Whitechapel 1888

Since we have been highlighting sims for the Halloween season, one that will certainly put you in the holiday mood is Whitechapel 1888. This sim, created and owned by Spooks Blackburn, brings the Whitechapel of Jack the Ripper back to life.
Jack the Ripper is probably the first serial killer to have attained celebrity status through the media. The nineteenth century, similar to our own, was a period of great societal change brought about through technological advances of the time. Cities grew at an enormous rate, because of immigration and a population shift from the country side to the city. Communications also improved, so that news spread quickly. Whitechapel was a poor, overcrowded area and into this mix Jack the Ripper made his appearance in 1888. To this day we are still fascinated by the murders of the five unfortunate women who were his victims.

Whitechapel 1888 tells the story of Jack the Ripper’s victims. Their bodies are found scattered around the sim, which is maze like, somewhat grimy and rat infested. But it is not sensationalistic. Next to the bodies is information describing the lives of the women and the struggles they endured before reaching their sad end. A church acts as a memorial, in its own way providing a place of commemoration which some, at least, never had.

However, Whitechapel 1888 is more than Jack the Ripper. There is plenty of information available on the way of life of the residents of East End London during the Victorian period. For instance, did you know the Liberty Bell and Big Ben were both cast in what is now known as the Whitechapel Bell Foundry? What a rag and bone man is? You can visit a market, learn about the early days of medical care,

enter a police station, step up on a soap box, and my favourite, have a meal in the Eel and Pie Shop.
In addition, some supernatural beings have decided to invade the sim for Halloween. (The owner’s name isn’t Spooks for nothing). While I was wandering around I was startled by two floating skeletons who seemed to have designs on me! I dashed inside the church but walls mean nothing to these creatures, they followed me inside. Being a little too close for comfort to the undertakers I decided that it was time for me to go, so I tp’d out unharmed.

If you like ghosts, crime stories or want to experience a bit of the life of the working classes in Victorian England, Whitechapel 1888 is the destination for you.

Hibiscus Hastings

Jeepers Creepers For Horror Fun!

There are some brilliant Halloween sims in SL and one of the best thought out and detailed locations I have found is Jeepers Creepers at Calas Galadhon. Even the pumpkins heads have an extra streak of evil as you pass them by; they turn to glare menacingly at you as if they have a life of their own!

I went to explore Jeepers Creepers with friend Drax Ember and we set out through the cemetery with its ancient looking tombs. We didn’t get far before we were confronted by ghosts and ghouls appearing out of the mist. Zombies too joined in the chase as we tried to avoid their rotting hands reaching out for us! There is a creepy haunted house as you wander further up the hill and you have to be careful what you touch in there, as Drax found out! he ended up laying prone on the floor with a heavy chair smashed over his head! Be warned don’t look at the baby in the pram in the living room, it’s not a pretty sight! Worst of all for me were the giant spiders scuttling all over the floor! Back in the grounds again, we came a cropper with a bunch of vultures waiting to eat the flesh off of our bones!

There is much more to Jeepers Creepers than you first suspect, there are the caverns below the surface of the sim, which are full of hidden horrors! I thought I had seen giant spiders in the haunted house, but those were nothing compared to the ones waiting for me underground! eeek!! Drax even got caught in a web and struggled for ages trying to get free! I think the whole thing has had a devastating affect on him though, giving him a taste for human remains! As you can see by the main picture, he happily sat down to a banquet of brains and other nasty bits! Not me, I’m a vegetarian, I legged it out of there!

Janey Bracken

Happy Rez Day to Aisling

Our Virtual Trilogy would like to wish Aisling Sinclair a very happy 4th Rez Day! She had a wonderful party with a Merpeople theme! Aisling is a very busy lady, she is Manager for Elements in Design, Advertising & Client Relations Manager for Prim Perfect Magazine and the Designing Worlds TV Show, as well as being a cast member on the Primgraph Magazine's web comic 'Quest for the Golden Prim'. Aisling celebrated with all her friends, Happy Rez Day Aisling and may you have many more!

.
'
Janey Bracken

Celebrate Halloween at Art Box

Halloween will soon be upon us. Frankie Rockett and Violet Sweetwater of Art Box are celebrating the holiday by creating spooky sets where we can really get into the spirit. So far they have made two very different scenes.
The first set is inspired by the work of Russian artist Nikolai Fomin. He has produced artworks related to Russian folklore, including one called “Raven Wing Colour of Hair”. In this scene a young woman is seated in a nest; one raven feeds her and one pulls on her hair.
And what could possibly conjure up terror more effectively than the shower scene from “Psycho”? If you have ever wanted to be a star now is your chance to appear in one of the most iconic movie scenes of all time.

Hibiscus Hastings

The Beautiful Chamber of Many Colours!

There is an amazing art exhibition at the UWA Winthrop sim. Friend Drax Ember had gone to visit it the other night and invited me over to show me one particular exhibit that he had liked. It’s by artist Gingered Alsop and its called The Chamber. I followed Drax inside and we were in a pitch black area with shafts of light beginning to form around us, then the fireworks began! Every three minutes the dazzling light show changes to a new theme and you are bathed in different colours and shapes as the particles dance around the chamber. The colours are so vibrant and the patterns so well thought out that you are stunned at each effect. Later on I asked fellow writer Hibiscus Hastings to come and look and she loved it too. For anyone with a little bit of time, and if they are keen photographers, this is the place to get some unusual shots. Gingered explains on a poster outside that she was inspired by the Particle Laboratory on the Teal sim so she created The Chamber. She says that viewers should look at the display from different areas in the chamber to get the full effects, i.e. from above and below. Gingered has certainly used her skill and imagination to put this wonderful exhibit together. The whole exhibition, which is on 4 floors has some fantastic artworks. I will make sure I go back to look at the other exhibits as they look awesome too!

Janey Bracken