CARNIVAL OF DOOM.. The Movie

Came across this video while reading Rezzable. Some time ago I had blogged about the Carnival Of Doom and you may remember that I was very impressed. Well recently I came across this little video and thought I'd share it with you. It captures the essence of the place way better than words ever could, although nothing as dramatic happened to ME there, dammit.
Maybe it's time to go back?!

Rezzable Check out the Molotov videos while your there!

Carnival Of Doom!

Carnival Of Doom on Flickr

Trilled To Death...And Loving It!

Nestled in a quaint little valley, teetering on the edge of midnight, rests a very particular village.

In this village specters live and ghosts whisper stories in your ears by firelight. Search for a hidden heart that tells a tale of tragedy, and you will find it.

Wrap a shroud of fog around your shoulders to comfort yourself after bathing in a river wide of flowing green. For you have arrived at a dimension in between, a world of chilling fun, and accidental, virtual unease!

"....looking up at the Poe Manse you wonder..what could be so bad?..It seems perfectly normal.."

And it is normal of course, until you step inside..., and thus begins every classic horror story, every tale of infamous misfortune. Innocent enough, even charming on the surface, until you discover the unnervingly mysterious secret that lies just beneath The Village Of The Nyght.

Sentimentally familiar old time radio show horror stories play out in your ears as you begin your exploration. Exceptional scripts, eerie music and spectacular voice acting build the mood and heighten the tension you feel before you fall into each trap. And you will fall. You maybe able to imagine part of what is in store for you, but the twists, those you won't see coming, and yes, they are that good. Stumble into a grave and you get cursed, fall through a hole in the forest and be forced to touch a ghost to win your way out. Tangle with a very dead pirate, and lose your arms. Be attacked by poltergeists who though unseen, whirl shelves of books around your body in impassioned rage. Wandering around or touching just about anything will create a startling response and just in case you happen to miss a "misadventure" as you wander from place to place in this shadowy hamlet, strange ideas will suddenly pop into your head, ideas that are sure to make sure you find trouble...,

"Your inner voice whispers: ...so many ghosts...they seem to be rising from beneath..what could be there?"

What indeed? But as you will find out, there is always something there, underneath floors, behind secret doors, under the water, inside treasure chests, graves, rooms, caves, buildings, the forest, and all of these somethings are surprising clever, nothing you will ever suspect, all designed to trill you to death with delight.

If you are searching for a enchantingly frightening place in Second Life to have some fun, well take my advice, make your first and only stop for the night be The Village Of The Nyght. You and your friends will have "lmao" moments just reacting to each others predicaments. Be prepared to be a bit intimidated and add this LM to your favorites. This is one of the best dark places I've ever had the pleasure to visit in SL and it gets a 5 skeleton grins up! Rated PC for Perpetually Creepy!

Village Of The Nyght

Flickr Photos

My machine's in the shop, couldn't edit these photos the way I usually do, still you get the idea..., just go!

Pushing Daisies Was Never Easier!

If you find it hard to get your mind around an afterlife, after real life, now you'll have to try to comprehend a Second Life-After virtual life! Yes, Second life is home to many strange and wondrous places and ideas, and Second Afterlife Cemetery qualifies as both, melding the real with the surreal, and the reality of death, loss and heartbreak occurring in two separate realities, into one solemn experience.
Created in March of 2008 the idea born of Lena Anthony and Rocket Flasheart the purpose of the Second Afterlife Cemetery is to "provide a place for people to officially reach a conclusion to their Second Life and/or the place to honor the memory of an avatars Second Life friends". What they didn't expect was that it would eventually became a place to memorialize real life friends and family as well. Both types of memorials reside here and taking a walk through this virtual cemetery invokes a deep sense of profound loss made poignant by the fact that you are honoring the dead from both worlds, in a virtual one. As any resident can tell you, the loss of an avatar is sad and while strolling through the gracious grounds, you can easily tell the Second Life departed. Their stones carry recent dates; Jan 2008 - March 2009, identify them as avatars and yes, even avatars once lost, what made them unique, just as in real life, cannot be recreated. This is sorrowful enough, but when you come across a tomb dated; 1989 to 2009, you come to the sudden realization that you've crossed into a double story, tragic and stunningly real, in both places, at the same time.

