the machine guns are roaring, the puppets heave rocks (part two)

October 25, 2019, 9:26 am

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(Continued from part one.)



I did intend to take more pictures of the inside of the Clown House. For one, it's not a glass maze anymore. It's a set of mining tunnels, and I was so busy dodging the ones that were positioned to jump out at me that this was the only picture I got. But at the end of this tunnel, there's a ladder up. And when we take the ladder up...

The ladder literally throws the avatar into the air, and when that's done, there's a second, mini-carnival, comprised of a broken carousel, a few chain rides, some midway games, and wandering clowns. This is the entrance to the first ride.





It starts off like any other chain ride--touch a prim to rez a car, get in car, wait until car starts to move, and watch what happens when the car drives by the set pieces. Admittedly, it's what I like best about chain rides, virtual or real.



They've used a fifty-fifty mix of prim/mesh clowns and simple photo cutouts, but weirdly, most of the cutouts work, because you're glimpsing them through cutout windows into the center of the tent, and they're generally angled towards or away from the point of view. And...that actually works, I was impressed.



I had to capture this. It's a mesh monkey, but it's animated, from the pre-animesh era? So it rotates through sections of the body being visible and invisible. And this particular snap captured all positions of the cymbals. Great glitch moment, I was amused.



And this is the view of the carousel, some of the rest of the layout of Clownland, and make note of the large, blue and black building on the right. We're going there next, and I kid you not, it is the single most impressive retro chain ride I have ever been in on Second Life. And I do not say that lightly.

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the machine guns are roaring, the puppets heave rocks (part three)

October 26, 2019, 8:38 am

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(Continued from part two.)



I can't remember whether the ride in the big blue neon and black box is called the Tilt 'n Hurl or the Whirl 'n Hurl, but it's one of those. You rez a car the same way as any chain ride: touch the prim, wait for the car to rez, get in.

The change: this is the car. This magnificent Calaveras construction is wrapped around the back of the tire-like floating vehicle, and holds a torch out in one skeletal hand to the side. Great effect.

This style of dark ride goes way back, to the late 1800s, I believe. There's still an old-style dark ride (more of a rollercoaster, but it qualifies) at Dollywood; in fact, according to that video and this blog, the Silver City Mine Ride actually existed before Parton bought the parcel, and the surrounding lands, to build Dollywood. While much of that original ride was demolished, some was rebuilt, and--again, as the video points out--some of the signage still exists within the ride.



The conceit of this one is very typical of an atomic-era dark ride--the pitch black interior conceals and reveals set pieces, initially just with sound effects that would go off, later with colored lights and animations, later still with black-light and glow-in-the-dark paint used to really amp up the surreal effect. With this one, the effect is even more pronounced, as not only does the car rotate, but spins in circles through each set piece.



It's fairly difficult to take pictures and ride in a spinning car while trying to see everything. I got the ones I could. Frankly, a lot of the ones I really wanted to show off, I was too busy admiring to remember to photograph them before I'd driven by!

I may, in all honesty, go back and see if I can just plain walk through the set pieces. But straight up, for any lover of chain ride reproductions, for any lover of vintage dark rides, this is an absolute must. If you run past the clowns and the sideshow and the haunted castle, run into this dark ride. It's amazingly well done. Full marks.

In the meantime...


Sometimes, the dead make some pretty good music.



And this is what happens when you port home and your eyes fall out.

I just want to be your pretty girl, when you want it

October 26, 2019, 11:09 am

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I found someone else with butt wings!

And this time, I managed to scan the avatar to figure out where they come from. Turns out the wings--at least, this pair--were made by Zexen Alecto of Murder of Ravens fame. I believe they're these ones.



The other thing I was astounded by--and the thing that didn't come up on the scan--was the floating ethereal encoffined lasses. Who made those? That's a fascinating effect.



They did have a fairly high avatar complexity, I'm assuming because of the coffins and some other accessories. Possibly also the wings.

(Upon closer inspection of this shot, I'm not sure they're true butt wings--they might actually attach along the spine, but much lower than wings usually attach. Most wings in SL, mesh or flexi, attach on either side of the spine between the shoulder blades, and these honestly seem to be attached on either side of the spine behind the lowest rib.



All through the series of carefully captured shots, also, I was misgendering this avatar. I thought "she" looked lovely, but I was just looking at the back of "her". Turns out she is a he.

Still lovely, though. Very unique look.



Every single aspect of this avatar has been well considered. There's a lot of thought and detail that went into this. This is definitely an example of a very bishy lad who is living in the exact skin and shape of his choosing.

With, apparently, translucent coffin companions.

Also...



Yet again, another logout screen, another removal of most of me. This time it left hair and, strangley, underthings--though not the stockings I was wearing with them--and left some of the prims that surround the home cabin. But mostly, it's just me, in a suddenly shadowed empty plain of green. Bizarre.

for the days that have rolled on

October 27, 2019, 7:36 am

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Well, at least Adult's in the name? The description is...a bit odd:

Come visit the haunted homestead of Tig and faith. Enjoy the cryptic walk down the old dirt road. Some of this haunted sim features: haunted house, get married in our haunted church, cemetery, pumpkins, circus, dancing, creepy, scary, halloween, corn maze

The "get married" is a touch odd, but so far, it mostly just sounds like too much going on all at once. Still, worth a check at least.



