MEET THE SCION EDITORIAL STAFF Editor in Chief/Creative Director ~ JacarandaTree Advertising & Sponsorships ~ TinkerBooo & xxSueBeexx Developer & Mesher Advice Columnists ~ Delure & TeenyWeenyNana IMVU Insider ~ Gaf210 Developer Interviews, Product Reviews, & Photoshoots ~ Brynn, CasandraVenom, SpacieStacy & MrsXiaSeven IMVU Music Scene Correspondents ~ DJTech1 & SsexySookie Graphic Arts Lead Designer ~ SpacieStacy Additional Graphic Artists ~ Brynn, CasandraVenom, Leilo, M0RBID0LL, MrsXiaSeven, QueenLalaDarkenMyst, TinkerBooo, Vixiella, xxFree2BMexx, & xxSueBeexx
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SCION Magazine™ is owned and published electronically by NotorieTree Inc. Copyright 2015 NotorieTree Inc. All rights reserved. ® “SCION Magazine and distinctive logo are trademarks owned by NotorieTree Inc. No part of this electronic magazine may be reproduced without the written consent of NotorieTree Inc. Requests for permission should be directed to: SCION Magazine: notorietree@outlook.com
CONTENTS Letter from the Editor
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Bonkolina & NotorieTree: The Scoop Behind the Partnership
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Halloween Rooms on IMVU
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Once Upon a Time Winning Model xxFree2BMexx
49
Halloween Music
56
Urban Legends
64
My Favorite Halloween Things
76
Halloween Skins
90
Sponsor Links
224
NotorieTree Events Calendar
227
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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Oh October, you are such an amazing month! So full of the longed for cooler weather, mysteries of old traditions we cling to still, and over sugared children ghoulishly moving through the night. You’re painted in the colors of the harvest: warm reds, golds, and oranges. Shops take on your mystery and become orange and black with tinges of purple. And you’re so very PINK. How do you pack all of that into a mere 31 days? Even as adults we have such vivid memories of Octobers from our childhoods. Those who are parents pass their love for the month on to their children. We finally get to play dress up to become, for one magical night, a character we’ve been haunted by for a year. October never fails to take us back to some memory locked so deep it will never leave us. It could be a moment of such joy we break out in laughter every time we recall it - sometimes causing us to look like a completely insane person who is laughing for no reason. The memory might be of one extra special Halloween we cling to with such fondness as we remember a Trick-or-Treat experience that defines Halloween for us; an experience that we hold as the pinnacle of how the Halloweens of our childhood are far far better than the ones of today. Or, because October, as the Celts tell us, is when the veil is thinest, it could be a memory that shattered our life that is recalled. A loss of some kind that, no matter how much time passes, rips us open every time a thought of it moves like a ghost across our memory. We could be doing something not at all related to that memory, and then BAM! A song lyric crosses our path and we’re right back in it. Swallowed by an overwhelming sadness. One very important part of October is just how pink it is. Everywhere we see it: little ribbons on everything from shopping bags to designer gear to NFL players uniforms. National Breast Cancer Awareness Month has it’s own brand of magic it seems. Even the burliest of men will break out the pink without a second thought. As we move through October, the ultimate goal of the month - becoming that character that has haunted us all year - looms in the distance taunting us. We visit Halloween stores in RL and spend countless hours in the IMVU catalogue searching for the perfect costume. To end this month, NotorieTree is celebrating our 2nd Anniversary & 3rd Halloween promotion with our partner Bonkolina to showcase her amazing Crypt bundle. But we’re not stopping there! We also recruited NT partner Delure to participate and we’ll see some new creations made especilly for the event. This is an amazing opportunity to strut your elegant vampiric style. Join us October 30th for An Evening with a Vampire. Until then, many hauntings . . xoxoxoxoxo, Jacs
