Halloween 2020: Dead Mans Island

My next stop for this Halloween seasons wanderings is Dead Mans Island. The name couldn’t be more accurate, you can hardly turn anywhere without sight of a corpse, grave or some spooky sight. It’s fantastic!

I arrived in the hallway of the the regions spooky mansion, which I don’t think is the intended arrival point, but doesn’t really matter.

My view on first arrival arrival

Behind me is the main entrance leading outside

Entrance hallway

Rather than heading out, first I decided to have a look up the stairs

A creaky staircase with lights on upstairs, is that signs of life?

So I up I go and explore the rooms

Back down stairs I went through into the next room that turned out to be the kitchen, but I don’t think it’s regular food being cooked in this cauldron!

Don’t think I want to know what’s in the pot

Back the other way to the main doors outside, leading to a long pathway out into a dark forest.

Outside the gates I found this cute little night watchmen, although I expect they’d object to “cute”.

Then a glance the other way and ..uh..skeleton musicians?

Anyway straight ahead and uphill is where the path leads

At the top I find a solemn monk statue and some suggestions this is the intended Arrival point.

While I survey the forested and swampy landscape below, something unpleasant is surveying *me*.

So back down the hill to investigate what looked like a mine entrance to my left

Bones outside seem a bit foreboding but I go have a look anyway..more bodies!

Exiting the mine I cross very misty the swamp

On the far side I see a building at the top of the hill

I find it guarded by some fearsome creatures, a large Demon and some Hell Hounds.

Inside I find it was at some point a church, but I don’t think there’s been anything Holy about this place for a long time!

After a respectful moment at the altar I head out again and follow the coastline, when I stop to take a moment to look out across the water, I find a werewolf and his victim lying on the ground.

A werewolf and it’s prey

I move on hastily past so as not to interrupt it’s snack and become dessert. Just in case I duck inside a little mausoleum next to the cemetery gates

I wait inside for a few minutes to make sure he’s not followed me, it’s quite comfy!

Moving on into the cemetery it seems fairly empty, presumably because most of the dead are up and about! The main feature of the graveyard is a single large Angel statue…with no head!

Back out onto the coast path there’s a good view across to the spooky Mansion.

I wandered around the rear of the building to see if there was any more sppoks to be seen. Unsurprisingly there’s another graveyard.

Not so many here, maybe was just the homeowner personal cemetery perhaps? As I was about to head back around to the front door, I saw a light further along the coast

Maybe the houses former inhabitants aren’t at rest at all!

Even the nearby vegetation is looking far from healthy!

Dead Mans Island definitely should be on any Halloween fans list to visit.

Mansion hallway: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Forbidden%20Valley/130/201/33

Hilltop arrival point: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Forbidden%20Valley/114/18/35

Deadman’s Island Flickr

 

Halloween 2020: Pumpkin Town

It’s been a while since I posted anything about my SL adventures, mainly since I haven’t had time for much. So I thought now we’re into “Halloween Month” in SL I should start again with a seasonal wander. So I headed to “Pumpkin Town”.

This place has been going since 2010 but I don’t recall ever visiting before, certainly not since I started blogging my explorations.

So the arrival point is as pictured in various places and typical of a SL Halloween location..pumpkins everywhere of course!

then behind you is a little jetty and cabin the water, maybe I’ll come back to that.

The “what’s behind me” shot

Following the pathways take you through a shopping area:

Usually not my favourite aspect of SL Halloween, but I did actually buy something for a change!

Further along I find my kind of Halloween location, the creepy places!

The gateway to creepy town is a bridge over a murky swamp

I stopped to have a nosey in the house before crossing

On the other side of the swamp there’s the first of the spooky buildings to explore

Around the back there’s view across a misty lake

Then I had a look in the back door of a nearby place, seemed full of all kinds of curiosities:

Back out onto the path I pass another spook place

Before coming to the crest of a hill and overlooking this intriguing place:

So I go down and have a bit of an explore..

appears to be an abandoned old folks home? Walking out the patio doors at the end gives me a view of the green house..what are those?

I head back in and walk around til I find the door leading into the greenhouse and open it carefully..

Not wanting to become dinner, I close the doors again and make a hasty exit! As I wander the path some more I come to an inviting sigh..”Haunted House”

I followed the signs to this rather imposing building:

I won’t spoil any more surprises, you’ll have to come and check it out for yourself!

Landing point: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Pixeltrix/18/181/52

Pumpkin Town Blog

Oh..I did go back to the little jetty at the landing point..the boat tied up there is crewed by Skeletons!

Featured on SecondLife Community Blog on 5th October 2020

Steam Folk

I love the idea of the Fantasy Faire Bloggers Challenge “Faire Folk” to create a new look for my avatar inspired by the Fairelands.

