and I'm a world of emotion, for me, there's really just one thing to do

Started my morning off far earlier than I wished to, so I just wanted one good haunted house under my belt. That's not too much to ask, is it?



Apparently yes, yes it is. [[And note from the Editrix, I did not catch until today, the 31st, that the upload of this run of pics failed. They work now...obviously...]] Hello, Lisa. I have no patience today, so we're scratching the Port Adventure haunt off our list. Starting off with game rips does NOT give me confidence.

How about the Aura Haunted Area? It's adult, but that's not necessary a bad thing...



BAD THING. VERY BAD THING.

All...right...how about...the...World of Dark Imagination?



Well, easy's about my speed today.



That's...odd. It's just...hanging in midair. Nothing else. Silent. Just...there.



Yeah, won't lie. That's kind of disturbing. It...wiggles, when it reaches out of the hedge.



And then, into the haunted house proper, and...what? Bright yellow light, earth floor, trees growing through stone walls...It was a house on the outside, though??



Oh hey. I could live here. Save for the two obvious game rips, both from the haunted-house simulator game for the Nintendo Wii, The Grudge.



Okay, we get it, Satanism is scary to you.

By and large, though--this is a very strange haunted house, and--that's not a bad thing. There's a room of eyes. There's a room of clowns. There's a room of spiders--and I didn't show that one, because there was literally no angle I could find to snap a picture that didn't have a spider in it, and not small ones, either. There's a fairly accurate, game ripped children notwithstanding, of Children of the Corn.

I think it's honestly worth a visit. I didn't even finish, I had to go meet with a client, but I'm still saying that, because what they're doing is pretty unique. So I think this is my first five out of five this year. Check it out.

I'm broken down, the world around us surrounds my suffering

Okay, then, somwewhere else. How about this one? Because I'm already miserable, so why not?



House looks okay...if I ignore the obvious game rips...



They have vendors across the street.



I like the chairs. They're from Never Totally Dead, home of many lovely haunted things.



And the orphan asylum kids from Alice. I'm out.

Some innovation here and there? So for the sake of charity, two skulls.

well, what the hell, it's just as well I'm here at home

I had completely forgotten I'd put the Creepy Doll out at Drear Fen after Fantasy Faire last year...



Silly me...Anyway...enough on my haunt, purplemoon opened a haunted forest!

(Those appear to be the same SLUrl, but I swear, I pulled one from the official landmark I have, and the other from standing at the port-in point...



This is a lovely little piece. Mesh Entity makes it; you can easily find it on the Marketplace for L$150.



The circus has definitely seen better days...



Poulet, you had me until the cabin, and the floating model from Silent Hill: Homecoming. Game rips everywhere, and nary a haunt to enjoy...

So look: if you don't care, this is lovely. She's put a lot of love and care into this, and I'm harsh on seeing game rips. Most people don't bother. if you're one of those, you may have fun roaming the parcel.

If you're like me, well...this is where I walk. Two out of five skulls for atmosphere alone.

Okay, how about the Spooky Season Pop-Up Event? Sounds inoffensive...



Seems to be largely a market for kid avatar costumes. But it's okay, I can work with this.



At least they have decent...uh...punch, yes, that's it, punch...to drink...

So let's talk the "Baphomet" Lapel Chain and Signet Ring from /Vae Victis\. Welcome to the first accessory that was actually something of a pain to adjust, and while I know why--I am, err, rather bustier than Grim or Mesmer Macabre--I was still gritting my teeth a little. This, like the fabulous shoulder pauldron set, is on the finicky side to get exactly right, and for me, breast physics mean I don't just move slightly forward and slightly back, breathing, but I also...well. Jiggle, a bit?



So this is going to be a still photograph piece.



Still, it's a lovely set. It even has a blood-spattered version, and maybe it's just me, but in the sunset light on this sim, it looks like there's a teensy skull swimming in red liquid in the gem of the ring...

The expected detailed HUD finishes this off; one section for metal, one for the head, one for the gem the head holds, and one section for the wee little diamante stones set around the band. Very elegant.

But I'm a bit confused--I thought it was at the LEVEL event from October 1st on--did it close already? As far as I can tell on the other side of the barrier walls, the merchandise still seems to be live. From where I'm standing, /Vae Victis is the fourth booth in on the left. and this set retails for L$425. Get it if you can?

maybe tomorrow I'll wake to find myself sleeping on the floor

It occurs to me that we're four days into October, and nary a haunt has been seen on the blog. This is very nearly criminal. So we're redressing that today by visiting the Haunted Reef in Kon Tiki North.



Entrance is suitably atmospheric.



There are rules. And yes, it is a dark ride.



The ride talks to you as you go:

[12:43] SUB 2022: Welcome to The Haunted Reef ride!
[12:43] SUB 2022: Along the way you will see strange, interesting, and amazing things!
[12:43] SUB 2022: We hope you enjoy the ride (and hope you survive:P)
[12:43] SUB 2022: Monsters lurk down here. Be still and they may not harm you.

Which is kind of neat.

Also, it's just a visual conceit, but I liked the illusion of a dome over the boat, so the riders have air. It's the little things.



A few rooms of coral and reef fish led me to this, an impressive display of very long electric eels.



Some parts of the ride led you through cave tunnels, or old ruins, like this one, and others were through open ocean.



And this is where your Editrix got very disappointed. Note the figures in the two circles. The closer is Lisa, from P.T., the one farther back is the Broken Neck Woman (called Kubi ga Oreta Onna no Rei in the original Japanese transliteration, or the Woman Who Jumps) from the first Fatal Frame game. They're both game rips. It's so sad to see.