NOTORIETREE & BONKOLINA THE SCOOP BEHIND THE PARTNERSHIP By SsexySookie I was given the opportunity to interview JacarandaTree of NotorieTree Inc and Bonkolina, to get the scoop on what their partnership was all about, and all that contributed to their 2nd Anniversary which they celebrate in October, 2015. I thought what better way to interview these business-minded ladies, than in one of the rooms where they held one of their landmark promotional parties – the Witches Ball Room– created by Bonkolina. SSexySookie: First off, thank you both for allowing me to interview you.. Bonkolina, I’m going to start with you ok. You have been on IMVU for quite some time, and your creative meshes, rooms, and furniture are everywhere. On any given day of creating products for IMVU, What is the one thing you must do, to get into that frame of mind and get things going? Where does your drive and inspiration come from? Bonkolina: Hmm Coffee.Then more coffee. SSexySookie: Ah a coffee lover, I see. Bonkolina: Well, by the time I finish my coffee, I’m ready to work on the ideas I got when I was half asleep. SSexySookie: Is it safe to say your inspiration comes from your dreams? Sort of? Bonkolina: Well more in that twilight period where you're not asleep, but you're not awake. SSexySookie: Is there any mesh that has remained your favorite over the years? And why? Bonkolina: Hmmm, I gotta think a minute about that one. Probably my first one, trying to remember the name of it, lol. SSexySookie: Is there that one crazy silly moment on IMVU for either of you, that has stayed with you in memory over the years? Bonkolina: Oh yeah. Several. But one in particular stands out. SSexySookie: Please share Bonkolina: No. Lol. SSexySookie: Awwww. Bonkolina: It's a long story, but it involved Spoony. And many costume changes. SSexySookie: Oh dear me lol. JacarandaTree: He definitely stands out in my memory too.
Bonkolina: We were clowning around and changing into weird outfits and running to the back room to get into AP poses. So it was like Mr. Kool-Aid and Tigger doin' the nasty. Then we'd change and go back to another pose. And I’ll come out smoking a cigarette. Don't think I laughed so hard. Lol. JacarandaTree: The first time I saw Spoony at a party - when his avatar name was still Sooner something, I instantly knew he was an OU Sooner fan. So I yelled out BOOMER! And he came RIGHT back with BOOMER! From then on every party. BOOMER SOONER! Bonkolina: Oh he was a HUGE Sooner's fan. HUGE. JacarandaTree: Yes! Bonkolina: He was supposed to go to the game the day he died. And they lost. First time that season. JacarandaTree: Yeah. It was like they knew. SSexySookie: For those reading and may not know this person you guys are speaking of, care to give a short background, who this person was? Bonkolina: Yup. He was a very funny, easygoing and lovable guy. SSexySookie: Was he a dear friend of you both on IMVU? JacarandaTree: I think Spoony was a dear friend of everyone who knew him honestly. He was so genuine. Bonkolina: He and I were IMVU married Sept 27, 2013. 2 years ago. And he died 2 weeks later, very suddenly. He was a great guy, like Jacs said, very genuine. JacarandaTree: Indeed. SSexySookie: I find that so great people we meet on IMVU, leave an impact on us, happy memories. JacarandaTree: Yes! Bonkolina: Oh I’ve been very fortunate in that area. I’ve made some lifelong friends over the years. SSexySookie: I’m glad the readers get to see the human side of you both. Bonkolina: Well, we're not just well dressed pixels, lol. JacarandaTree: I think one moment that stands out for me is when PeigeMi was still here. SSexySookie: Aww, yes. JacarandaTree: We were trying to shoot pics for the ice bucket challenge. Took us nearly an hour because we couldn't stop laughing at the stupid pose. SSexySookie: Aww. Lol. Bonkolina: Is she not here anymore? JacarandaTree: No, it’s been nearly a year. Her house was hit by lightning.
