SmallWorlds Blog
Are Vampires Roaming SmallWorlds?
March 11th, 2009 - SmallWorlds Chronicle
What looked like an innocent forum thread on vampires was raising uncomfortable questions. For the safety of all SmallWorlds players, we needed to uncover the truth about the vampire rumours. We sent our intrepid reporter, Kent Kronkite, to investigate. Over to you, Kent.
Armed with garlic and a wooden stake, and aware that at the end of this week lurks Friday the 13th (making the investigation that much more dangerous) it was on behalf of all SmallWorlds citizens that I, Kent Kronkite, bravely set out in search of vampires. Would I be attacked by one of these creatures of the night? Would I transform into Kent Kronbite? Keep reading and find out.
Shockingly high number of Vampire Lairs
A search for SmallWorlds rooms which included the word Vamp or Vampire revealed no less than 12 pages of rooms - that’s approximately 144 spaces! Ok, so some are unfinished. But for each room, there must be a vampire creating a lair… perhaps to lure an unsuspecting avatar in for the bite.
Disturbing Comments on forums
Next stop, the forums. There I unearthed some disturbing comments:
“I am the queen of the damned… ha ha I own Hell” - Karly Kryptonite
“Wish I was an immortal creature of the night” - Tessa Wilks
“I’m a big vamp lover.. I’m sorta vamp myself. heheheh” - Ezee Posse
“i am a vampire and i’ll will bite you yo now” - Rose Rhaw
and the most spine-chilling:
“blood is wat i want from avatars so don’t come my way“- Nikki Nitem
Although I am still trying to work out just how sucking pixellated blood works in practice, I don’t mind confessing that I felt a prickle on the back of my neck. And speaking of necks…
Vampires infiltrating SWHQ?
Programmers fear for their code
Some of the programmers here at SWHQ have been reporting strange goings-on in the code strings, leading to wonderings about what powers virtual-world-vampires actually have. In the absence of blood, what exactly is it that they crave? Some of the more worried members of staff have taken to rubbing garlic oil all over their keyboards (they tend to sit alone now due to the smell) and draping crucifixes over the screen, which as you might imagine has interfered with efficiency a little - but nevertheless seems a necessary measure.
Cold Skinned Night Walkers
That’s the motto of a new vampire club in SmallWorlds and its ranks are growing by the day. Club founder Discover Girl has created a Vamp space for meetups - the Blood Red Nightclub.
I visited during the day in safety, to take the above shot. It of course seemed perfectly innocent in daylight (apart from that photo in the middle) but I am not so sure I shall return after the sun goes down. I even managed to track down Discover Girl, owner of the club and founder of the Cold Skinned Night Walkers. Here’s what she had to say:
Kent: Tell me, Discover, what is it that draws you to the Vampire lifestyle?
Discover: I was born this way. Its not a curse nor a treat. I love the dark rooms and scenery, the art and the style itself. It gives you the feeling that you can be whatever you want to be. There are no limitations.
Kent: What do you hope your Vampire club will become for its members?
Discover: I created a Vampire club for people like me. People who enjoy the dark side of things, a world of imagination. I hope it draws those people out from hiding. I want it to be a place for people to meet and discuss their hobbies, likes, dislikes, lifestyle choices and anything they can think of. its a friendly world out there, we don’’t all bite. *laughs*
Kent: Should people feel scared of virtual vampires?
Discover: People shouldn’t be afraid of Virtual Vampires at all. We’re just like you in most ways. We live, laugh and love in all the same ways. Only difference is, we have a couple of centuries of wisdom and experience behind us.”
Kent: Is that a picture of you and Tathen Ektar (picture at top of report) and what were you speaking about?
Discover: I can’t reveal a thing! Maybe it was a plot on some Vampy Missions or tricks and treats! I’d like to invite people to stop by to check out the club and my Art Dungeon anytime! It’s open to the public.
Well, she doesn’t sound quite as scary in person as her club name, but I remained cautious. Thanks for your time, Discover.
“The room’s hidden and no one can find it”
I felt sure that the avatar in the top picture was in fact forum troll Tathen Ektar, and my suspicions about him were well and truly piqued. With a little clever detective work it did not take me long to find the evidence I needed. Tathen has indeed created his own hidden Vampire lair. “The room is hidden and no 1 can find it” says Tathen, after posting this disturbing image recently in the forums:
Volterracity - Vampire Slayer Mission
At this point, it was with some relief (it’s nothing personal, Discover) that I learned of the work of SmallWorlds citizen Jonas Kennes, who with his colleague Dr Marcus awaits new students at Volterracity, where a team of Vampire Slayers is being created. You begin by completing a Vampire Test (in English or Italian, no Romanian option however). Some of the garlic-oil drenched SWHQ programmers told me they are trying to do the Italian version just because they prefer the accent.
Take care out there, SmallWorlds citizens!
So it would seem that care needs to be taken out there in SmallWorlds, in ways that you may not yet have realized. I would urge you to take all necessary protective actions (although I did think that the creator of this 19th century vampire protection kit was perhaps a little over-careful), some of which may include befriending a vamp, to keep on his/her good side.
I trust that this special report for Friday 13th has been useful for you. To all SmallWorlds citizens, and to all the Vamps, Vampires, fans of Twilight and other creatures of the night, this is Kent Kronkite, signing off (slightly shaken and relieved to have made it to the end of this assignment - off now for a sit down and a nice cup of tea).
- This has been a Kent Kronkite special report for the SmallWorlds Chronicle
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Topic: 3/11/2009 Are Vampires Roaming SmallWorlds? (Read 4785 times)