I get that game rips are cheap. I get that they're everywhere. I get that some of them really work for zombies, or sim decor (the Fountain of Tears from American McGee's Alice: Madness Returns game is also everywhere). But they're still a violation of copyright.



And near the end? Laser sharks.

All in all, I found this a marvelously calming haunt, perfect for when you have the time to just sit and watch the sealife go by...but while I was expecting to give four, maybe even five skulls out of five for it--that room with the game rips drops them down to three. It's just so unnecessary, when the rest of the haunt is so inventive.

the spell has been broken, I loved you so

So, this was an interesting thing to find in email:

Hello,

Hi!

This is a message from Kickstarter’s Trust and Safety team. We're writing to inform you that a project you backed, 1UP Dice, is the subject of an intellectual property dispute.

So far, everything we've backed from Infinite Black has been Lovecraft-based. They garnered our attention a couple years back with their Elder Dice, lush, unearthly shades of gaming dice and accessories. Recently, though, they launched a new Kickstarter for 1Up Dice:



These are fun, brightly colored retro gaming dice. I think they're wonderful. Apparently someone else (our bet's on Nintendo) doesn't...

The project has been removed from public view until the dispute is resolved, which can take up to 30 days. The project’s funding and the countdown to its deadline have been stopped. If the project becomes available again, the countdown will continue and the new deadline will extend past the original deadline for as much time as the project was unavailable. You can find out more by reading our Copyright Policy and our Trademark Policy.

So...annoyance that the project's going to be delayed, a bit of worry on the project getting entirely axed, which would be said, but...bright spot that this Kickstarter may be delayed into January? So funds may not be coming out in December?

Original deadline
Thu, Dec 9 2021 6:30 pm PST

Time remaining if project becomes available
17 days

So the longer this takes to decide, the closer we get to January and not December, but still...that is a very, very thin silver lining.

Your pledge is currently still active. If you’d like to manage your pledge or reach out to the creator directly, you can still do so through the project page.

Which, by the way, is the only page that remains visible when this happens. Because pledgers need to be able to reach out and message the creators, change their pledge, or cancel entirely.

Still strange, though. And we had just found out about this:



Which I was really looking forward to having in my acquisitive little hands.

So we'll have to see how it goes. I hope for good things, but...depends entirely on who's sending them the copyright notice, and how much they want to drag this out.

I want you to be unused, I want you to remember

The blurb said

"Haunted house on route 8! Come explore or start the hunt for a prize at the end. October, Halloween, haunting, ghost, hunt, prize"

So off to Morbid Manor we go!



More drunken skeletons. They are fun to watch.



Well, that's not creepy at all. The creepiest thing? This wasn't even part of the haunt, these were someone's breedables on the next parcel over!



To stand at the window, alone, in a dilapidated house...while spirits degraded to floating lights flow past...That's also creepy.



And this is a very dilapidated house.



And the game rips start. This place was doing so well...evocative mood, fun little effects, definitely had the creep factor going...and now the game rips. This one they didn't even bother to hide--she's actually named 'Samara'.



And two more. Well, I guess I'm done here, then.

Overall, I really liked this one until the game rips. It really does present with lovely little mood pieces. For that alone, I'll give it four out of five skulls, but...really. Next year, do the same thing without copyright infringement? And it will be stellar.

you don't even wanna be here do you?

I cannot BELIEVE the gall of this idiot...It's been proven, MULTIPLE times, that he is clearly in the wrong, clearly engaged in copyright infringement, AND moreover, the Lindens have ALL relevant documents, and made the right choice to ban his account. It's over, you idiot. LET IT GO.

Have I mentioned Choly Knight, ever? She used to be primarily a maker of very cute clothing items on Etsy, and has since moved into primarily making plushie toys and patterns for same. But she apparently still remembers her roots, because this week's Free Pattern Friday is for a Pikachu hoodie hack! (And linked from there, an Eevee Evolution shrug, a more general dragon/unicorn hooded cowl, and a ninja-style scoodie. And yes, all of these patterns she's offering free to the public!

In other news...

[12:04] Qxxx Rxxxxxxx: !halloween
[12:05] Sxx Wxxxxxxxx: BRING IT! :D my body and soul are ready
[12:06] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Oh, yeah, Halloween during a pandemic is going to be EXTRA special :p
[12:06] Sxx Wxxxxxxxx: everyone dress up as a plague doctor, it'll be fine
[12:06] Dxxxxxxxxxxxxx Exxxx: sigh
[12:06] Conner Adam Cashe (conneradam): I don't think it will everyone should be in masks anyway
[12:06] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr) laughs

To be fair. But isn't that just another reason to track down really nifty masks?

Like, for instance...this Viking one, or this tentacled one, or how about this Hex the Patriarchy mask, or the Tech Witch one, or how about advising the world to KEEP YOUR HEARTS DARK AND TRUE AND YOUR TEETH SHARP AND MANY? Or the classic No touchies? Or my personal favorite (I own this one, actually), ADAPT OR DIE.

There's so many good ones, seriously.

Why not go traditonal with a pumpkin smile? Or a Baby Yoda mask? Or go the other way with a Darth Vader mask? Or Jason? Or a blinged-out skull? Or go VERY subtle with your horror movie love, with the repeat carpet design from The Shining?

I could go on, there's that many, but hey. Wide world. Mask up. Be safe.

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

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!

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

(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.)

inside my mind, shades of visions, fading photographs of you, of me

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.