So, a tropical haunt. This is going to take a bit of work...



That's better.



Huh. It's raining over the bridge, but the house is on fire? Intriguing.



I miss the days when I didn't know these were game rips, and thought they were interesting haunted children instead.



Oh, hey! I have this house on my Marketplace list! Smaller than I thought it would be.



This ghost came with a nice sound effect--not a moan, or a scream, or a whimper, but what sounded like a creaking door hinge with a violin wail. Nifty.



Definitely an unsanctified chapel.

So, overall, this is an okay haunt. At the very least, it's a fun wander--there are bridges to cross, places to cuddle, endless places for photographs, and I'm sure it goes on for a bit, as I stopped at the chapel and they mention a circus. Does it have flaws? Sure, chief amongst them the game rips. But it does create a mood, at the very least.

Buffet Restaurant?

October 27, 2019, 9:50 am

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This one's weird...their description:

Restaurant buffet, Dinner, Date, anyone welcome to dine in and enjoy the other activities in Bazzar Fantasy Community, Bowling Alley, Movie Theater, Halloween Haunted House, Ice Cream Shop

So "Haunted House" is in there, but...the rest of it has nothing to do with anything I'm looking for. Will it be any good?



I have all the dread.

So I looked around for a bit, and near the corner of "Beyonsay Road" and "Fierce Blvd", I found what might be a haunt? Maybe? Okay, time to set the proper mood.



Midnight works better. Could this be the place?



I walked up to the sidewalk, walked onto the parcel, clicked to open the door...and was immediately bounced:

[23:03] Second Life: You have been ejected from this land.

Well, that's rude. No skulls for you.



What about Peach's Haunted House? The parcel image looks very overcrowded. The description seems just as cluttered:

Interactive Haunted House. Halloween, Haunted Mansion. Fun for all ages. Take your time exploring and sit on things to interact. Spooky, Scary, asylum, Circus, Freakshow, Haunted Museum, Fright, Halloween Photo Spot. Vampires, Haunt, boo, witches,

"Boo, witches" indeed. At least this place looks more like a haunte....waitaminute, this is Lunar's haunted house again? WHY DO YOU HAVE TWO NAMES AND TWO ADS IT IS CONFUSING!

Okay, third try. And the rapid sound looks are just as annoying, even without a headache.

Ana-stasia's came up. Their blurb:

Voice Lounge, voice, club, music, dance, dj, dancer, voice club, open mic, games, voice, haunted house, hangout, chat, fun, all genres, Singer, relaxing, Entertainment, karaoke, celebrate, photo studio, Comedy ALL WELCOME

So...basically a voice hangout, but it does say haunted house...I am dubious, but let's go.

So first off, the port drops off inside the club. Which is not the haunt. And I was having a bit of trouble rezzing in walls and such--I'd cranked down all my settings for the masquerade ball and had forgotten to raise them--so it took a bit to figure out I couldn't just walk through the "door" in the back of the club--which was, in fact, the back wall of the club--to get there.



This is a weirdly expansive place. Once I found out how to get in, I had to stand on one side of the room and just let things rez in. I kept having to up my draw distance. Most haunts I can run through at my standard 180-225 draw distance. This one I kept having to edge it up because it was so huge.



I set this pic to autocontrast, just because it was so dark and so large. The animated arrows on the floor led me from the, I guess, haunted warehouse, through a door to, I guess, a haunted warehouse club. Here there be spiders (note arrow--that's a larger-than-human sized one. Not realistic, but be aware). Here there be game rips. And here I'm done with this haunt. Three for three, all struck out.

Exotic Legacies

October 28, 2019, 8:04 am

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This one confuses me. Their blurb:

We are just a group of friends who like to hang out and enjoy meeting new people. We have a club that we periodically host events at and a Baby Girl RP playground in the sky.
Welcome
Chill , Voice Chat , Laid Back , No Drama , Hang Out, haunted hous

So that's the only reason this listing is in search? The mention of "haunted hous" at the end?

Great.



So, first things first. The port-in-point is a circle, surrounded by a half-circle wooden wall. But, directly in front of the avatar's feet is a teleport pad. If it's not set for the haunted house, left-click it and pick the haunted house. Simple and done.

Of course, the fresh stag corpse spilling entrails on the house's porch is not the best sign...Also, I didn't turn around for a better look, but there's both an extremely quick-paced male scream sound loop that's rather annoying from something on the lawn, as well as something with...shall we say...extreme gastric disturbance? I mean, I realize that part of the land description says "a Baby Girl RP playground", but that doesn't mean a five-year-old's sense of humor, does it?



There's a lot of death in this house. Bloody patches, corpses of human and animal, lots of death motifs. I can't figure out yet if this is one of those "look we found all these things" houses, or if there's actually a theme.

Beyond the constant intestinal gas, I mean.



Up to the second floor, and wau, they really seem to adore this one array of melting candles from Medieval Fantasy. This is the third time I've seen it used.



Make that fourth. We've discussed the hazard of repeating props or set pieces in haunts before--one or two are fine, but more than that causes severe visual dissonance in both RL and SL haunts. It throws us out of the mindset we need to be in to properly take in the atmosphere of any haunt. (One of my problems with the proliferation of game rips this year--I see something I've seen in thirty other haunts, I'm immediately bored with it.)