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Bonkolina: Holy cow. JacarandaTree: Blew out her computer. I think she was away so long real life took over. Bonkolina: We got hit once, lost a lot of equipment. JacarandaTree: There is SO much lightening where you are! Bonkolina: Didn’t even touch the house, but hit the sprinklers which were on the network. Blew almost everything. JacarandaTree: Yikes! Bonkolina: Except the great wall of UPS's under my desk. Oh! the first room was "Club Swanky". JacarandaTree: Swanky! Lol. SSexySookie: That was your first mesh? Bonkolina: It's old. Submitted August 8, 2010. SSexySookie: Both personally and with IMVU business, what is your one pet peeve? Are they the same in real life as in IMVU or different? Bonkolina: Oooh. Only one? JacarandaTree: Mine is all the copy cats. Bonkolina: Hmm. Theft. JacarandaTree: Mhm. Theft/Copy cats. Bonkolina: Theft of products, theft of ideas, theft of any kind. I would like to see creators being more willing to put the time and effort into creating a unique look. For their product, not doing what everyone else does. SSexySookie: Any real life pet peeves? Bonkolina: People who chew with their mouths open. JacarandaTree: Lol. Bonkolina: Intolerance, impatience. JacarandaTree: Yes. Closed minds. Bonkolina: Or people who think the world revolves around them. JacarandaTree: Yes! SSexySookie: Gotcha. Over the years, the creator scene has changed for both good and bad. What has been some of the challenges each of you faced together as a team and separately? 20
Bonkolina: Well, IMVU deciding to take control of the economy messed a lot of us up. Cash flow has definitely been constricted. JacarandaTree: Yes that shifted everything. Bonkolina: Plus, the days of cheap credits are over so people are spending less. JacarandaTree: I'd say also getting some developers to understand the importance of truly creating on their own. Bonkolina: Yeah, file sales might be a great way for some to make money but in the long run it cheapens the whole process JacarandaTree: I know that file sales are a large part of some developers’ real income, and I certainly don't want to hurt anyone’s finances. But for developers who enter a contest, that work NEEDS to be original. It's like plagiarism at University. I can't get credit for a paper with someone else's writing. Bonkolina: Yes it does, otherwise the person who created the textures should enter, lol. But as Jacs and I have discovered, coming up with original ideas is hard work. JacarandaTree: Yes it is! Bonkolina: We've been trying to make little changes here and there to keep our promotional events interesting. SSexySookie: Was there ever a particular model/creator/Agency that you guys looked up to, before starting your own endeavors? Bonkolina: I looked up to anyone who did meshing; I wanted to learn how to do that. I did find a lot of help from the community but Nerseus stands out as someone who really made Max accessible to me. Helped me a lot when I was stuck. He's a born teacher. JacarandaTree: I had a few developers I discovered early on that I loved their work - still do. Sadly most of them are gone from IMVU now. But it was the developers I met along the way that inspired me to start the developer promotions. The more I got to know them, the more I realized developing here, puts food on tables. I wanted to help keep food on tables and roofs over heads. Bonkolina: It does for many. A lot of people don't realize the amount of time and energy that goes into the products you see in the catalog. JacarandaTree: They really don't! Bonkolina: I work 7 days a week, often 12-14 hours, sometimes longer. I literally live at my computer for long stretches of time. I have that luxury, but many don't. They also have to hold down full time jobs, care for family, etc. SSexySookie: Right. JacarandaTree: Mhm.
Bonkolina: Lol. Well when I went to a couple of her early parties. JacarandaTree: I was so burnt out at the time! I was a staff of 1 - just me. Bonkolina: I was taken aback by the number of people she managed to attract. Now I’m a business person, always have been. When I see someone who can draw that many, I want to know more JacarandaTree: Early parties always had about 35 to 40 people, sometimes lasting for 4 or 5 hours. A few times I’d get up the next morning to switch out the room set up for the next event and people would still be in there lol. Bonkolina: The more I talked to Jacs the more I liked her. She's smart, she's open to learning. And she has some great instincts. JacarandaTree: =) Being open to learning is a necessity in life. SSexySookie: True. Bonkolina: Our first event together was a bit bumpy. For a variety of reasons. JacarandaTree: Yes, but it holds the NotorieTree room record. 56 people in there. Bonkolina: That still eludes us to this day, lol. SSexySookie: What was your first event as a team? JacarandaTree: Bonkolina Presents Witches Ball. This room we’re sitting in. SSexySookie: Aww :) Bonkolina: It was hugely successful despite the bumps during the event. JacarandaTree: Yes! Bonkolina: But what really sealed the deal between Jacs and me is, when I discussed the areas where I felt the event fell short, she did not become defensive, she was not insulted. She listened. And she agreed on many of the points. JacarandaTree: I saw the problems too. Bonkolina: I don't want to work with a "yes" person, but I do want to work with someone who can stand back and be objective. And not take it personally. If I say "that wasn't good enough". And I give specific reasons why. JacarandaTree: Criticism that is genuine critique and constructive is there to make things better. Bonkolina: I hold myself to a high standard. I expect nothing less from people I work with. JacarandaTree: Every event is a learning process. Bonkolina: It has been, we've learned so much together! JacarandaTree: Yes!
