Some Halloween Parties in Second Life

 
By Bixyl Shuftan

There isn't another time of year quite like Halloween. In real life, there's all sorts of spooky fun parties, and people wear costumes to look like what they want. In Second Life, people can already look more or less what they want to. But the occasion gives them the opportunity to go wild and take on looks they otherwise wouldn't. And of course there are all sorts of haunts.

Some places, such as the Happy Vixen, had a number of Halloween-themed events across the month such as "Orange and Black." The events had been moved to this year's Halloween area as well, the ghost pirate island. 

And there were the Halloween pranks, like the one I pulled a couple days before Halloween with an avatar I don't usually wear.

[20:09] Penny Shuftan (DeafLegacy Resident): Bix??
[20:09] Penny Shuftan (DeafLegacy Resident): There you are :)
[20:09] Bixyl Shuftan: Hey there, I found a scary Halloween costume
[20:09] Penny Shuftan (DeafLegacy Resident): Wait a minute, you're a human
[20:09] Penny Shuftan (DeafLegacy Resident) screams in horror
[20:09] Bixyl Shuftan: Heh heh
[20:09] Muertos Okawa (Muertos Ashbourne): OMG!!!!!
[20:09] Bixyl Shuftan: I guess to scary, just a moment
[20:10] Scratch Musikatt (ScratchMusikatt Fox): *Giggles insanely* good costume! That thing's horrofying
[20:10] Clove (VoxDragon Resident): that is scary
[20:10] Bixyl Shuftan: Hey Snowy
[20:10] Muertos Okawa (Muertos Ashbourne): That's super scary
[20:10] Penny Shuftan (DeafLegacy Resident): Hi Snowy sis
[20:10] Bixyl Shuftan: I think I found a scary Halloween look
[20:10] Muertos Okawa (Muertos Ashbourne): Heyas Snow
[20:10] Now playing: Silver Screen Orchestra - Theme from "The Omen"
[20:10] Snowy AngelBun Lefavre (Skylark Lefavre): Yeah Bix you are scary
[20:10] Bixyl Shuftan: heh heh
[20:10] Snowy AngelBun Lefavre (Skylark Lefavre): hi Penny sis
[20:10] Clove (VoxDragon Resident): hi snow
[20:10] Snowy AngelBun Lefavre (Skylark Lefavre): Hii Clove
[20:11] Penny Shuftan (DeafLegacy Resident) yanks a gun out and cocks it before aiming it at Bix
[20:11] Penny Shuftan (DeafLegacy Resident): Please... kindly.. change your avatar, Bix bro...
[20:11] Bixyl Shuftan: okay, changing
[20:11] Muertos Okawa (Muertos Ashbourne): LMAO
[20:11] Scratch Musikatt (ScratchMusikatt Fox): set phasers to furrify!
[20:12] Muertos Okawa (Muertos Ashbourne): LMAO 

 Here's a better picture of the avatar in question, taken a few years earlier at a Halloween Club Crawl.

On Saturday October 30, Club Cutlass, the main club of the Sunweaver community, had it's Halloween party.

Well, this guy sure used his brain with his costume.

Xanadu would also have a Halloween Party that night.

A number of places would have events on Halloween Day. This included Virtual Ability.

They were doing the monster mash.

Gentle Heron herself was looking a little green.

The National Space Society would have a small Halloween party.

With some Halloweenish science posters.

The Spooky Strides event, raising money for the Relay for Life, had it's last night. 

Among the performances on the last day and night was by Drum.

The Bouncing Bunny Beach Club would have a "Monster party." DJ Mattie was playing the music.

Trick or treat.

Only some of those attending went into what could be called a monster look. But it was a monstrous good time.

Also having a Halloween party was the Fallout Shelter in the Deadlands. 

Rebel Wolf, aka The Baron, had a good-sized party there.

For a place still recovering from a nuclear war, they were doing pretty good, for one night anyway.

It was quite the Halloween bash. 

Among other places having events were the Furry Fashion Lounge, and the Goblin Cave at Caledon Downs. 

At 5PM SL time, the main event in the Sunweaver community started, the Happy Vixen's Halloween party.