Everyone should know by now my position on kids--even wholly prim kids--on Adult sims. I may grant one point for the fact that she is so obviously dead. But still. At the very least it's tacky beyond all reason,and at the worst, it makes me worry about ageplay on the premises, and not want to be there.

Also tacky beyond all reason: I found the source of all the farting. Which makes even less sense, as it's a skeleton doing it. But really, no one needed this in a haunt. NO. ONE.



And of course, leaving the house, the first thing that catches my eye is the direct game rip from American McGee's second Alice game, and...yep, that's it, done here.

Do not recommend. Go if you want, or if you're totally cool with toilet humor. Otherwise, there are better haunts on the grid.

in truth, I want to live so bad it hurts (part one)

October 28, 2019, 10:35 am

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Apparently the Zyn/Melt stores have a conjointed haunt Or ride? Maybe the blurb will clear things up:

Zyn Mainstore, Melt Mainstore, Vintage, Bohemian and Fantasy clothing Designs, Gacha, freebies, Medieval,Arabian,Gorean, Decor, Jewelry,haunted,halloween,haunted house, haunted ride /*Windlight Sky: "Nacon's Natural Midnight" RegionOverride*/"

Looks good so far.



The ride starts off with a boat on a water track; there's a brief spiraling tunnel, and then the room after that is circus-based.



Of course there are game rips. I mean, why wouldn't there be? It's not like there are rules about importing mesh objects from other games into Second Life, after all. It's not like it's stated clearly in the Terms of Service. Why, that's just silly.



This was weirdly effective. The gif itself has been around for ages; but patterning it, even in a non-seamless fashion, made no escape through that corridor from the reaching hands. Simple, but well done.



After that, death next pulled us through a stained glass window, breaking it.



And past that, a dark tunnel, with imprecations to leave and fire awaiting us.



And fire led to tentacles. That...doesn't often happen.

There will be a part two.

in truth, I want to live so bad it hurts (part two)

October 29, 2019, 6:36 am

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You're a jerk for selling this openly, Fresh3D. Just so you know. That is a direct game rip from the second Evil Within game, and I've never seen it on offer before, which means you brought it in. You should be ashamed of yourself.

? We continue from the passage of Tim Burton flailing things.



I guess it's only fair, tentacles and blood lead to radiation? Or maybe radiation leads to tentacles and blood, the ride just had it reversed. Oh, and there's a game rip, from Silent Hill: Homecoming, I believe. Because of course there is.



And then...



Or some sort of very odd sea life.



The next corridor was all visual--televisions, projectors, eyes, with scraps of horror films running on them interspersed with static. This was also weirdly effective for how simple it was.



And the next corridor...largely features spiders. Be warned. I tried my best to crop the picture I'm showing to feature only webs, but the section of the ride has a lot of things in those webs.



Next up was Halloweentown, and I view this as more homage over mesh rips, especially because I'm not sure there ever was a Nightmare Before Christmas game.



One last shot of Oogie Boogie rolling his dice...



...and then the ride was over.

All things considered, it's long enough to feel like an experience, and short enough to take friends with and make a jaunt of it. The sets are varied, and interesting, and while I do detract a skull for the game rips, honestly this is a four-star haunt otherwise. It's a lot of fun,and non-arachnophobes will enjoy it. There are a few jump scares, if you're sensitive to those, but otherwise, it's just a good, nostalgic carnival ride.

---

so I'll waste my time and I'll burn my mind

October 29, 2019, 6:56 am

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I'm running out of days to get everything up before Halloween! So the next few days are going to be...crowded, for entries. Apologies if needed.

The blurb for says:

HAUNTED MANSION HAUNTED SEX HOUSE LATINOS PUERTO RICO ARGENTINA MEXICO VENEZUELA SEXO BDSM RESPECT OTHERS

Uhh...what?

Should I mention it's on Adult land? I mean "HAUNTED SEX HOUSE" pretty much gives it away, right?



So first off, the haunt has RLV traps. Doesn't matter for everyone, but I feel the caution is necessary.



Second haunt I've found this year with jail cells.



There's not a lot going on here, but there are some items that stand out. Like the bright pink inflatable mattress downstairs, or this very pink hairdressers' station, or behind me in the larger upstairs main room, the very shiny chrome and white fibreglass shower set.



Yep, I think I've seen all I need to.

It's not bad, is the thing. The wallpaper and the wall art and the beams of dim light? That all works really well. But it doesn't seem like more thought went into it than "let's do a haunted house we can have sex in". I mean, I guess maybe that is an end in itself, but...I want more. Maybe I'm overly picky, but give me a story. Give me clues. Intrigue me. Don't just drop me into a bare wood floor with a couple stained mattresses and poseballs. We can upscale things a bit at this point, can't we?

and I don't know where I've been, and I don't know what I'm into (part one)

October 29, 2019, 7:36 am

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So I found a rock club that seems to have a haunt?

WHERE ROCK RULES!
Halloween,Haunted House,Costumes,Pumpkins,Ghosts,
Graveyard,Music,Shop,Date,Rock,Club,Biker,DJ,Host,Adult,
Amusement,Park,Rides,nude Beach,Dance,Friends,Romance,Forest,Derby,Party,Games,

Okay, "Haunted House" is in there, but there's so much else going on, I admit to some doubt.