Bonkolina: But our best lesson was to find the right voice for the events. And we did :) JacarandaTree: But it was that meeting with Bonkolina, her going over what needed work that gave birth to NotorieTree. Before, the business was Sinsualities Inc. Like I said before I was burnt out. But after talking to Bonk, I saw new possibilities, so at the turn of the year, Sin Inc became NotorieTree Inc. SSexySookie: What has been your most challenging task working together as a team? Bonkolina: Communication during events. JacarandaTree: Yes. Bonkolina: When the room is very full, I have to call out to her so I can whisper. We did try Skype though, but then we got to yakking and forgot about the party, lol. JacarandaTree: I have trouble with whisper during events. I don't know if it's a Mac thing or because I don't use a mouse. I do know IMVU, while available to Mac users, really isn’t Mac friendly at all. There is a LOT we don’t have access to here. Bonkolina: I think text messaging is less distracting. So yeah communication during events. SSexySookie: What has been the feedback from those you promoted thus far? What have been the bad and the good? Bonkolina: Well, most of the parties I’ve done for others have been fairly well received and successful I think. JacarandaTree: Yes, they have been. Bonkolina: And the developers seem to have appreciated it. For my own promotions, I’ve always been happy with the outcome. JacarandaTree: I will say though, watching Bonkolina with the developers who are being promoted is a great experience. One that really stands out is xXQueenSaraiXx. Bonkolina: Oh my girl! JacarandaTree: Sarai brought Bonkolina and me into the room to see it. And Bonk said “oh no, you have to do another room I hate this mesh.” Bonkolina: Lol. I felt so bad, but the room had major scale issues that embarrassed me. JacarandaTree: But the thing is, Sarai listened! She didn't hesitate at all. Made a whole new room. Worked on her textures. And raved about the help Bonkolina provided in feedback Bonkolina: It wasn't anything she did, I just didn't like that mesh. SSexySookie: Awww. Bonkolina: Sarai’s a lot like Jacs, listens and soaks up information like a sponge. All my life, I’ve listened to successful people when they've given me pointers, tips or advice. And it helped me enormously. Sometimes you have to set your ego aside and LEARN. JacarandaTree: Yes!
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SSexySookie: Right. Bonkolina: I always try to find something positive to say, but if you ask me what I think, I'm going to tell you. Not many people can handle that. JacarandaTree: But the ones who really want to learn and improve do. Bonkolina: Jacs and Sarai are two of the few I can think of who don't take it personally. They use it. Even if it's not exactly the same way I suggested, it influenced them. That's all I can ever hope for. SSexySookie: Has there been any event, that you both put together that you regretted having and Why? Bonkolina: Hmm. “regrets....I’ve had a few....but then again....too few to mention.....” SSexySookie: Lol. JacarandaTree: I try not to regret things, no matter how negative they might feel. If an event goes tits up - it's still a learning opportunity. Bonkolina: Exactly. It's never a loss when you learn something from it. JacarandaTree: Every now and then something happens at an event that you wish hadn't happened. Bonkolina: We've made adjustments along the way, to address things that came up in one event that we applied to the next one. JacarandaTree: But you learn from it and work to make sure that doesn't happen again. Bonkolina: Mostly little stuff. Like don't put the banners near the door. Lol. People load into the room and wham, hit a banner and they're all confused. JacarandaTree: I've had people come in and start promoting themselves or their agency or their magazine in the middle of someone else's promo. Bonkolina: Oh wow. Don't remember that happening at one of ours. But then I’m told I scare people. JacarandaTree: They saw a room full of people as an opportunity. Bonkolina: Yeah that's pretty brazen. JacarandaTree: And from time to time I still have to yell at people for gifting non-featured developers. Bonkolina: Like Facebook, don't even get me started. JacarandaTree: Yeah Facebook is a whole other world of issues lol. Bonkolina: Well to be fair, some developers we've promoted don't have icons that identify them well. So you don't know whose product you're gifting at times. JacarandaTree: Yes, and that makes it difficult. Bonkolina: “It was innocent mistake I swear!” Lol.
