WELCOME TO NEONDIA
WELCOME
Who, what, or where exactly is Neondia? One may believe that Neondia is a faceless entity, trapped within it’s own thoughts, drowning in the complexity of lust, love, and the self-indulgence of sin.Others may say that Neondia is the future, today. The very existence of a dark dystopian society whose presence seems all too relevant. A place where ethics and morality are near extinction. An existence where it’s citizens are held together by their shared passion for pleasurable self-abuse.Perhaps it is both: A faceless entity in a neo-noir dystopia, whose very life blood is cyberpunk, which in turn is the force that binds it’s citizens together. One unable to exist without the other.The soundtrack is one that is beautifully dark and seductively ominous. It feeds on it’s own emotional insecurities and indulgences. A misguided soul.The synthetic ambiance of the instrumentals cannot exist without the twisted yet romanticized lyrics that rush over the kick and snares. The melodies echo throughout the darkness of this world. One can almost feel the rain falling from the ever overcast sky. A place of eternal night where the neon lights glow above the decadence that rages on the streets below.One thing is for certain: it is in itself a genre that refuses to be categorized.
Chapter one: "The neon is all you see"
Eternal nightfall, infinite rainfall. The hum of neon signs was the soundtrack of the City. Howls of metal beasts roared from the sky above her. The claustrophobia encased her as she forged her path through overcrowded streets. The patter of rain drummed against her facial respirator as she splashed through water colored puddles. Her destiny was null and void. She was just another soul that walked through the kaleidoscope of Neondia, not wanting to be saved, but seen. She felt invisible until he saw her. He saw color for the first time when he noticed her.
Chapter two: “Is it wrong to love the girl
who hates herself?”
The betrayal of a love lost lingers like smoke in the air even after the cigarette has been put out. They had both wandered from romance to romance, now seemingly lost in the limbo of masked lust. They would be each other’s revenge upon their lost lovers. Their affection would be founded on spite, thriving off the sin of the City which they floated through, now together.
Chapter three: “do you like it messy like me?”
She wore her glitter like war paint. It was both her shield and her mask. The colorful constellations covered every inch of her bare skin like armor. And he would come watch her every night as if it were his responsibility, his civic duty. And she would dance as if he were the only one in the crowd, because he was the only one who saw her for who she was. Who she really was. And that was worth everything she was.
Chapter four: “You’re all mine, even
if its for a short time.”
She met him backstage. Remnants of glitter she had failed to wipe off after her set still clung to her skin. They glistened in reaction to the flickering neon as she shifted in her body in flirtatious form. She was unable to meet his gaze, afraid of what she may see in their depths. Perhaps she feared her own reflection in their deep brown, or rather how he saw her through them. Despite all her moments exposed on stage, this was the first moment where she felt truly bare in front of anyone. She would go anywhere with him, if only to remain visible as she hung off his arm. And even in the dark, smoke filled hotel rooms where debauchery unfolded on glass tables, she felt safe. She felt present in her own skin, and she loved every second of it.
Chapter five: “Burn one for my old flames.”
This was a life she wanted, one that was lived rather than existed. She no longer wished to remain attached to the men that held her back. Her own worth was enough to carry her onward through the sunless world. Cup after cup, she drank. She drank to remember the feeling, even if she would forget the moment. When she stumble back into her quaint loft tonight, she would let down her hair, slip out her dress, and burn everything that no longer held value to her joy. She would start with his picture, with all of his pictures, and watch the ashes collect in a dirty whiskey glass just to make sure they were truly gone. Then, she would truly be free.
Chapter six: “I’m fragile, just thought you should know.”
He would not take her home yet. The night was young, and so were they. The hovercar lifted into the fume filled skyline. Her dress was as tight as was his grip on her thigh as they made their way to the next rave. Their destination: a dilapidated disco-tech filled with fellow night seekers. Bodies upon bodies, packed and sweating gloriously to the thum! thum! thum! of the House Master’s symphony. The chaos was invigorating, the energy was warm and welcoming. And she knew that their burning flame was fragile and new, easily lost but worth the pursuit. A pursuit that he would chase all across the dance floor.
Chapter seven: “shes just swaying”
She knew that magic was real now, as she became entranced by the music, bewitched by the melody. She danced for money, but tonight, she swayed just because. She could feel the sweat drip for the tips of her hair. She could feel his grip on her waist, her neon nails shining as they dug into the back of his neck. The pulse of the bass sending shakes up her body, as his lips on her neck sent shivers down her spine. The butterflies in her stomach matched the motions of her hips, and everything but time itself seemed to stand still.
Chapter eight: "it’s just me and you”
She danced as if her ex was watching, and he matched her motions. She wondered if it was possible to keep this feeling forever, this bliss found in the ballad. Was it possible to contain the freshness of newfound love before time withered it away? Everything was fleeting: her youth, her beauty, her very life. But that didn’t matter tonight. Tonight she was all those things: young, beautiful, alive. And that was enough.
Chapter nine: “In that little black dress”
She was his and he was hers. Even if the moment was rented, it was theirs for tonight. She thought about how much time she spent getting ready. But now it would all be undone. Her hair, once perfectly brushed, now pulled and ran through by his hands. Her heels, kicked off and discarded without a second thought. Her makeup, once a work of art, now smeared and smudged from kisses, tears, and sweat. Her little black dress, once admired and adorned, now unzipped and abandoned in the darkness of the bedroom. But he admired it all, both the effort put in as well as the effort to dismantle it all together. And she made note of that appreciation which she would wear on her face alongside the leftover glitter.
Chapter ten: “Tell me what to do to ease the pain"
The neon lights stretched across the bed as their glow seeped in from the window. All that could be heard was the exhalation of colorful vapor fumes from their pursed lips between the rapid tapping of rain against the window. More was said in the shared silence between them than any heart to heart conversation that was to be had. She could feel the beat of his heart as she rested her palm upon his bare chest. Her ears still rung from the music that was heard tonight. Her legs ached from the dancing. Despite it all, she felt more comfortable than she had in weeks, months even. All without a minute to catch her breath. She continued to feel the beat of his heart, the tapping of rain, and the ringing in her ears, creating a little symphony of her own. She smiled, knowing this song was just for her.
Chapter eleven: “I watch you dance for your love”
Another sunless dawn. She was due on stage in a few hours. There was no time for exaggerated farewells. All the collected moments concluded with a rushed kissed goodbye. She was not ready to shower off all the memories that still clung to her skin like the glitter. She wanted to let them seep in a bit longer as she hailed a hovercab and took to the skies once again. It was time to be watched and unseen again by temporary admirers. Behind her mask and back in her cage, she would entertain them all for a price. But when she peered from behind the curtain once more, she paused, taking a moment to run her gaze over the audience in search for him. But she could not see far behind the spotlight.
Chapter twelve: "I live in the dark"
Her bedroom was empty once more. The City was as quiet as it ever would be as she gazed out into the neon blazed dystopia. She tracked a flying hovercar through the air traffic above, only to lose it from view as it ascended into deeper fog. Smoking, she hesitated to call him. She ached to be seen again. She needed his eyes on her. Drinking, she called him, her chest tightening from both the smoke and her nerves. But the feeling was good, it made her feel very much alive. She didnt know what to say, there wasnt a plan. From behind the smoke that floated from her lips, she began: “I live in the dark…I swear I’m nocturnal."