I guess this is the haunt?



OH! It's a ride!



That is a very neat fence effect.



Game rip, the clown, but I'll allow it...for now. But this layout feels awfully familiar.



The car runs on a figure-eight track, I think? It's a straight chain ride, no water, no backing up and rotating. This was also a neat effect--as the car zips by, the skull spits blood particles.

I'll pick up the rest in the https://razorblade-cookies.blogspot.com/2019/10/doggers-den-rock-club-part-two.html.

and I don't know where I've been, and I don't know what I'm into (part two)

October 29, 2019, 8:14 am

≫ Next: you committed, I'm your crime, push my button anytime

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Picking up where we left off, there is a track section with spiderwebs. I didn't see any actual spiders, but there are webs.



I swear I've been here before. But I don't recognize the sim, or the house around the track. It's so odd.





This was also a neat effect. This was after the ride ended, and I went upstairs to explore the second level of the house. The kitchen had this, three slowly rotating chairs, with a ghost fading in and out.



Okay, but these twop rips I can't ignore. Time to go.

The ride part is fun? Even though it basically laps the lower house twice, it's still fun. The upstairs is sort of find-the-effect wandering, and that's about it. Plus game rips, so, y'know...either this haunt is another three-skull extravaganza or you may like it, who knows? All I know is copyright infringement when I see it.

you committed, I'm your crime, push my button anytime

October 29, 2019, 9:07 am

≫ Next: the Haunted House at Evolving Images

≪ Previous: and I don't know where I've been, and I don't know what I'm into (part two)

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This next link involves quite a bit of NSFW language, and also reveals yet another massive flaw in Bethesda's perceptions, both of their own company and their players: they completely and utterly failed to register the domain "falloutfirst". They have only themselves to blame.

And the list of all haunts for this year has been tweaked, corrected, and updated with visible graphics.

Oh, and there is a phenomenal video on YouTube about the history of Hocus Pocus--why it flopped originally, how it was made in the first place, and why it's such a Halloween classic today.

Now, then. There's a haunt on Etienne Island that sounds intriguing:

A little creepy, a lots spooky... tons of those things that go bump in the night. The 2019 edition of Daddy's Girl Oasis Haunted house. Please turn sound on, set to night for the best experience.

I guess...good of them to warn me?

When I first landed, I couldn't see a way into the haunt. Then I walked around three buildings, and down the ramp, and found this sign. Then I had realized I'd taken off a rather signature tattoo for the Ursula outfit at the masquerade ball--pictures to come--so ported home to ink it proper. Then came back, and...right by the port point, there's a dark stone archway. Silly me.



What's a Snation?



Uh...you look...busy. I'll...I'll just come back later.



The asylum has seen better days. I wish it had also seen fewer game rips.



Case in point.

Which is really sad, to this point I was really liking the creativity. I'm very disappointed.

Okay. One more rip, and I'm gone.



One more rip.

I'm gone.

This isn't a straight zero haunt, I think, is the main problem. There's a lot of innovative ideas here. There's some really effective decoration. But the utter laziness, the callous uncaring in using known game rips...I can't give them points for that. I just can't.

So, I guess...overall, if you don't mind game rips, go, you could find some good photo ops. Otherwise, it just hit me as meh after all the copyright infringement.

the Haunted House at Evolving Images

October 29, 2019, 3:11 pm

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Evolving Images apparently has a haunt this year. Their description states:

Visit the dining room for Halloween treats, and the kitchen for beanie and snake stew. Most Halloween décor is set for sale, but explore the grounds for some hidden free Halloween décor. Be careful going upstairs, it is called a haunted house! mwahaha

Okay. Let's check it out.



Who puts a haunt on a bright sunny beach? I'm at least setting the day cycle to midnight.



The ripped clown does not fill me with confidence. But I will say, the rest of the downstairs being decorated for a party doesn't hurt--Halloween house-party nostalgia is strong this year.



That's clever, and it's apparently made by Evolving Images.



I'm not sure which disturbs me more: that the presence of toys suggests this is a child's bedroom; that it's the only bedroom in the house; that this bedroom seems to be doing double duty as body storage; or that the storm seems to be coming from inside the house.

Overall, this isn't terrible. I found it laggy, but that could be me right now--Windows updated on my comp and everything has been as slow as molasses since. I will add, though, that everything in the house seems to be purchasable, so...there's that.

the sky is trembling and I must leave

October 30, 2019, 7:54 am

≫ Next: and as I watch you disappear into my head, well, there's a man who's telling me I might be dead (part one)

≪ Previous: the Haunted House at Evolving Images

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I went to scope out the Spookzilla event--it's not like I have the funds now to buy a bunch of L$25 ghosts even if I find them, but I wanted to know about about the layout. And now...I rather wish I hadn't.



Case in point. I have become accustomed to porting to a high-traffic event, and dealing with nude people just wandering around. I only get concerned when it seems like the nudity persists for more than ten minutes--which, in these shots, it had.



Okay, but it's just nudity, right? Nothing that out of the ordinary. The mesh will rez, the clothes will come...right?



Well...not exactly. This was a bit more unnerving, seeing naked and headless people wandering around. Usually if it's just the mesh not rezzed in yet, I'll see the head floating nearby, in those rare cases where head and body are detached. In this case? No. Ten minutes of headlessness.



