The Takashima Extraction

One hundred years from now, the world is run under a system of corporate feudalism. Each corporation is a fully enclosed and self-sustaining compound. Employees are born into their corporation; parents sign employee contracts for their children.

All a person’s needs are met by their corporation’s benefits: food, shelter, medical care, jobs, funeral arrangements. Employees receive a paycheck and fees are deducted to cover the benefits. Not much money remains once the fees are taken, keeping employees legally and financially bound to their corporation.

It is illegal to break a contract. Employees are contractually obligated to work for their corporation until they die or convince another corporation to buy out their contract. Desperate employees hire external mercenaries to extract them to one of the Free Lands, devoid of a corporate presence.

Each corporation sets the punishment policy for employees who attempt to break their contract. Most opt for corporal punishment over rehabilitation.

Gallery of images

Illustration portrait of a young man on his phone, in pinks and blues.

Illustrated portrait of 2 Skeptical coworkers in an office hallway.

A tiny mage faces a tall mercenary, illustrated style in pinks and blues.

Two mercenary men discuss their next job. Illustrated style in pinks and blues.

Young man, the rigger, in an office hallway. Illustrated style in pinks and blues.

Red haired, haughty executive lady scolds a manager from her office. Illustrated style in pinks and blues

Frowning young man, illustrated style in pinks and blues

The Takashima Extraction is a passion project I’ve been working on since 2017.

The story grew out of another story outline that grew too large for me to take on as a photo story project. Takashima became the proof of concept that began as a bjd photo story – it’s a thing in the bjd world. I wanted to take take it out of the standard bjd photo story into new territory. Takashima grew into a graphic novel that I plan to publish in 2023.

The images are composite photos edited in Photoshop then run through PhotographyBB Photoshop actions From Dusk Till Dawn and Comic Book Maker.