Face your Fears

It was a ritual that repeated itself regularly. He locked it in a trunk, he tried to hide the key. But the whispering only got louder and louder. No matter how much he tried to ignore it, it would torment him until he finally relented and retrieved the mask. He could hear it laughing at him. The only way to make it stop was to wear it.

It is almost as if a switch as been flicked. He had been nervous, slightly awkward before - a trait that endeared him to his prey. With the mask on, he strode with confidence and purpose - like a predator. He unravelled a cloth roll on the table, showing off the glint of steel - his instruments of art - and chose a blade.

He walked towards the bludgeoned body at the foot of the bed. His prey. How her pretty eyes widened when decided to shut up her banal chattering with a hammer. Her breaths were shallow as the puddle of blood spread beneath her. No matter how beautiful they were, they all sounded the same in the end. Full of blood and gurgle and spit.

He knelt at her feet and whispered to her like a lover. "Be brave," he said. "Face your fears...." Then he grimaced as the laughing started anew. Only blood would placate the voices...

For a larger version of these photos please look at: Flickr
Thank you to the following creators who helped create this scene:

DRD Motel
- murdertools table
- deerhead
- mirror broken
- vid camera
- hanging decorlight
- body

{vespertine} spine bone candles
{vespertine}sacred heart
{vespertine}trinket box
{vespertine}empty beauty RARE
{vespertine}potions

Kalopsia - In Loving Memory - Onyx RARE

RO - Hotel Paranoia - Tone Death
RO - Hotel Paranoia - Bed of Roses
RO - Hotel Paranoia - Face Your Fears - MYSTERY RARE

[n.i] turn.and.cough.stool

[ContraptioN] Decor: Alto's Death Mask *DISPLAY*
[ContraptioN] Decor: Baritone's Mask *DISPLAY*
[ContraptioN] Decor: Tenor's Death Mask *DISPLAY*

All these items are available in TAG! Gacha - open now until October 31st.

Scene was photographed in Kalopsia - Old Wood House - available for the October round of Shiny Shabby. Opens 20th October 2015.

The Collector

The collector sits in his basement admiring his latest prize. The sprite had been elusive but greed had got the better of it. A simple tar trap with a slightly rotten banana in the middle had been its undoing.
No one understood his work. He had been accused of gluing butterfly wings to lizard bodies before.
He muttered, "They have eyes but they do not see..." as he plunged a fine pin through the dorsum of the creature's left foot.

A shrill squeak emanated from the stricken creature. It wasn't dead. The collector looked upon it dispassionately and reached for the syringe. The most effective way he found to embalm these things was to inject the chemicals while the heart was still beating. "Now this won't hurt a bit..." he said, and slid the needle under the skin.

Many thanks to the following creators who made this scene possible:

{NANTRA} Sorcerer's Apprentice 1 ((pose rotated 90 degrees - but it worked!)
Sari-Sari - Abandoned Morgue - Old Table

*HEXtraordinary* Common House Gremlin Specimen - RARE
*HEXtraordinary* Common Green Pixie Specimen
*HEXtraordinary* Common Blue Garden Sprite Specimen
*HEXtraordinary* Common Violet Pixie Specimen
*HEXtraordinary* Common Purple Garden Sprite Specimen
*HEXtraordinary* Phooka Specimen - RARE
*HEXtraordinary* Winged Sluah Specimen - RARE

[Deadwool] 1. The Mother
[Deadwool] 5. Syringe-x
[Deadwool] 7. Corpse arm

[n.i] turn.and.cough.microscope
[n.i] turn.and.cough.syringe.tray
[n.i] turn.and.cough.goggles

[ContraptioN] Decor: Embalmer's Tools
[ContraptioN] Decor: Broken Sink

All items available soon at TAG! Gacha - The Haunted Mortuary. Opens 17th October 2015 at midnight. See you in Gachatopia!

Torment

Sometimes I have this recurring dream....

A life expires in my hands

I am paralysed to act

Demonic voices taunt my helplessness

I blind myself to the agony

Yet the death throes never stop

The whimpering does not end

Accusing eyes stare from without

Who... who... is to blame....