I did two looks based around the Faire:  Fantasy Faire Folk: Cassiopeia and Fantasy Faire Folk: Under the Pass

I decided I wanted a new steampunk look too, but the Faire wasn’t the ideal place to shop for that. While there are lots of excellence shops at the Faire I couldn’t find quite what I was looking for, so I went to The Engine Room event.  I picked up a few things that I didn’t realise I was missing until I saw them, like this neck corset by Silvery K, hat by Insomnia Angel and new hair to go under it.

Credits:

  • Corset: SteamPunk Corset with Watch (own creation from Full Perm items, ask for details)
  • Leggings: Black Opal – Hawkesworth Red
  • Boots:  Steampunk Boots -Jewel Red
  • Hat: Insomnia Angel . steampunk top hat [wine] (at Engine Room event)
  • Hair: Raven Belle – Luxe Hair
  • Neckpeice: Silvery K..:*SteamDiva Neck Corset
  • Bracers: Steampunk Leather cuffs

Location: NeoVictoria

 

Fantasy Faire Folk: Under the Pass

Alara had heard the trembling and vibrations in the ground as she slept during the daylight hours. They got stronger the closer she got to the mountains and home.

She had seen machinery on a large scale sometimes pass nearby as she traveled at night. What were the surface-dwellers doing?

Rather than taking the cave entrance into the centuries old subterranean city her people called home, she decided to investigate what was going on. She climbed the slope in darkness, to a position where she could look down on the surface settlement and froze with shock.

They had always mined the rock miles above her home, but never had she seen a drill of that size! She looked down into the crater trying to visualize the layout of the city below. If they dug much further they would start to uncover old entrance tunnels!

The giant drill that threatens her subterranean home.

She descended the slope away from the settlement towards the nearest entrance, she must warn her people. No doubt some would already be scared by the inevitable increased noise, but she suspected the Elders would be dismissing it as just more mining if they had no idea what was above them. Stopped for now, but inevitably that drill will start again.

Credits:

  • Outfit: Venetia
  • Mask: Mucronate Mask – Torn Black by [CX]
  • Skin: Classic Vamp Skin by Snow
  • Hair: Raven Belle – Luxe Hair

Location: Lost in the Mysts of Time

 

 

This fictional piece was written for Fantasy Faire 2020 Faire Bloggers Challenge “Faire Folk”

Fantasy Faire 2020: A different perspective

At the Faire last year I wandered rather aimlessly, I followed the Bubbo Owls storyline and one day I went to a NeoVictoria meet & greet, apart from that I didn’t explore much. It was that meet that would change my perspective, I just didn’t know it at the time.

This year I was at the planning meetings and discussions of what NeoVictoria may do at their meets and discussed what items they would be offering for sale and as gifts. It was this last part that was most relevant, I volunteered to make a freebie gift.

On the evening of the Wednesday before the Faire began I was invited to the “Backstage” group so I could Rez the item for visitors to purchase.

The NeoVictoria stand in Fantasy Faire
With a stage for Roleplays
The drinks barrel I made as a gift

On the Thursday morning I logged back in to have an explore.

It was surreal being in the Faire before it opened. My previous experiences had always been of bustling regions full of people. As usual I didn’t really have much of a plan of what I wanted to see, I just knew I had about 3 hours before the Faire opened and there would be people everywhere. I just wanted to see as much as I could before the masses arrived. 

Since the NeoVictoria store is located in Auxenio’s Pass steampunk region, that’s where I started. When I stepped outside I was blown away by the surroundings. I started walking the paths to see what I found.

A glance down the street

And I see several of these beautiful creations

With the regions being mostly empty except for store owners making final tweaks to their displays and other creators taking the time to wander, it was blissfully quiet.

Blissfully empty streets
The centre of the Region features a massive drill

I stuck mostly to the paths, with occasional detours, wanting to try and see as much as I could in the time I had. Traveling mostly clockwise around the Faire,  I took in the sights of the created locations.  Each one mind blowing or boggling in their design. I got about half way around before I ran out of time, but I had a large collection of snapshots taken as I went around.  Here are some of my favourites.

Now I look forward to exploring the rest of the Faire!

Outfit Credits:

Fantasy Faire 2020 Intro

So it’s this time of year again Fantasy Faire is upon us. Another week and more of exploring beautiful location, roleplay and shopping in aid of Relay for Life in Second Life.

Last year I visited the Faire and for the first time was able to follow their week-long roleplay storyline. That was great fun and I wrote about it in my Bubbo Owls post. This year it appears the RP is called the Grizzly Cubs and I look forward to following this years adventure.

As I’ve mentioned previously, last year I attended a Meet & Greet with the lovely folks from the NeoVictoria Project. I submitted a character and became an official member of the community. They’re holding similar Meet & Greet sessions this year, so I shall be present for at least one of them to help out. I’m also possibly providing a freebie to be given out at the NeoVictoria location at the Faire.