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SSexySookie: Do you see this partnership between NotorieTree and Bonkolina going further? What are your visions for the future? What can the IMVU public expect in the years to come? Bonkolina: Well, I was thinking of adopting her, I’ve got her room all ready. JacarandaTree: I'm packing my bags! Bonkolina: Seriously, it's getting to be about that time when we need to sit and brainstorm a bit and come up with some new ideas. Keep it fresh and interesting and unpredictable. JacarandaTree: Yes it is. We see others adopting what NotorieTree does. At parties, at fashion shows. Bonkolina: Oh yeah that's for sure. So my thinking is, it's important to try to stay a step ahead. JacarandaTree: And yeah imitation is flattery blah blah blah. But seriously dude, be original not a copy cat! Bonkolina: When someone copycats you, it's time to change it up. JacarandaTree: Yes! SSexySookie: So we can safely say the IMVU public needs to watch out :) Bonkolina: Otherwise, it's less clear whose idea it was in the first place. You lose your edge. JacarandaTree: Exactly. Both Bonkolina and I are from real life marketing backgrounds. We know Brand is essential, but you cannot be stale EVER. Bonkolina: Well, it's a challenge because of the limitations IMVU imposes on us. There's only so much you can do without taking an enormous risk that it will fail. Badly. SSexySookie: I believe I have one more question for you both. If gotten the opportunity to go back in time, and start all over, partnership wise, would you? Bonkolina: Absolutely. JacarandaTree: Def! Would be nice to have more foresight lol. Bonkolina: We're not in each other's faces every day, but I think we definitely are of the same mind on many business issues. JacarandaTree: Yes! SSexySookie: Oh yes I agree, it shows. Bonkolina: I know she's done some amazing work with the fashion shows. And some of that has carried over to my stuff too. JacarandaTree: The show are tons of work but way more fun! And they meet NT’s primary goal of promoting developers. Bonkolina: Where we're trying to merge the two when possible/practical. Like our upcoming event for Halloween is featuring some special things by Delure.
JacarandaTree: It worked really well with the Once Upon a Time show and the Bollywood Nights show. Bonk created a special mesh and textured the room we used for the Bollywood nights show. We used that mesh again, as well as some of Bonk’s furniture meshes for the Once Upon a Time room challenge and show. RainofEvenMorn created a perfect room collection for that event! Bonkolina: Prior to that we featured Elloyhym and MagicalMorrigan's work. Clothing themes that worked well with the theme of the bundle I was promoting. JacarandaTree: The partnership with Bonkolina, is actually what inspired me to reach out to Delure for a partnership. I loved what Bonk was doing by spotlighting developers who created from her meshes. She was paying it forward. I wanted something like that for a clothing mesher to. I reached out to Delure and she was in! Another thing that makes a difference is having guest judges like Whims, Donatella, Gaf210, CherryRed people love that. Bonkolina: Not only does it round out the whole experience, it also draws from their followings. JacarandaTree: Exactly. Bonkolina: That's the thing too, a lot of the more well-known developers are kind of like rock stars to some people. So having a chance to hang out and mingle with them is a big deal. Plus they get to see they're just people like everyone else, lol. Humanizes them a little bit. SSexySookie: Any closing remarks or pieces of advice you'd like to offer the readers? To anyone that may be interested in developing or modeling? JacarandaTree: Be original. Bonkolina: And B. Creative! Hahahaha. JacarandaTree: Yes! Bonkolina: And never, ever give up. If you want it, go for it. Ethically. JacarandaTree: Yes! And don't be afraid to ask advice or ask for feedback - but be open to what is said. Bonkolina: There are people who will tell you only what they think you want to hear. Don't listen to them. JacarandaTree: When NotorieTree hires models we ALWAYS ask if they can handle critique. If you can't handle critique don't even think about modeling. Bonkolina: It's better you know why something isn't selling. Then you can actually DO something to change that. JacarandaTree: Yes otherwise you keep making more and more and more that won't sell. Bonkolina: And you eventually get discouraged and just give up. When maybe all you needed to do was make a few changes. To how you do things. Compete with no one else but yourself. Outdo you. JacarandaTree: Omg! Yes! Bonkolina: Raise the bar for yourself.