"Alright all you ghouls and gals. Dj Jazz is kicking it off at The Happy Vixen Haunted Island tonight from 5 to 7. Playing all the Halloween tunes and hits.  Everything from old school horror to current. Oh.. and did I mention there's a Fishbowl event happening?  No? Well here ya go then. Dishing out not one but TWO epic prizes this evening awarded out on the top the hour. 2500L awarded out at the first hour and another 2500L at the close of the event. Want in? Simple, be there and be in theme for a Halloween party."

The "Howloween" event was of course at the ghost pirate island area, and drew quite a crowd.

At one point, there were two dozen present, and probably more than three dozen were there at some time in the four hour party.

From 5 to 7PM, DJ Jazzy played the music. From 7 to 9PM, DJ Squeaks did the tunage.

For the first half of the event, the 2500 Linden prize had been boosted to 3000 L, and the usual prohibition against club staff entering was lifted. The prize was split between Aubrytia Resident (Nikkita Sugar Lefavre), ShinyWhiteDragon, and DeniseUnicorn Toonie. For the second half of the event, the 1000L prize was split between Piper Pekli and Gil Otaared.

Eventually, it would be time for the ghosts and goblin avatars to be put away for another year, or at least until the "Nightmare Before Christmas" event. But it was a fun event for all. 

Bixyl Shuftan
 

Halloween in Bellisseria

 
By Bixyl Shuftan

So what's the Linden Home continent, Bellisseria, offering for Halloween? As these homes aren't as modifyable as places on the mainland, some might thing not very much. But actually there is. The Lindens have a fun game going on. Plus there are a couple fun places to see.

A few days ago, we reported on the "Great Trick or Treat Event," which was about to take place. Taking a peek the first night, I went ahead and grabbed a HUD for the trick or treating. As I was in the Belliserian community group, I didn't have long to wait to find to place as homeowners were letting people know their place had a pumpkin and giving a SURL. 

Some places had decked out their homes for Halloween as well. One had a mockup of the Belliserian Slenderman, and the homeowner was nearby a chainsaw, which encouraged me to make a quick retreat after getting the candy. But not everything went as planned. Sometimes I'd end up inside the house  Another thing that went wrong from the sound of Belliserian group chatter was some homeowners didn't deactivate their security systems, which they weren't supposed to have to begin with. The result was a number of trick or treaters getting thrown out, getting a trick instead of a treat.

Despite the mishaps, some people were racking up some good candy scores. Already I've heard of a few claiming to have gotten over a hundred, so the competition for the ten "deady bears" is intense. But others are just going about at their own pace. One guy commented the Trick or Treat event was giving him the opportunity to explore the Linden Home continent and what it offered.

Besides the Trick or Treat going on, the Haunted Neighborhood from last year is back in the Millbank sim. The place is just as creepy as I remember it. One thing I forgot to mention last year was the haunted balloon tour. Just grab the red balloon and hang on as it takes you for a spin around the creepy neighborhood while taunting you, "Two paths diverged in a wood, and I... I took the one where people die... BAHAHAHAAH!!!" But eventually you land, "Darn... another survivor. This is going to ruin my 1 star Uber rating."

Picking up the flashlight from the table is recommended as it gives you a little light to see, and there are plenty of creepy and goulish sights from one house with a carnivorous plant making sickening slurping sounds, another with a creepy doll collection, a house that outright explodes with the sounds of people screaming, and more. 

Some people were traveling in groups, possibly for security. Though one group I encountered while exploring didn't appreciate the "creepy fox" around. I should note that sometimes lag will cause people to slow down a little, especially when there's a lot of people at the sim, which can make things a bit nerve wracking when you're trying to leave a place that really gave you the willies.

Oh, and you can now get a Bellisseria stamp here.

 Millbank (217/38/23).

At the Bellisseria Fairgrounds, "Hammieween II" is taking place. Advertised as being "presented by the Bellisseria Animal Sanctuary," with two hamsters in costume on the event advertisement, this place is less scary, and more spooky fun than your run of the mill Halloween happening.