And it had been so long since I'd seen non-mesh feet on any avatar that I was almost disturbed by how distorted and...well, just plain wrong some of the feet looked.



And the hair never draped itself across scalps and shoulders. The bodies never got random items of clothing hovering near them, or suddenly snapping into place. Shoes never appeared next to ankles, or attached to right hands. Minutes of just...waiting...for attire, and never seeing it.



FINALLY, I found someone with an outfit! I was so overjoyed until I realized everyone behind her was still naked. And headless at that! What was going on?!



And then, a head rezzed in. But...just a head. No body. No hair. NO EYES. And, if you look closely, you can see that in the distance, in the tunnel leading to Spookzilla, are a pair of floating eyes.

Hers? Someone else's? I didn't know, I didn't care, I just left.

and as I watch you disappear into my head, well, there's a man who's telling me I might be dead (part one)

October 30, 2019, 11:25 am

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This one is deeply weird. Their blurb:

SG Restaurant,grocery store,groceries, produce,fruit,free food court,buttermilk,wood,logs,lumber,power,energy,friendly,ice,water,wellness,center,herbs,medical,rice,craft,supermarket rentals,social,fun,music,market,vegetables,Haunted House

So...nothing at all to do with anything seasonal, but oh-wait-Haunted-House. I haz a confuse.

So...where's the haunt?



Wandering a short distance discovered this jumpscare clown. I wasn't interested in jumping into him repeated times to get everything to rez in, but...this is suitably creepy, I feel, on its own.

Later, I found a port pad. It was...confusing. It had these options: "Bowling Alley", "Education Par", Entertainmen", Supermarket", "clinic", and five completely empty buttons. I still haz a confuse.



I wandered into the courtyard area and finally saw this sign. Oh, so I have to get there on my own, there's no direct port? That's annoying.



That's...not a sign style you see every day.



There's a tricky, but doable, corn maze that's fun to go through.

However, I got lost out the other side. I pretty much had to go back to the beginning and take a couple different paths before I cound the house.



Warning: the house is not for arachnophobes, so do be aware.



This was an interesting thing--one of the outdoor wandering spirits has apparently been given the house to patrol. Which means he randomly floats through rooms, through walls, circles back, and wanders through again.

And this is verging on long, so I'm splitting it in half. Continued in part two!

---

and as I watch you disappear into my head, well, there's a man who's telling me I might be dead (part two)

October 30, 2019, 12:14 pm

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(Continued from part one.)



On the second floor I found mostly empty rooms, with a pinball-bouncing Chucky doll triggering every time I came out to the center area that all the rooms open onto. That...was annoying. But of the two rooms that had anything, this was definitely the more visually interesting--the other being the same bed with a bloodied red blanket, a cut-out wavery butler, nine feet tall, and a floor candlestick.



There's very little on the second floor, and very little in the attic. But the attic is confusing: rip clown, devil's head, the Jigsaw puppet, and Tiffany in a T pose. Why?



The last structure I found before I left was a barn, complete with jumpscare clown, drifting spectre, and hanging man.



And there's nothing upstairs in the barn loft.

All in all, this isn't terrible. It's sufficiently atmospheric. I'd honestly give it a solid three skulls if not for the fact I had to open the map and peer at a poster to get the correct coordinates for the haunt. It wasn't arduous, in the sense of having to move a car or anything, but it was irritating, and it didn't need to be.



In the meantime, I'm just not getting used to this new let's-rearrange-all-the-things style of logout screen. (The red arrow is due to my using a screencap service to grab this, and it grabbed where my mouse cursor was, too.)

carved by the waves, our sacred temple

October 31, 2019, 8:33 am

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Why am I even here? You know what, I don't even care how I got this landmark. I'm leaving. There's nothing here I want to see if that's the first thing that rezzes in.



Some days, it's just not worth the effort crawling out of the grave.



I don't know which of us was more surprised, honestly.

Meanwhile, seen at the Salem event...



I am stll not used to avatars being openly used as sim decoration. I mean, I've seen bots as models, I've seen bots behind reception desks at stores, but as haunters or, in this case, just...there...as sort of thematic additions...that, I'm not used to yet. I'm not sure I'm going to get used to that, either.

Miss Slighted, high-minded, I’m stuck in the rain

October 31, 2019, 9:57 am

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Oh, excuse me, the title is actually Summit Nights and HALLOWEEN HAUNTED HOUSE! BOO! There you go. The description states:

Summit Nights: A unique "night garden" themed dance club playing great music from all genres.

Come and see our creepy haunted mansion, guaranteed to give you a good scare! Ghosts, ghouls, skeletons and zombies, oh my!

So...dance club, but also haunt? Or haunted dance club? I have no idea.



Well, it has rules.



And they've definitely worked to set a particular mood.



Because of course they have game rips, why wouldn't they? Cue massive facepalming.



This was a neat effect. Two of the four paintings moved up and down on the wall. Simple, but effective. This was the second wall with the effect--the first one seemed to be in more shadow--but there didn't seem to be repetition, which is my other bane--the earlier four paintings were different.



The game rips are getting on my nerves...