Thank you to the following creators for helping me create this disturbing scene:

Sari-Sari - Abandoned Morgue
 - Records & Bottles
 - Old Chair

22769 ~ [bauwerk] - The abandoned Asylum
22769 ~ [bauwerk] Drawercase
22769 ~ [bauwerk] Asylum Bed
22769 ~ [bauwerk] Trolley
22769 ~ [bauwerk] Portable Oxygen Tank
22769 ~ [bauwerk] Fire Extinguisher
22769 ~ [bauwerk] Wheelchair
22769 ~ [bauwerk] Screen

Jian :: Cuddle Creepers
- White Bunny
- Radioactive Owl

CX Heretic
[CX] Unsighted Nails (Untainted)
[CX]Heretic Tattoo (Nailed Eyes)

lassitude & ennui
- lassitude & ennui Whispering imp pet dark
- lassitude & ennui Sitting imp pet light

Speakeasy
{ Speakeasy } Druid tattoo RARE

*Shai* Dining with Death
- Skelly Dinner Guest - On Ground

[ keke ] crown papers

[ zerkalo ] Apothecary Halloween Set
- Tray
- Spider Hair
- Crow Beak
 - Mosquito Sting Powder
- Octopus Ink


Get it all at TAG! Gacha - The Haunted Mortuary. Starting October 17th at 12:00 a.m at
Gachatopia!

((Photographed in Apple Fall Hardwick Manor))

Gravedigger

Halloween has always felt a bit like the new year to me. Time to reset, settle some debts, unmask, get real and bury some bodies. This round of TAG is all about death. Not the bloody gore of a thriller but more the somber passing all things come to face. The setting is very real, it is not peppered with ghosts or things getting stabbed. You will find no blood pools or messages scrawled on the walls. All that is over. The clean up crew has been through, the loved ones notified and now we see how things are put to rest. Oh, and there will be kick ass gacha to play made by the usual suspects. 

Participating creators will be announced soon! www.taggacha.com

Picture taken at the TAG Gacha Cemetery

All wearables are from this round of Collabor88

After the Show

We had a Gacha Show today with guest Apple Fall. While the sims filled up I snuck away and snapped a few pictures for a long overdue blog post. I had been collecting a bunch of favorite items inside the Apple Fall Mystery Rare studio from TAG! Gacha. In my mind I see myself one day living the simple life here in Second Life, holed up in that perfect sized studio on a tiny parcel somewhere. Listed below are some of the things I packed into one side for now.

Wearing

Hat - Remarkable Oblivion - Bounty Hunter Hat - Purple - The Dark Style Fair

Jeans - Legal Insanity - gangsta blue jeans - The Gangsta Fair

Shoes - Remarkable Oblivion -  Compensator Heel Purple - Kustom9

Rezzed

Cello - Nomad - Industrial High Culture Gacha - 6 Republic

Bust - Nomad - Industrial High Culture Gacha - 6 Republic

Table and Skull with Books - Banana - Gothic Gacha - Fantasy Gacha Carnival

These TAG! Gacha collections can now be found at the creators mainstores unless its a Mystery RARE. Those are now retired and can be found through trade or resale at Gachatopia.

Chair - MudHoney Victoria Chair - Spots RARE - Mainstore

Painting - Kalopsia - Astrology Painting - Mainstore

Case with Baby - [ContraptioN] The Gainsley's Morbid Collection: The Mind - Mainstore

White Cabinet - [Con.] Slice of Myth - Cabinet - RARE - Mainstore

Poison Case - {vespertine}-poison case - mystery prize RARE - Mainstore

Cabinet - Apple Fall Barber Supply Cabinet RARE - Mainstore

Lamb Jar - Apple Fall Comb Jar - Mainstore

Tarot - Bolson & [ kunst ] - Tarot cards pack 2 - Mainstore

Calm

The amount of planning that goes into TAG! Gacha is enough to make me wonder if I have some masochistic tendencies. The only way to survive it is to pace myself and make sure to take some time out. When an event opens, its an excuse to step away from the grind and do a little shopping. Getting in right away is still part of the fun for me. There is lots of great product coming out for April. Here is a look at some of the things I picked up along the way.

Hair - +Spellbound+ Kiki - In Store Release

Tattoo - antielle. Hyaku Monogatari - Xiasumi School Festival

Jumpsuit - *MUKA* Lazy Jumpsuit - The Seasons Story

Rug - +Half-Deer+ Messy Rug/Blanket - The Chapter Four

Chair - Apple Fall Dutch Parlour Chair - Fameshed

Roses - Apple Fall Roses Box (Champagne) - Fameshed

Chest - Apple Fall Plan Chest - Fameshed

Coffee - Apple Fall Coffee & Muffin - Fameshed

Map - Apple Fall Books & Map - Fameshed

Painting - Apple Fall Verdant Oil Painting - Fameshed

Oh so Scawy!