What else is new this year is that I applied to be one of the Official FF Bloggers. However the applications are now closed and my names not on the list. I suspect this is probably due to the quality of my regular images, admittedly lower quality, but it’s usually because they’re un-staged and my focus is the RP or story. (I’ll be remedying that for the Faire) So instead I’m going to try and complete some of their Blogger Challenges   which I’ve copied below:

Faire Folk – create a character from the Fairelands

My New Shiny – show off a shop that is new to you

I Remember – reminisce about previous Fairelands

Faire Life – blog and report about Faire events

The Emblem Project – take a picture with the Fantasy Faire Emblem in your favourite Faireland

All sound fun things to do, combined with following the Cubs RP I just hope I have the time to do it all!

Official Faire Website: https://fantasyfairesl.wordpress.com/

The Haunted Motel

Ava arrived at the venue for the Glitter & Gore festival she planned to attend, to find that the only accommodation left in the area was a very rundown hotel. Having checked in with the rather creepy desk clerk she follows the directions to deadliesther room, deciding it was best she not find out what was making the odd noises in the rooms she passed on the way. She notices the somewhat dubious condition of the fireplace but it’s too cold in the room without it lit, so she sleeps.

She is woken all too soon by the fire having apparently been in worse condition than she thought and was surrounded by flames, she opens the room door and exits the building via a window.

Burning hotel
Ava stands looking at the burning hotel

Cranky at having had too few hours daylight sleep and the nature of her waking, she looks up at the burning building. She notices her car has also caught light, but simply shrugs now she won’t have to torch the rust bucket herself for the insurance. Seeing a green light around the corner of the building she heads for it muttering “that is Not normal”.

She follows the light uphill into the woods behind the building

forest entrance
The edge of the forest

and follows the path and the light till she sees a graveyard.

Something large and furry lunges out of the dark towards her and into her path.

Ava’s furry attacker

She raises a hand planting it on it’s chest and pushing it away, thinking it best not to harm the local denizens when not on her own territory. She flashes her fangs in it’s direction and continues on into the graveyard.

Ava is well aware that she is in fact the deadliest thing on the prowl tonight.

Entering the crypt in the graveyard she finds herself in a maze of tunnels,seeing again the green light Ava follows it to a room full of hanging cages.

Hanging cages surround Ava

Here the tunnels divide and she must explore them all to fin the way out, where she comes across several specters haunting the tunnels.

She also encounters one very large living inhabitant of the cave, a large spider

large spider
The only apparent living inhabitant of the tunnels

Ava retraces her steps and in the process finds what must have evidently  been the former residence of the spider, clearly some had tried to keep it locked up.

room of spider webs
Had someone tried to keep the spider in here?

Having found nothing but dead ends, Ava surmises that perhaps the spider is hiding or guarding something, which may include a way out. She returns to it’s cavern looking for a way past it and finds one, passing through a a very gory room, but the lack of cobwebs makes her think it’s not the spiders work.

She proceeds though to the next chamber finding a  ritual space with a glowing pentagram on the floor

Beyond it she notices another phenomenon, presumably what the spell was used to create, a glowing portal.

Since she has run out of options for where else to go, she takes a breath and steps in.

After what feels like an eternity of falling, Ava lands in the middle of a cornfield, an unexpected place for such a means of transport would deliver someone,but at least she was out of the tunnels.

She wanders the different paths, finding various sights on the way

Finally one of the paths does not end with a confrontation with something un-dead or un-human and she finds a familiar face and a way out. (I’m not going to spoil it all!)

For more information about the Haunted Motel, read the blog by my dear friend Sheree Honeyflower HERE.

Wardrobe Credits:
Hair: A&A Guilia Reds (Alli&Ali)
Body: Maitreya Lara 4.1
Skin: -{The Attic}- Anjelica – Natural (Alabaster)
Shape: Zyra Anna (modified)
Outfit: {Le’La} Rory Outfit

 

Waterfalls and Dreams

I saw this place on a destinations guide and thought “oh that’s pretty” and thought I’d go have a look. However when it’s come to writing something about the place, I got a little stuck. It does look lovely, it’s well built and laid out and the music stream is appropriately relaxed. However it just feels like just another high fantasy beauty spot from the many linked off the same guide.

So I asked a fellow visitor for their opinion and their response was:

“ohh it is very magic and peaceful here” and that it was “like a few, but not Lots.”(of other places)

So maybe I was being overly harsh. Stop by and have a look, maybe leave a comment if you think I’m right or wrong. Seeing it for yourself will no doubt be much better than my humble snapshots.

Location: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Husky%20Tails/40/90/24

Goatswood

So there’s this place that once existed, by the name of Goatswood. It was formerly a roleplay sim created in 2013. Recently it has been revived by the original creators on a homestead region. So I went and had a wander.

It’s a lovely sim and I wish I could have seen the original, although the owner claims they prefer this newer version. I love to roleplay and this looks like the kind of place I’d like to. According to the welcome notecard there is a detailed backstory, but how much you choose to involve yourself is up to you. It explains the setting and scenario and there are story notecards you can collect if you choose to follow it.

Go check it out: https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Ravine/196/183/29