Thursday, October 31, 2013

Veil of Darkness


I love Halloween in Second Life.  There are so many attractions and activities. We wear the most fabulous costumes, attend Halloween parties and dances, and massacre zombies by the score at one of the Zombie Apocalypses that pop up during this fall holiday. But, Second Life's best Halloween tradition is exploring the delightful special Halloween attractions with their creepy mansions, haunted castles, ghostly graveyards, asylums for the homicidal insane, and amusement parks from hell and finding those that chill our bones and curdle our blood. My pick for this year's most bone chilling and blood curdling Halloween attraction is Veil of Darkness, build for our macabre enjoyment by Tuck Meredith and Tymus Tenk, owners of the wonderful  Calas Galahon Park

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Veil of Darkness covers an entire sim. So, there's much to explore and much to terrify us. Oh, that baby boomer sneaking up behind me at Veil of Darkness is my dear friend Syd. You might remember Syd from my post Shall We Dance. There are Halloween adventures to be had here. A marvelous adventure is the Swamp Raft Tour, a tour of the waterways and swamps of the Veil of Darkness. I made this raft trip with Jaysun.


We begin our adventure. Jaysun is piloting the raft, and I'm the lookout at the bow.
 

There are charming views along the river.


At first, it seems so lovely and tranquil.


But there are horrors lurking in the shallows.


And dangers along the shoreline.


The swamp is primordial and full of alligators and creatures out of time and myth.

 
And around the bend ... high adventure.
 


Later, I went exploring with Stevie and Chisaki, my two amigos in adventure, and we followed the mountainous path to the castle.
 
 
 
We found Syd was lurking in a shallow cave along the path. But, he's harmless. Nevertheless, we were lucky to make it to the castle alive. Many travelers before us weren't so lucky.
 


There were a lot of fat guys running around the castle with meat cleavers.
 
 
And they made quite a mess.
 
 
The castle is a maze of dead ends and hidden rooms. There were dangers and horrors everywhere. But, we kept our cool and our wits about us and slowly worked our way up the maze.

 
And at the top of the castle, we found an wonderful attic where we could relax among odds and ends from Alice's Wonderland. And memories of the horrors we experienced melted away.


Happy Halloween.
 


Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Mariko Magic: Bewitching ALB Pumpkin Witch


I was shopping for a witch's outfit for Halloween. I didn't want to be your typical black clad wicked witch. Too many of them around running around this time of year cackling and shrieking. I wanted something visually exciting. I knew that I would find it at ALB Dream Fashion. ALB's Analee Balut is one of the most original and exciting fashion designers in Second Life.  

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And I found it. It's called Pumpkin Witch, and it's a enchanted celebration of autumn's most dominant colors. Now, if you're going to be a witch, you might as well look fabulous as one. And Analee certainly cast some wondrous magic in creating this witch. I'm wearing the feather plumed conical hat, the figure flattering corset, and a colorful cloak, very mystical and seemingly oriental with a spider motif, very appropriate for Halloween.  And I love the orange toned silks and black lace of the witch's skirt. ALB Pumpkin Witch also comes with  comes with 3 skins, a lace cat suit,  jewelry, lace gloves,  jeweled gloves, and more. It sells for L$777



For a wicked witch look, the outfit  also comes with a simple conical hat, a bright pumpkin orange cape, and a witch's broom. Of course, I won't be cackling and shrieking and boiling toads and eye of newt. That's not my style. Perhaps, you'll find me bathed in moonlight and humming a bewitching tune, casting a spell, much like Kim Novak in Bell, Book, and Candle. My familiar isn't a cat named Pyewacket. It's a little pug dog named Miyamoto Musashi. ... So, on whom shall I cast my spell this Halloween in Second Life?



My hair is a pageboy cut from Kik called Shinobu. It comes in a five color set for L$200. The colors are black, blonde, brown, coffee, and honey. Shinobu is also available with a texture changing headband and hat. All three sets can be purchased for L$450.

 

These pictures were taken in the Veil of Darkness located in Calas Galadhon. Veil of Darkness is the creepiest and scariest Halloween adventure in Second Life this season. Don't miss it. And, if you should suddenly come upon a witch bathed in moonlight with a little dog in her arms, and she begins humming a bewitching tune ... RUN!




ALB Dream Fashion
http://slurl.com/secondlife/LAMU%20ISLAND/183/74/40

Kik
http://slurl.com/secondlife/SLOW/146/191/21

Veil of Darkness in Calas Galadhon
http://slurl.com/secondlife/SilverMyst/223/38/22

Related Posts
http://mariko-nightfire.blogspot.com/2010/11/mariko-magic-pretty-lilly.html

http://mariko-nightfire.blogspot.com/2009/03/mariko-magic-enlightening-exhilarating.html

 
Kim Novak and James Stewart in Bell, Book, and Candle


Monday, October 14, 2013

Tadaima! I'm Back.

These cherry blossoms are so lovely and teasingly playful. Only in Second Life ...

Goodness, it's been such a long while since my last post. But, it's good to be back blogging. Although I've been absent here, I haven't left Second Life. However, my real life had become exponentially busier. I just completed one graduate degree and started on what should be the final one.

Click on the pictures to enlarge them for better viewing.

Oh my, there's a strong breeze coming in.

Although I'm spending less time in Second Life, I'm still hanging out and dancing at my favorite pubs and clubs and shopping in the stores of my favorite fashion designers. And, of course, it's really my friends that bring me back to Second Life. However,  I'm finding so much nostalgia now in my Friend List - so many names no longer in this virtual world - so many dearly missed - so many memories of good times. One's circle of friends will always ebb and flow. That's life.  But, it seems so much more conspicuous in Second Life. STOP! I'm sounding too much like a SL old timer. Halloween is fast approaching, after all, and it's one of the most fun times of year in SL. So, let me do some exploring and find some Halloween magic for my next blog post.  



I better leave before this wind carries all these cherry blossoms away.