The kings and queens of cute got together for TAG! Gacha and produced some terrifyingly cute Gachas for halloween.
When meeting one of these in a dark alley you may be tempted to say Awww rather than Ahhh... but be warned... sharp fangs abound!

Be sure to join the Haunted Studio Tour at Gachatopia to pick up your Tour HUD and badge. Join our Gachatopia! chat group to get help for the tour or trade. Be sure to redeem your mystery coupons by the 31st of October. Once the event is over, those prizes will never be seen again!

Wearing

*MishMish* Scawy Monster - Avatar RARE

On Display

OMEN - Halloween Town (full set)

[geek.] Sheldon's Sugar-High  - Spooks Rare

[geek.] Sheldon's Sugar-High - Demon Rare

.:Standby Inc. - PVC Figures (Halloween) That Monster Guy

.:Standby Inc. - PVC Figures (Halloween) PebbleGoyle

.:Standby Inc. - PVC Figures (Halloween) FoulWitch

*MishMish* Scawy Monster - Frankie

*MishMish* Scawy Monster - Dracula

*MishMish* Scawy Monster - Diablo

*MishMish* Scawy Monster - Unicorn RARE

*MishMish* Scawy Monster - Freddy

<:*BoOgErS*:> Kitty w/ Balloon

<:*BoOgErS*:> Kitty play spider

.tsg. Persian Kitten - Pumpkat RARE

.tsg. Persian Kitten - Pinky Witch RARE

+Half-Deer+ Hearthugger Bat - Candy Pop RARE

+Half-Deer+ Hearthugger Bat - Pumpkin Spice RARE

+Half-Deer+ Hearthugger Bat - Cocoa

+Half-Deer+ Hearthugger Bat - Moon

+Half-Deer+ Hearthugger Bat - Little Devil

+Half-Deer+ Hearthugger Bat - Nebula

+Half-Deer+ Hearthugger Bat - Deery

The Darkness Within

I cannot believe it is already Day 5 of TAG! Gacha. We have been so busy with administration we have hardly had time to sit down and play with all the goodies we collected. The quality of items on offer is astounding from veteran creators and new creators alike.

No Halloween is complete without a creepy scene from a mouldy old 19th century house which may have a creepy doll staring at you from a shelf somewhere. To create this scene I used items from the following creators:

Murderer masks

Contraption

Walton Wainwright could be considered the master of all things weird and whimsical. His style reminds me of victorian steampunk and freaky carnivals with a hint of anime. We watched with anticipation as he released his WIP of his Murderer masks and true to form he didn't disappoint with the finished product.




Second Spaces
The Monster's study set is full of wit and fun. My favourite pieces include the family cameos, the potion ingredients and the barred door. It is a set guaranteed to make you smile.

Nylon Outfitters
I've been a fan of NO since the early days of my SL. Even more so when she produced her Doll Head Vase gacha in 2012. Her machine of Spooks with Pets for TAG! Gacha features original artwork that can be hung on a wall or worn. It is a signature piece that will be cherished for a long time.

ARRRGH its a redback spider mate!

Noctis
Sweet Noctis.... I furnished full RP spaces with her furniture during my life as a vampire. Yelly has full attention to detail, reproducing still life vanitas displays in full 3D splendour. It brings a macabre yet elegant touch to your decor. Definitely not a machine to be missed.



DRD
I would like to nominate Jaimy Hancroft as Gachatopia's resident scream queen. Her ultimate nightmare machine is deliciously gory and is perfectly complimented by her Gorefest machine. Go collect the whole set of her TAG! machines then go play her old gachas in her store for a terrifyingly memorable Halloween costume. (Lucius Templar is not responsible for any adverse outcomes or bans you might generate with the outfit you put together)

Be sure to join the Haunted Studio Tour at Gachatopia to pick up your Tour HUD and badge. Join our Gachatopia! chat group to get help for the tour or trade. Be sure to redeem your mystery coupons by the 31st of October. Once the event is over, those prizes will never be seen again!

