The Harlequin Tale: Part II – The Discarded

The product of the people’s sins will be their undoing…

After a bit of a delay, the capture and assembly of the second series in the story is finished. In addition to the distractions aforementioned, this set took some time because of the number of possibilities and their accompanying decisions- how many characters can or should I show? How should I alter between the characters and settings to display progression? Should I have other avatars in the background to add to the environment, and if so, how the heck do I get them all their at the same time, let alone positioned correctly? In the end, I worked with what was time efficient and not overly complex in order to portray the message, despite envisioning the segment differently. For me, this is a good lesson in how information and ideas may change across mediums.

Though he made haste in pursuing his new mission from the Father, the old crusader encountered no trouble in locating would-be messengers: orphans lined the alleyways and gutters underneath the glowing city, feeding on garbage and living in buildings abandoned for being too ‘out of style’. Few survived, and those that did ended up contributing to the cycle of misery.

Children found to be strong and able were thrown into slave labor. With no one to claim them, no one protected them as they felt the sting of hands, whips, and whatever else their masters thought appropriate. Those reared in this environment turned bitter and cold, reenacting the punishment dealt to them on the next generation of young workers.

Youth found too weak – or uncommonly handsome – find themselves at the mercy of leches and pimps. Knowing no other way to work and never building the confidence to seek other ways of life, these individuals remain in the trade of lust until they are completely battered, broken, and thrown away.

And yet, despite the prowling foremen and madams…

…there are those that manage to evade the clutches of society.

It is to these rebels, these true ‘Lost Boys’, that the Old Crusader speaks to and offers a choice: to fore go what it entails to be human and embody the will of the Lord. In exchange for a shelter and sustenance for their mortal forms, they would train to become the actors of the greater message.

To this, they agreed. For their young minds, it was a grand opportunity to control their lives and create change in their world. After living so long in agonizing squalor, they didn’t even contemplate the idea of refusal. The holy warrior rapidly collected a small, but eager army of bodies, apt to learn and act. Finally, the aged man felt like he was with the Lord’s favor…

…especially when he found her. She would be the first and only girl he would find amongst the rubble of debauchery, and he would see to it that she would be the greatest consequence.

Believe it or not, all of the pieces to these outfits for the two orphans were already in my inventory (save for the muddy feet). To be honest, making the shapes was the easy part; I had a hell of a time finding just the right accessories to make them look poverty-stricken without looking like zombies. I would almost say it was harder than making the prim baby, but I won’t put money down on it. Otherwise, I found myself feeling bad for my little boy avatars, particularly the second one, and I had to fight off the urge to make them look happier.

For those of you waiting for the ‘harlequin’ element of the story, the next segment will feature the transition. Once more, the challenge for me will be figuring out exactly how I want to present what is bouncing about my brain.

Top: NAPALM BLACK from KOSH
Bottom: BLOODY MESS + Pants male from + Fallen Gods Inc. +
Hands: RaGe Gloves Base (Knuckle Cut, Black) from SiniStyle
Feet: Dirty Feet from Bloodline
Hair: Railway ash from Exile
Eyes: 30-diseased eyes-high green from edge grafica [free]
Skin: !Skin Milos [The Worker] B0 from !CYBERNETIC SKINS
Pose: Click photos for specific poses

Top: Blood shirt with ripped jacket from *Muism* [Halloween gift]
Bottom: Deconstructed Jeans – red n green low from Nomine
Footwear: LE.LOOK! l’homme – Boots from hoorenbeek
Hair: Jacks ~ Redhead Walkin’ from ::Inorite:: [no longer in world]
Eyes: 30-diseased eyes-dim cyan from edge grafica [free]
Skin: Bishounen 3 (dark shadow, eyeliner) from A:S:S
Pose: Click photos for specific poses

Location: Innsmouth, a dark New England coastal town

~ by Terry Toland on July 28, 2010.