Gone are the days we can touch you
We feel you forever in our hearts
Gone are the days we can see you
We have you in our memories

The Cemetery offers memorial and funeral services. You can purchase a variety of grave/tombstones for the deceased and they encourage you to add the deceased's photos and memories. The grounds are spacious, soothing and tidy, offering a refuge for deep introspection, a place to remember friends and/or family.
In Conclusion, Second Afterlife Cemetery teeters continuously on the edge of the serious, and the preposterous, yet some things that seem trivial today, often turn out to have great meaning tomorrow. Pay a visit to Second life Afterlife Cemetery, and share a vision of the future.

Second Afterlife Cemetery

Second Afterlife Website

Unholy Needs

Sometimes you just have that need to get down on your knees, put your hands together and worship at the alter of the darklord, but if your alter is that tacky one prim wonder you've got stashed in your bedroom, and your followers are snickering at that childlike chalk pentagram you drew on the ground in your backyard, it maybe time to consider a more legitimate venue. 

(You) Legitimate venue Nima? What venue? (Me)How about a church? (You)Sure but which profane church offers the best service with features right for me? (Me) Well listen up my zombie friend, have I got the place for you!

The church at Drykeland castle promises to accommodate all of your unholy needs. Majestic and reverential, the decor of the church is designed to inspire fear and awe. You'll be proud to grovel at the feet of your favorite deity on these ornate floors and there's plenty of room for all your unwholesome friends and relatives to grovel too. If you're the head of ceremonies for your undead group, your evil rituals will shine with the backdrop of cathedral ceilings, an abundance of candles, ancient spell books and a sound track of chanting monks to set the mood. 

Virgin sacrifice optional.

After your sinful solemn rites are complete, take a leisurely stroll through the rest of the castle grounds. Step inside one small building and you'll discover WMTs; weapons of mass torture. Inflict satisfying amounts of pain on yourself and your buddies, they'll appreciate the love. And again, if you are the cults head honcho, don't forget to force your disciples to walk across the grass, (where the signs say, "DON'T WALK ON GRASS!") the ground suddenly opens up, dumping your bedraggled crew into a pit and skewering them with man size deadly spikes embedded in the floor. Hint: Use this pit instead of koolaid for that upcoming cult suicide!

After everyone has recovered, stroll through the cemetery or wander the extensive underground catacombs. Tricky and emotionally damaging, Drykeland has perfected the art of creepy secret corridors and ominous hidden rooms. This impressive system is ginormous, and many unpleasant surprises await.

Oh and by the way.., there IS something down there with you....,

Time to relax! Take a break, grab your mug of witches brew and visit the gallery where you'll currently find an exhibition of exquisite HR Gigar paintings and works by other dark and sexy artists. 

What is murder and mayhem without a little shopping to top off the day?

4 floors of store feed the need with lots of the gadgets you just played with. Ghoulish avatars and other essential undead items will brighten up your appearance and SL home! Pick up souvenirs to remind you of the death and destruction you were a part of today. 

Ah yes, cherish those memories!

Extremely detailed, vivid and utterly romantic. Drykeland Castle is an elaborate and fascinating creation built with love. It's as serious about the dark as you are, yet dramatic and versatile enough for that Gothic wedding or any other dark gathering you have in mind. So what are you waiting for? Stumble and groan your way over there right now and pray to Satan in blissful luxury!

Can you say amen brother?

Dryke Castile And Cemetary

More photos on Flickr

19 Art For The Dark, Saint George Park

Second Life

I Told You I Was Sick...

I recently made a restless midnight run to The Mausoleum and right off the bat I could tell it was a "friendly" creepy kind of place. It had the feel of a haunted social area, a place to gather for lots of fun and good conversation.

I had the opportunity to speak briefly with Eanya Dalek the owner of The Mausoleum, and the leader of the Undertakers Union. I say briefly because approximately 30 seconds into the conversation, my driver crashed, grrrr. But Eanya was nice enough to send me a notecard with all the details of her build and info on the union as well. 

Turns out The Mausoleum should be on the historical SL treasure list, well,  if there were one! Built in 2004, the original Mausoleum had it's humble beginnings on a sim called Terminous where Eanya sold her creations in a store located in an underground crypt. (Pretty cool idea)

Her currant build originated after seeing the movie Lemony Snicket's "A Series Of Unfortunate Events" and is based on Aunt Josephine's house in the film. (Great flick,  rent it tonight, it's worth it!) Later Eanya relocated her establishment to Echo, a sim that happened to have a bluff that overlooked the ocean. Surrounded by protected Linden land all around, Eanya felt this would be the perfect place as The Mausoleum could hang precariously over the edge of the drop. She's been there ever since.