Wearing

DRD - Ultimate nightmares - biter mask boody @ TAG! Gacha
DRD- Ultimate nightmares - nightmare gloves @ TAG! Gacha

DRD- Gorefest - bloodfest @ TAG! Gacha

DRD- Gorefest- death by housewife @ TAG! Gacha

RO - Zombie Axe -  Freegift from Remarkable Oblivion's mainstore

On display

[noctis] vanitas Still life table redroses @ TAG! Gacha

[noctis] Vanitas posing couch/daybed w paint RARE @ TAG! Gacha

[noctis] vanitas Still life table flute @ TAG! Gacha

DRD carriage @ TAG! Gacha

Second Spaces - Monster's Study - family cameos @ TAG! Gacha

(NO) Lidiya Portrait - Wall Picture @ TAG! Gacha

(NO) Rachel Portrait - Wall Picture @ TAG! Gacha

[ContraptioN] Props: Wrapped Corpses - Free gift from Contraption's  Mainstore

[ContraptioN] Masks: Vaim *crimson* @ TAG! Gacha

[ContraptioN] Masks: Mister Canis *default*  @ TAG! Gacha

[ContraptioN] Masks: Tragedia *wood*  @ TAG! Gacha

There is a mystery rare in the picture somewhere... can you spot it?

TAG! You're it!

After many months of keeping this project a big secret, it was a big relief to be able to reveal TAG! Gacha to everyone at the start of this month. And before we knew it - the event is nearly upon us and the Gacha Keys are coming in at a steady rate.

Click on the poster to visit www.taggacha.com

Gachatopians spoke... and we listened. All our beloved events had a major flaw in common - and that was having a server capacity that was way below the demand of the consumers. (i.e: the dreaded message: TP cannot be completed because region is full) This is of course not the fault of the organisers but the limitation of the platform that is Second Life. In addition, lag for these crowded events was usually brutal. Again... related to the huge performance demands on a server that was heaving with avatars and lots of goodies to be bought.

For TAG! Gacha we tried to circumvent this problem by spreading the server load and what better way to do this than to bring customers back to the main stores of creators. From Booger's giant nose to Olive's giant um... Olive... From surreal landscapes to fantastical ones... From humble little rabbit holes to spectacular architectural achievements... when you are hopping from store to store and discovering new ones, you'll be wondering why you never visited earlier.

Halloween is our favourite time of year and from what we can see, TAG! Gacha creators seem to think so too! The quality of products on offer is simply outstanding. We have new up and coming brands amongst established and beloved names. 

Playing TAG! Gacha is easy. Visit HOW TO PLAY for more information.

Keep an eye on our TAG! Gacha Flickr feed where you can look at pictures specific to TAG! Gacha. If you have gacha photos to submit, please do so in our Gachatopia flickr group. 

TAG! Gacha tip: If the region you are trying to get into is full, you can skip it on the HUD and visit it again later.

We hope you will enjoy the event and good luck with the machines! Happy and safe trading everyone :)

Regards,

The Templars

The Junk Shop

The season is changing...FINALLY! But not before September squeezes out a few more events and ties up some of those that are already running, like the Arcade. Shopping the Arcade for me has always been a two or three part process. Yes the initial rush is fun, but head back now and experience the pleasure of shopping leisurely without the crowd. Take a closer look at all these machines have to offer. Seven Emporium is a great example. His machines are always eclectic, containing a variety different things that really transport you in some way. This latest machine has vintage flair with apocalyptic overtones. Speaking of apocalyptic Uber is having a great round of end of the world type stuff.You can also catch these mechanical birds at TLC. Half Deer offers them up with a Mad Scientist Birdcage for the events mad science theme. 

But what about October? The most celebrated month in Second Life is going to be off the charts this year. You will want to keep an eye on the TAG! Gacha website. This event offers something completely new for Second Life gacha. This HUD based event with an incredible line up of creators is bound to entertain you. Visit Gachatopia inworld to grab a group invite for early access.

Wearing

Hair - *Soonsiki! Kaleidoscope - The Mens Dept

Crown - .Enfant Terrible. Crown RARE - The Arcade

Earrings - (Yummy) Vice Hoop - Gold - Collabor88

Goggles - !Ohmai : Steampunk Squirrel Goggles

Shirt - *COCO*_MilitaryShirt RARE - The Chapter Four

Belt - DRD -zombie apoc - belt  the end - Gacha at Mainstore

Skirt - DRD - tutu - Mainstore

Kneepads - *COCO*_KneePads - Uber

Boots - *COCO*_Lace-UpBoots(Black)GreenSocks - Uber