Really? Okay, it's possible this is not a direct game rip, even though Ju-On had a video game released for the Wii. (And yes, the little meowing boy? He is in that game.) But one way or another, this was my "I'm done here" note.

Haunts are an odd thing--they rely on two key principles, and they are opposing: originality and creativity on the one side, and tradition and established settings on the other. But it is far from impossible to play to both things, and make a haunt work, without involving game properties or established media properties.

That is, if the designer cares at all.

And...that's it. I'll make one more correction to the list of all the haunts, and then I'll start working on old pictures for the haunts, but this is my last haunted house for the year. Blessings of the season to you all!

unfolded fire blows with the words, straight from within

November 1, 2019, 7:50 am

≫ Next: you feel lazy but stop the fantasies and bubble butts

≪ Previous: Miss Slighted, high-minded, I’m stuck in the rain

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[09:11] mxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: Can someone send me link to the internet with all the items?

Yes. First, turn on your computer...

Imgur, one of the biggest image-sharing sites on the web, is dropping support for NSFW subreddits, 'citing business risks'. Riiiight. A quote from the end of the article:

"It will be interesting to see how Redditors will respond to these changes, but going by their initial reactions, not many are happy about the development."

I know I'm not happy, hearing about this change. Even though only one of my albums on Imgur, maybe, might fall under this ban, it's still a ridiculous restriction that they don't need to impose.

On the other hand, this seems like a useful tip for the coming winter. While I routinely save coffee grounds and egg shells for mixing into peat for the planting season, it never occurred to me to save coffee grounds to scatter for traction on icy sidewalks. Neat.

Meanwhile, here we go again. This gets SO tiresome. This is from sometime in August, haunting coverage took over for the last two months.

[13:43] Axxxxxx Rxxx: what you said we can share the screeshot now here?
[13:44] txxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: yes you can share a screenshot of the MM board and include that in your post :)
[13:44] txxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: That is the only time screenshots are allowed

A lot of groups, for several years now, have banned external links because of the prevalence of phishing links. It's like like a link containing "seccondlife" or "altervista" (both of which I've seen) is really going to get people with half a brain to click, but sadly, we have learned that people just don't read, whether they're online or off. And thus, the groups banning external links.

So this was a fairly recent change, a month to two months at best, with this group allowing Gyazo image links to be posted specifically so people could see the actual item on offer for Midnight Mania boards.

[13:45] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: and [Rxxx] said oncer per store to prevent clogging of chat
[13:45] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx kicks chat
[13:46] txxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: Thank You [Mxxx]!
[13:46] txxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: lol
[13:46] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: most welcome :)
[13:46] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: oof chat hates me

Chat hates all of us, it's not just you. The persistent SL memory leak hates all of us too, and it's been over a decade unfixed.

[13:46] txxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: what did [Dxxxxx] say?
[13:46] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: think she would agree :)
[13:46] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: because if you post same store same picture every 30 minutes it could get cloggy
[13:47] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: buttttttttt i shall ask :F
[13:47] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: :D
[13:47] txxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: you dont have to correct me [Mxxx] thank you!

Now, it honestly doesn't look this way, but this is where this chat starts going sideways. Honestly, all of us in this moment just thought this was a comment and we were perfectly ready to move on with the rest of the chat.

[13:47] txxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: lol
[13:47] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: i was not correcting you i was asking...
[13:47] Axxxxxx Rxxx: so gyazo link is now ok if its MM board?
[13:47] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: excuse me for typing
[13:47] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: im gone bye

Which, for me at least, but also some others, was right out of left field. Why such an extreme overreaction?

[13:48] txxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: I see the effects of the full moon from last week are in this group all weekend

Yeah, apparently.

[13:48] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: remind me not to help in future

To note: while I no longer remember if she was still a mod at the time of this chat capture, I know she's not now, and this was one of the incidents that made her step down from moderation of this group.

[13:49] txxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: Myst you are a big help
[13:49] txxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: everyone should be nice tho
[13:49] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: well i wont ill shut up from now on as you would like

Additional note: watch the back and forth. Could Ms. G (Ms. t, legacy name) have phrased it better than "correcting" her? Probably. Did Ms. M (Ms. x, legacy name) take it WAAAAAAY too seriously? Oh, all the yes.

[13:49] txxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: This is a group for newbies as well as 14 year old avas
[13:51] txxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: We encourage everyone to post stores and freebies please!
[13:51] txxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: Most events are not allowed due to adult poses on furniture
[13:51] Axxxxx Kxxx: and avi's that dont know what they truly wanna be
[13:53] txxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: Truem we have lots of furries and nekos here
[13:54] Axxxxx Rxxxxxxx: pretty sure most furries and nekos have a VERY good idea what they want to be, lol
[13:54] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: yeh we do
[13:55] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: i ware different tails and ears but yes we know what we are
[13:55] axxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: and dragons, the jomo type, and demons, angels, littles..this is second life, please leave first life prejudices at the log on screen. thank you.

And this seemed another out-of-left-field reference. No one was expressing prejudice, just disagreement.