As for her group the Undertakers Union, (the name alone makes me want to join) they get together for dancing, events and host meetings in SL and RL! Eanya has entertained members over the years with games like Trivia, Greedy and once she and her pardner Eldraque staged an elaborate treasure hunt. Solving notes found along the way, participants had to pick up pieces of a costume one at a time. After finding the last piece, the crown, the contestant than had to battle a scripted monster to claim the prize! 

Eanya says things are quiet around SL these days. She and Eldraque, her pardner in both worlds, spend more time in RL working on their home, but try to get in SL as often as possible.

Still the couple's well constructed build functions well in their absence. Come enjoy the Gothic theme park, the dance floor with streamed in goth/synth/emo music, 2 dance balls, (one is for tinys) or a steampunk elevator that takes you to a small Gothic sky garden. If you'd like to just sit and chat with friends, there's fishing, and a fire pit to relax by, and of course there's the store inside the Mausoleum, in which you'll find Eanya's unusual avatars and other exciting items. 

If you're searching for lots of fascinating things to keep you and your crowd busy, this is the place! I found a couple of new favorites here. The first I'll let you find for yourself, it's such a delightful surprise that I don't want to spoil it ahead of time. (Hint: Go first, than look at the photos on Flickr) The second thing was an unpretentious grave with a single sentence written on it's headstone, that read; 

"I told you I was sick." 

Discovering that you can whine AFTER death.., priceless!

The Mausoleum

More Photos!

Second Life

Nevermore!

Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,

By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore,

`Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou,' I said, `art sure no craven.

Ghastly grim and ancient raven wandering from the nightly shore -

Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night's Plutonian shore!'

Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'

Welcome 2009 right?! And just like there is no 13th floor in a hotel, I think we'd all like to erase 2008 from our memories. But with the prospect of an exciting 2009 ahead, instead of a place, I'd like to tell you about a very cool avatar I found while trolling the many pages of XstreetSL.com

I stumbled on this sweet little guy, (sweet like "sweeeet") while searching for an avatar to be incognito in, well as incognito as you can be with your name plastered over your head! The photos of him on the website don't do him justice, but the delight happens instantly when you slip him on. Created by An Ballinger, this tiny bird is magnificent! he comes with 16 animations as An describes: 

When you push the "pagedown key" your tiny will look threatening.

When walking, foot prints will remain.

Running, sand cloud soars.

When falling down or jumping, feathers dance.

When you take off, you will make a flapping sound.

The eyes of your tiny, blink periodically.

When you go AFK, the eyes of your tiny will shut.

Animation protector (AP) can be used

MONO scripts are used.

Although he is described as a "Tiny" he appears more like a very large bird, not too serious but not "kitten cute".  An states he used the original Tiny Love AO hud, so you can be sure that your original shape will never "pop out" (hate that!) unexpectedly.  

All the animations and specialized movements make this raven incredibly realistic and extremely fascinating. He waddles when he walks and between the dancing feathers when you move, to the flapping wings, you're going to feel free as a bird; like you can soar! An added plus; he blends into just about any sim, especially horror or Gothic.  Sit loftily on any gravestone, and watch the world go by.

This one's a definite keeper. I was absolutely enchanted by this creature, I think you'll be ranting about this raven too!  (I know, I know)

So touch heaven, be a virtual god, and make some newbies day by screeching a mournful flyby,

"Nevermore, Nevermore!"

Edgar Allen Poe's The Raven

Tiny Avatar Raven XstreetSL Here

More Photos Here

Welcome!

Welcome to Dark Plots, the blog of everything dark in the virual world of Second Life! I decided to start this blog to share with you the dark places I visit in SL and through their links, I hope to show you new places to love, old places to revisit, and new mysterious adventures to enjoy!

My name is Nima, I am an artist and dark by nature, (if death and taxes are the ultimate truths, how do we get through all the living in between? How can one live, and not have a touch of darkness in their souls?) and naturally, the dark recesses of human creativity are the places I tend to seek.

Warning, things can change fast in SL, what is there today may not be tomorrow, see it while you can. If you have a favorite or run a dark place in SL and you think I should check it out, I'd love to hear from you. Please drop me a note, or leave me a message.

I hope you enjoy these posts and more than that, find them useful.

And without further ado, let's begin.......,