Hammieween takes place in a skybox well above Bellisseria Fairgrounds. It starts off as a walk through a spooky trail, then leads to a party area made up of stones and slimy spaces, with a DJ booth with coffin-shaped speakers. There's also a haunted house that looks abandoned with much of the place crumbling and a ghost in the bathroom. But the black cat in one place suggests maybe someone's been coming by.

 Bellisseria Fairgrounds (163/208/617). 

Before wrapping things up like an Egyptian mummy, when checking the map over Bellisseria, I happened to notice an orange spot on the map. When going online and heading over, it turned out to be one homeowner trying to be The Great Pumpkin. 

That's it for now from the Linden Home continent. If you have any trick or treating tales, or any other Halloween story, feel free to write a reader submission about it. For now, Happy Halloween, in Second Life and real life.

Bixyl Shuftan
 

Innfest 2019, The Lovecraft Festival

By Bixyl Shuftan

The annual Lovecraft festival is taking place in Second Life. This ia the annual celebration held by fans of H.P. Lovecraft, which started on the author's 129th birthday. Originally called the "Lovefest," this year the name has been changed to "Innfest" after the name of the place, Innsmouth.

Lovecraft received little recognition while he was alive, not really able to make a living as a writer and had little money at the time of his death. But he has come to be recognized as one of the most influential 20th Century horror authors, his works emphasizing the fear of the unknown and the sense that life as we know it is an all-too-thin shell shielding us from a reality too bizarre and frightening to truly comprehend without going mad. He inspired other writers as well as artists and game makers in adding to a sub-genre of horror that has come to be called "Lovecraftian."

The reason for the event's name change from "Lovefest" has less to do with a few people getting confused by the name and more to do with a certain milestone. This year's festival also marks the tenth anniversary of the sim of Innsmouth, which according to the event website was modeled after Lovecraft's story "The Shadows Over Innsmouth." It was created by Darmin Darkes and her team, and is currently owned by Arik Metzger (AriktheRed), who has been doing the festivals since 2012.

Yours truly didn't hear about the celebration until Sunday August 25, so most of the festival has already taken place. Still there is much to do. The main area around the entrance, Innsmouth (17/34/1201) has a number of shops. Among which is one by Kittycats, whom are described on the website as having brought back the "KittyCat of Ulthar." In one yard is a feline statue and several cats prowl a yard. Across the street from Zan's Clothing is one shop with a strange circular cloud overhead.

There are other places in town besides the shop, and in the darkness comes the uneasy sense that something is hidden in there just waiting for something to come by and ambush. At the port area is a ship. Approaching it, a message came up, "'At the Mountains of Madness' - An Antarctic expedition that didn't exactly fare as hoped.  Something stirs in the hold... and what, pray tell, is in that crate labelled for the Antarctic (hint hint)?" Taking a look in the dark hold was ... a penguin? But this penguin was a huge giant that occasionally cackled in what sounded like a menacing tone. Irronically enough, there were fossils of a penguin this size found just a few days ago in real life. Maybe Lovecraft was on to something.

There's also a trolley going about town that can take you around the town, as well as other places in the sim. I also found a teleporter that takes you to a place at Innsmouth (30/74/1500) inspired by the story "The Lurking Fear." Touching the sign there will get you a few items. Another I found was at  Innsmouth (65/80/1906). And there is the town of Innsmouth at the ground level at Innsmouth (20/241/54).

Road to Innsmouth: 'The smell of the sea took on ominous implications...  [reaching] the crest and beheld the outspread valley beyond, where the Manuxet joins the sea just north of the long line of cliffs that culminate in Kingsport Head... On the far, misty horizon I could just make out the dizzy profile of the Head, topped by the queer ancient house of which so many legends are told; but for the moment all my attention was captured by the nearer panorama just below me. I had, I realised, come face to face with rumour-shadowed Innsmouth.'

There have been music concerts during the Innfest. On the final day of the event is a Masquerade Ball, at Tuesday August 27 at 9PM SL time (Midnight EST).

So if you're a horror fan, or just want something out of the routine, by all means come to Innfest. If you come across this article after the event, explore the sims anyway. Just make sure you're prepared for the scary and disturbing.


https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Innsmouth/17/34/1201

For more information on the festival, check out their website at  https://lovefest.wordpress.com/ .

Bixyl Shuftan