[13:55] Axxxxxx Rxxx: I´m bit scared to post here what happen yesterday with [Dxxxxx] and others in here. Someone asked lm to adn and then hell started after it, sadly
[13:55] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: pfft
[13:55] Rxxxxx Sxxxxxxxxx: fairies and mermaids here ;D
[13:56] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: nah we over that
[13:56] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: XD
[13:56] axxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: I would assume the ADN is not allowed because the mainstore is attached to a mall... Which is one of the rules. No malls. Glad I missed that fiasco though!
[13:57] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: yeh im glad you did too vixen it was horrible

There was some back and forth posts on what is and isn't allowed; I'm trimming that out because it's just restating of the rules for this group.

[14:00] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: im confused imma just sit watch chat for amoment
[14:00] txxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: Try to keep posts to 3 lines
[14:00] axxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: please IM me, lets gt this out of chat.
[14:00] Rxxxxxx Bxxxxxxxxx: well, lack of quality control for starters. not sure how template meshes can have holes and odd gaps in the rig, but there they are

Another comment out of left field.

[14:00] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: ^
[14:00] Rxxxxx Sxxxxxxxxx: demo for what ? [store name]?
[14:00] txxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: Angela you can post the numbers for MM boards
[14:01] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: i dont post because i dontknow whats *safe* i just watch for freebies/slaps
[14:01] Rxxxxx Sxxxxxxxxx: the dance ?
[14:01] txxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: [Mxxx] you are welkies to post stores!
[14:01] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: no thanks :)
[14:01] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: im cool

Of further note: she's back to posting frequently in this group now, but at the time, she did take some days off to get over whatever slight she'd taken in the first place.

[14:01] txxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: I know you find lots of good ones :)
[14:01] Rxxx Bxxx: Yes but really thats a function of the group quality control, I have seen many cases where that wasnt enforced in other cases and in fact if something is said negative about an item it is shushed
[14:01] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: ^
[14:02] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: i just watch and look for my familyon here
[14:02] txxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: Thank you [jxxxx] for showing what a correct post is like
[14:02] Rxxx Bxxx: Mind you i have no dog in the fight so i am gonna hush, I just dont care for the secrecy behind things here sometimes
[14:02] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: ^
[14:02] axxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: And now you know why I don't participate that much.

Not really.

[14:02] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: nods
[14:03] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: most of mine i would be banned anywho
[14:03] axxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: I don't even really do freebies or MMs or chairs anymore. I do, however, do like looking at some of the notices that go out here.
[14:03] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: same :)
[14:03] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: and i enjoy the folks i met
[14:04] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: grown to love a few myself
[14:04] txxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: This is more of a store posting group now tho

It was always a store posting group, interspersed with chat on fashion, discussion of events with gifts and cheapies (not posting the SLUrls, but mentioning the names), group gifts for free-to-join groups, and mesh bodies. That was true before this, it was true when this was captured, it's true now.

[14:05] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: like i dont know most events/stores taht are cool so i rather be safe ya know?

Okay, admittedly, that's always been a hitch for this particular group. They do not release their ban list to the public. How'ver, there's generally always a mod on, so if a group member thinks there's an issue, they can always ask for a mod's help or just ask if X store is safe before posting. It's an extra step, not an arduous one, and it keeps things moving.

The general things--for this group, at least--that will get a ban: Adult furniture, a shop that's located within a larger mall where other stores may have Adult furniture, a store that's within a club, stores that sell vehicles of any type, stores that sell AOs (though stores that sell individual poses they've made seem to be fine), and anything that's on an Adult sim where sex furniture--in or outside the store--is visible from inside the store. Seems simple enough.

[14:05] axxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: Here is the thing: Groups like this help large numbers of people, new and old alike. Like any group, it has rules, clearly posted on the group profile, no secrecy. Now, shoukld someone find it necessary to argue or question a MOD, (They would have the bold type), it can ge4t messy. Just. Don't. Do. It.
[14:05] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: [jxxxx] whos questioning?
[14:05] txxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: true that!!
[14:05] axxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: That is what sparks 99% of the arguments here, [Mxxx].
[14:05] txxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: Especially those who are questioning [Rxxx], that is making my blood boil atm :/
[14:06] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: only time i question something is if i see something fishy

Something fishy, or if I want clarification on a point. And to her credit, I don't think those are bad reasons to question mods.

[14:06] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: i always ask [rxxx] or [gxxxx] or [dxxxxx] first
[14:06] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: respectful thing to do honestly
[14:06] txxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: We have a lot of mods
[14:06] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: true cant keep track lol
[14:06] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: i just named the ones i know XD
[14:07] txxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: Most are behind the scenes so rest assured someone is always around :)
[14:07] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: always :D
[14:07] axxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: Well, with the notion that this is a store posting group only, I'm really surprised you guys haven't turned off the chat yet.
3>

I give up.

you feel lazy but stop the fantasies and bubble butts

November 2, 2019, 12:19 pm

≫ Next: don't be cautious, don't be kind

≪ Previous: unfolded fire blows with the words, straight from within

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Out of the blue while wandering the stops of the Hocus Pocus event:

[12:03] Mxxxx Rxxxxxxx: hi
[12:03] Emilly Orr: Hi there.

See? This is me being nice. I am trying to be nice. It's just a "hi", I don't have to go into hyper-suspicious mode.

[12:03] Mxxxx Rxxxxxxx: are you submissive
[12:04] Emilly Orr smiles
[12:04] Emilly Orr: The profile says so. But I am selective to whom I submit.

