnings about structural stress. It would be embarrassing to survive the Forbidden Zone only to shake herself apart on the highway.
“Sorry, I couldn’t resist.” She winked playfully at him in the rearview mirror.
She caught him staring at her reflection.
"What?" She smiled, knowing she had shocked him.
"Nothing," he said. "You're just different outside the Zone."
"Better or worse?"
He considered this with genuine seriousness. "More," he said finally. "Just more."
"Romance. Is everything okay?"
"No," he said quietly.
He stared out the window at the city scrolling past. All that performance was absent. He looked drained. He looked, she realized, like someone who had been holding something very heavy for a very long time and had just discovered he might be able to put it down.
He picked up the discarded battery pack with the devil heart logo on it. "You still need me," he said in a very small voice. "To pay for your cybernetics doctor."
Kyra smiled at the monster who had saved her life, not once, not twice, but three times. “You did promise to give me flesh. I’m totally going to hold you to it.”
He sighed, not hiding his disappointment. “One way or another.”
“What other way is there besides the best cybernetics doctor money can buy? I could look human again, with a fleshy outside shell and all.”
“It’s just,” his voice trailed off. “I thought you would choose to be like me. A Jeoseung Saja. And we would be together forever.”
"You’re adorable when you pout,” she said, softer than she meant to.
He looked up, his golden eyes wide.
"I'm not leaving you, silly.” She shifted her focus ahead. “Why would I? Prince Charming of my dreams says he needs me.”
Romance didn’t answer. He looked like he wanted to say something.
The city lights slid across his face in silence.
She gunned the hovercar forward as the glittering towers of Pangyo Techno Valley loomed ahead.
His breath fogged the glass.
He began to trace a heart in it.
“I saw Lisa.”
Kyra froze.
“It was when you were powered down at the Clinic. Disassembled. She was upset. She didn’t want to leave you, but the other students forced her to flee.”
If Kyra could cry, her vision would have blurred.
“I do admire the devotion you two share. But I would also like to point out, Lisa has a larger circle of friends now, and they are surviving remarkably well. The Mute One seems especially smitten with her. I can tell these things. Maybe when this is over, you should consider giving her space.”
The tech district opened up ahead of them, indifferent and pristine, completely unaware of everything that had happened in the Forbidden Zone.
Kyra’s auditory sensors processed Romance’s words, turning them over and over like a corrupted file. Forced her to flee. A larger circle of friends. Smitten. Give her space.
The words were precision strikes.
She looked down at her hands resting on the steering console. The towering neon advertisements of Pangyo Techno Valley reflected off her polished metal knuckles in harsh streaks of cyan and magenta. She was a machine of wonders. Fast. Powerful. Resilient.
But her chest ached with a phantom human pain.
Lisa had been her gravity for her entire life. To picture Lisa running, surviving, and moving on with a new team while Kyra lay dissected on a cold clinic table was a special kind of agony.
Kyra glanced at the rearview mirror. Romance was watching her in the dark. His golden eyes were calm. Patient.
A week ago, the old Kyra would have panicked. She would have cried and clung to him, desperate for his reassurance.
Instead, Kyra tightened her grip on the steering wheel. She didn’t look at him again. She knew if she did, she might hesitate. And hesitation, around him, felt like the beginning of something she wouldn’t be able to stop.
The reinforced synthetic leather groaned loudly under her mechanical strength. The raw, buzzing current of her fully charged battery hummed in her synthetic veins.
"I appreciate the update," Kyra said. Her voice was perfectly smooth, completely stripped of all digital static.
Romance blinked. The slight, victorious curve of his mouth faltered. “Are you not upset?"
“Lisa is alive,” Kyra said. “That’s what matters.”
She pushed the throttle forward. The city swallowed them whole.
Silence stretched.
"I'm going to need analog battery backup," she added. "Something the Zone can't eat."
Romance shifted behind her. "Kyra."
"You saved me." Her grip tightened. The leather creaked. "So now I'm a problem."
She glanced at him in the mirror. Just once.
"I'm going to save Lisa. And then I'll figure out what to do about you."
Romance stilled. Something like delight crossed his face. Something like fear.
Then a warning light she didn't recognize flared in her HUD.
An empty, starving ache hollowed out her left hip where the battery used to sit.
Her left leg seized.
The hovercar coasted.
Romance was beside her before she could speak. He pressed a chip, its devil heart logo facing up, into the port at her hip. The lights steadied.
He was inches from her face. He didn't say anything.
He didn't need to.
Kyra looked at the chip. At the logo. At his face.
She understood.
"You may have left the Forbidden Zone," he said finally. "But it didn't leave you."
She sat very still.
Outside, Neu Seoul kept glowing. Indifferent. Waiting.
This was a fun image to make, with such beautiful outfits and skins at the current round of the Engine Room. ...On Romance is the flashy Cavalier outfit by toksik. It comes with fits for multiple mesh bodies, male and female. Top is jacket and shirt, and the bottom is pants and boots. Single colors or fatpack. ...He is wearing the Lucian hair by RavenBell. It's unrigged and editable for the perfect fit, includes mirror options and separate bangs. I used the fantasy color hud. ....From Illusions is the Cigno Curia Mask. It comes with a texture hud, male and female fits, PBR, and its unrigged and mod to adjust for the best fit. ....On Kyra is the elegant Machina NOVA gold skin texture with optional overlays. The skin set includes many metallics tones, including Halo. ....From BearCat.Egg is the gorgeous Carni Hat. It comes with a detailed hud to change its textures, an optional version without the chin ribbons, and a doll face mask for eyes and lips. I used the eyes only. This doll mask is also available as a free gift at the Engine Room. its mod so you can adjust it for the best fit. ....From MDN is another stunning outfit, this time with a pirate style, -- the Ironlace Dress. The dress and chest strap have PBR and the megapack includes many texture options. I love the stripped ones! ...Adding another layer of elegance is the Steam Aurelia Collar from Silvery K. It comes with a texture hud to adjust its colors. It comes with rigged and unrigged versions. ....Seen in the full character shot below is abeabi's AB54 heels. It includes many texture options, including stripes that match well with the MDN dress, ....Providing the perfect ambience is the Spires Society's The Sanctuary of Light.
On him, DJ Romance:
Earring: RavenBell - Starlit Earrings [Moonlit] [mesh](350L)
Claws: L'Emporio&PL - Oblio Vampire Claws male [mesh](350L)
Rings: MANDALA - Sinra Rings season-3-HD, Legacy M [mesh]
Tattoos: HISS - PATTERNS FACE ROMANCE [BOM](250L)
Body: TheShops - [BODY] Athletic Meshbody (Legacy)(m) (1.7.1) [mesh](5000L)
Poses: Secret Poses - SP - Enchanted
On Her, Kyra:
Setting:
Set: Spires Society - The Sanctuary of Light [mesh]
BONUS IMAGES: inworld raw shot, hi-res, midday sky.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)