Image Adjustment (Devilla-Roche and Delicious Lust)

[DeliciousLust]

New York City, 2XXX

Mariah was never too happy with herself. It was never a matter of depression, though she did always find it hard to truly stand out among others and completely out of place. This was especially true, now that she was in an age where everyone seemed to be either present or found some way to make themselves look pretty. There were even massive industries where people were paid well for their looks, rather than any talents or substance they might actually possess. She knew that perhaps she was born out of time, where the past was more conservative. There were always pretty people, undoubtedly a fact of life, but there were people who were respected for their intelligence. Mariah could never flatter herself so much to think that she had great intelligence either, which would perhaps think of other alternatives or carve a niche for herself, no matter how hidden in may be in this new age. Sometimes she would dig up old books or magazines, reading up on the age of old and dream about living back then. Back then, there was interest in other things beyond looks, they say that there was even an interest in space exploration to Mars! However, that was forgotten about. People now seemed more content to cater to themselves on Earth, satisfy their own needs than dream about the beyond. The world of the present stagnated drastically, but it still managed to survive somehow.

Ultimately, Mariah had to live in the present. She was still young, just barely out of high school and now had to carve a life for herself. Most people didn't quite notice her, she had a thin frame without any assets to speak of and stood only five feet tall. She had long dark hair, though it was unruly and difficult to fashion into anything elegant. Her skin tone was rather pale and couldn't hang on to a shade of colour, regardless how much time she spent outside in the smoggy day. She was rather average in appearance, not ugly to be honest, though that wasn't exactly enough for people to pay too much mind to her. Not in this age. It was rather difficult for her to even find a job, seeing as those who didn't benefit so much in looks typically held down their job securely as it was also their niche. Perhaps in both sides of the spectrum, Mariah found herself unable to compete. It was a difficult call for her to make on where to proceed next, but there were apparently solutions to her personal predicament.

That's where she was recommended to a Doctor Mihakovna, who was apparently a doctor who specialized in "image adjustment". There were many names for it, but the results were ultimately the same, transformation for the better. Mariah heard many urban legends regarding such doctors, that they weren't always beneficial to the person and were out to take money from others with little promise. Seeing as her options were few, money wasn't exactly a concern to her and she could stand to lose much more than her possessions. Mariah didn't exactly dress much to stand out, favouring a simple set of jeans and a sweater that gave her the appearance of more bulk than she really had. She pushed her reservations behind her and entirely made her way inside to the offices of Doctor Mihakovna. If she got strange looks, it wouldn't matter so much, as she was likely going to be pretty and glamourous like the rest of society soon enough.

 

[Devilla-Roche]

Dr. Sylvia Mihaylovna did specialized in “image adjustments,” which included “metamorphosistic restructuring.” That is to say that the body and mind could go through positive changes in order to make, “a better you!” Dr. Mihaylovna came out of her schooling originally as a psychaiatrist, which included being a doctor of medicine. As she moved throughout her career and found her way into “metamorphosistic restructuring,” she became a doctor of all trades and honed her skills in becoming a renowned doctor in the field. Her pioneering techniques were leading the way to perfecting the human body as no other generation of doctors and scientists had done before.

Dr. Sylvia Mihaylovna herself was very young looking for her mid-forties. She stood almost six feet tall and had medium length red hair. Her hair, or the color was more striking due to the way she wore it - in an asymmetrical bob. Most women had long, wavy blonde hair, so Dr. Mihaylovna stood out in a crowd and her shorter hair made a statement of her being serious and smart. Her green eyes also were an attention getter and dovetailed nicely with her red hair. She had quite the figure, curvaceous yet thin and muscular. Originally from Moscow, Russia, it was evident that Dr. Mihaylovna, who spoke with a Russian accent (but had a fantastic grasp on the English language), had that unbridled willpower associated with the Russian people. Dr. Mihaylovna was quite handsome in her own right, her skin unblemished and toned with a perfect olive-skin tanned that one would expect from a Georgian girl hanging out on the beaches of the Black Sea.

Dr. Mihaylovna was flawless in her fashion as well. She tended to wear sleeveless stretch-jersey dresses, usually black in color but not always. In colder weather she loved to wear one of her fur coats, particularly her 3/4 length blue fox coat. Her favorite shoes are Louboutins, with at least a 4" heel, so it made her taller or as tall as many men.

Dr. Mihaylovna attended Oxford University in the UK for the majority of her studies.

 

[Devilla-Roche]

Dr. Mihaylovna had been give the chart put together from Milena, her staff administrator and nurse, regarding a new patient. The young lady’s name was Mariah who had self-esteem issues and had previously gone through a bout of depression regarding her wayward looks and not feeling as though she had not been a part of the rest of society. Also known as the “ugly duckling syndrome” named after the character in Hans Christian Anderson story with the same name, Mariah seemed deeply unsettled by her “average looks.”


And that they were. But there was still a certain percentage of society that were like this and seemed to lead productive lives. No doubt they were outcasts, but even in this day and age things weren’t entirely perfect although the human race - at least in countries like the United States and most of Europe had quite the advancements in manufacturing a society of good looking people.


And, that is why doctors like Dr. Mihaylovna existed. To work with young women like Mariah, who, for whatever reason, was not born as one of the lucky “beautiful people” and her condition was not corrected at birth. Instead she fell prey to a corrupt system of the medical profession and, like many others, fell between the cracks.

Hitting an old intercom button on a system that was a throwback from the 20th century, Dr. Mihaylovna called on her nurse, “Milena, please send in Mariah Mapes.”

Milena was a tall, buxom nurse with long blonde hair that fell halfway down her back. She had a perfectly toned face, with a perfect smile. Not a wrinkle or a blemish could be found. She was almost too perfect. Nonetheless, she was a perfect example of what Mariah wanted to be. Yes, Nurse Milena was a perfect specimen in an almost perfect society.

“You may go see the doctor,” Nurse Milena instructed. Then she pointed, “Right through that door,” as if the nurse treated Mariah like she was somehow dumb; dumb because of her looks. That was a common response in how the “not so fortunate people” were treated in today’s society.

Was there any hope for Mariah?

 

[DeliciousLust]

Mariah found herself rather anxious in Dr. Mihaylovna's office, not knowing what to expect and trying to shrug off the doubt that welled up in her heart. However, she managed to maintain that this was perhaps the best choice so far. It seemed the tall nurse who worked around here that the doctor produced admirable results, if she was any sort of handiwork to go by. She tried not to stare, but had to admit that she was rather beautiful and she didn't really find herself in the company of beautiful people, at least for too long. They typically had better places to be and elsewhere to go than hang around someone who lacked their beauty or their status. As she wiped her palms on her jeans and kept her eyes to the floor, she mildly wondered if she was going to end up looking like that, or perhaps the doctor had something else in mind for her. It was easy to dream, but perhaps those dreams weren't so far away if the doctor was actually legitimate.

"Yes?" She found herself bolting upward to her feet when it seemed the doctor was ready to see her. Mariah nearly ignored the condescending manner she was being spoken too, seeing as most tend to ignore her in such a manner. She did what she always did in such a situation and tried her best to stomach it, not let it bother her. It did bother her however, as much as she tried to keep it out of her thoughts, which brought her to this particular situation. That was perhaps another thing she could look forward to never endure again. With that in mind, she went through the designated door to see the doctor herself.