I pulled his profile. Oh, you sweet summer child. You're only one day old. I should have stayed suspicious.

And wau, you are just in all the fetish groups. Eleven groups at the time of this writing, all of them centered on incest, breeding, brainwashing, humiliation, ageplay, extreme abuse...You're a one-stop shop for serious sadists.

[12:05] Mxxxx Rxxxxxxx: thats cool
[12:05] Mxxxx Rxxxxxxx: were you submissive when younger
[12:05] Emilly Orr: I was more of a switch when I was younger, then I went to full pro domme for a bit, then back to submissive.

Which is true, that's pretty much been the pattern of the life. Switching, experiencing both sides, knowing the give and take of both, landing on one side or the other for a while.

Conversation lagged at this point. I hit a few more stops while waiting, but I admit, I was curious. How'd this guy find me? (Well. I'm making the assumption of male due to the username, but with no pic, no FL pic, no picks, and no bios of any kind, it could be a large leap indeed.)

[12:13] Emilly Orr: Why do you ask?
[12:16] Mxxxx Rxxxxxxx: just to talk
[12:17] Emilly Orr: Ah. What's on your mind?
[12:18] Mxxxx Rxxxxxxx: you being submissive
[12:18] Emilly Orr: Didn't I answer that?

I mean, I did, didn't I? I'm certainly not going to willingly grovel before a one-day-old No-Info fellow, if that's what he's thinking.

Actually, I was never that good at groveling, anyway.

[12:22] Emilly Orr: Or did you have something else in mind?

Because wau, you type slow. Or think slow, which is even worse.

[12:22] Mxxxx Rxxxxxxx: like when younger
[12:23] Emilly Orr: Okay, track this back and ask it direct. Are you asking how young I was when I knew I was a submissive?
[12:23] Mxxxx Rxxxxxxx: yes
[12:24] Emilly Orr: I'd say, probably around fourteen or fifteen, though I didn't have words for it then.
[12:24] Mxxxx Rxxxxxxx: what told you you were submissive

Pushy li'l newbie, aintcha?

[12:24] Mxxxx Rxxxxxxx: i mean how did you know
[12:26] Emilly Orr: Fantasies. Dreams. Inchoate longings of the spirit, to get poetic. I'm sure others knew it earlier, in their own journeys, but I was always more focused on books and learning over the physical, as a child.

We're not going to go into that weird kid in first grade who would corral all the girls up and make us get on all fours, and call us all his "ponies". None of us knew what he was after at that point, and likely least of all him. So I truly doubt that led to anything. I'm more talking early dreams post-puberty, for the most part.

Past this point, conversation fell off again, and hell if I was going to continue it on my own. I'd given him two conversation passes already, and it was starting to feel invasive.

Then I crashed, and half an hour later, he hadn't commented back, so I guess his curiosity was over. May you find your way in SL, weird dude, and expect to get yelled at if you continue this line of questioning with others...but then again, that may be exactly what you want.

(Ooh, note from the Editrix several hours later. Fun. This is not just a newb, this is a STUPID newb.)

I present the continuation of the saga:

[20:25] Mxxxx Rxxxxxxx: any submissive girls to talk? message me
[20:25] Mxxxxxxx Axxxx: booboo. They have sims specifically for that. Groups for shops are deffo not gonna get you a toy for the night. :)

She's absolutely right. Also, add one more group, a non-fetish one, a purely shopping group...which is baffling as to why he's reaching out there to "talk" to submissive girls.

[20:26] Sxxxxx Kxxxxx: into the land of garbage and [sh*te] you go buddy..........not a good way to start your second life.......

Likely more than just Ms. S blocked and banned this 24-hour idjit.

[20:31] Emilly Orr: Also, why should people talk to you here? As I recall, you made a lousy effort of talking to me earlier. :p

So then--of course--he IMed me:

[20:32] Mxxxx Rxxxxxxx: ?

Really. That's your opener. Really. I despair of the next SL generation.

[20:32] Emilly Orr: You totally dropped the conversation twice. I'm just pointing it out.
[20:32] Mxxxx Rxxxxxxx: sorry

I doubt your sincerity.

[20:32] Emilly Orr: Also, asking after anything BDSM-related in shopping groups is never a good idea unless it's specifically an adult shopping group.
[20:36] Emilly Orr: So what's your gig, really? You just got blocked by a bunch of people in the group, and if you're pulling this nonsense in other non-sex groups, you'll likely be blocked or outright banned from there, too. What's worth that?
[20:36] Mxxxx Rxxxxxxx: its ok
[20:37] Emilly Orr: Maybe for you, but okay, have a nice life, then.

And for me, I was done with this knuckle-dragging fetishist. Goodbye, mysterious newbie, don't let the door hit you on the way out.

((Later note from the Editrix: Oh, my GODS...))

He's not done.

[20:55] MrD3t: any submissive girls to talk? message me
[20:56] Emilly Orr: STOP. IT.

I thought about it for a bit, and then decided this was worth sending a note in.

[21:01] Emilly Orr sends a notecard to [Cxxxxxx] before wandering off hunting.

And that BETTER be that. Any more, I'm blocking his moronic self.

(((Later still note from the Editrix: I did in fact, send off a notecard to the group owner. She bounced his sorry butt and thanked me for letting her know. I truly hope I never run into him again.)))