SSexySookie: Thank you both for your time. Bonkolina: Sookie, always a pleasure! Be sure to look out for more to come from this dynamic duo. Batman & Robin got nothing on these two creative, talented, and hard-working ladies! If you are a developer of IMVU fashion, rooms, or furniture, be sure to check out their various pages listed below. There is always something going on: Be it a promotion of the latest bundle by Bonkolina, the winning developer promotion of Bonkolina’s Creator Spotlight Contests, or even the many NotorieTree Fashion Shows and parties that definitely gives a helping hand to the upcoming and renowned developers on IMVU. Also, be on the look out for details for NotorieTree & Bonkolina’s upcoming 2nd Anniversary Party scheduled for October 30th, 2015! Hope to see you there! NotorieTree Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Notorietree-IMVU-394100727371727/timeline/ NotorieTree Twitter Page: https://twitter.com/notorietree NotorieTree IMVU Group Page: http://www.imvu.com/groups/group/NotorieTree/ NotorieTree on Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/notorietreeinc/ Bonkolina’s Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/bonkolina?fref=nf Bonkolina’s Creator Spotlight Contest Page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/BonkolinaCreatorSpotlightContest/
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HALLOWEEN ON IMVU - ROOMSBy SpacieStacy Halloween has many faces for each and every one of us, it can be fun and playful to scary and frightening. With the vast differences we share, Halloween gives us a vehicle to explore and express what lies beneath the surface of our imagination. It’s true this celebration has taken on a form of its own and is no comparison to the original Pagan tradition. Like with anything we each pick and choose what fits with our cultural and spiritual ideas of what Halloween may mean to us. With this article I will dive deep into IMVU and bring to light many of these faces of Halloween. So hopefully you will find one that resonates with you. Out of the many, I have chosen four of these faces. The first of these faces is usually our first exposure to Halloween as a child. The cute costumes and bright colors of children that take to the street every Halloween night brings smiles and not screams. This face I give the name, Cartoon. If we take the idea of the evolution of Halloween as we grow, cartoon was our first face of Halloween, what would be our second? That one night of the year we are allowed to explore a bit of fantasy. One could be a Vampire from Transylvania to a Mummy from Egypt. As with most teenagers these fantasies change each year. This Face I give the name, Fantasy. As one grows, we tend to push boundaries and explore other ideas, finding what identifies with who we want to be or become. This development of Halloween tends to frighten and scare us as we find and test our boundaries. The object of this game being who can scare the hell out of everyone else. This face I give the name, Scary. The evolution of Halloween is different for each of us. It’s a path with a wide variety of destinations. The single most important factor that inspires such diversity would be movies. Always visually stunning and alluring, movies give us a taste of what could be… No preset rules, the only expectation is to give us escape of our reality. This face has less to do with the evolution of Halloween, it’s a look into what may inspire and drive how we see Halloween. So this last face I give the name, Movie Inspired. With these examples that follow, I tried to keep to the original designer of the room. The original design needed to be Halloween themed or have a similar feel. Left out were the ones that the original design didn’t fit the theme or if the account had been disabled. There are so many amazing and creative rooms, coming up with a list proved not to be easy. You would be looking through page after page of all the amazing rooms I have come across during my search. I narrowed it down to 4 category’s with 4 examples of each. My aim wasn’t to just find scary rooms, I wanted to show the variety and creativeness of IMVU developers, and hopefully inspire you to explore these faces of Halloween with me and build your own story. Does the cute smiling Jack-o-lantern with the bright orange and purple colors bring you that Halloween feeling? Or does taking on another realm where your imagination is endless scream Halloween to you? Could it be that you enjoy being scared or scaring others, and Halloween gives you a pass to do that? Or is it the movies during this time of the year that really makes things exciting for you? So many faces, so few pages to explore them all, I hope you enjoy what I have found in my search for Halloween rooms. Happy Halloween to you all, go and enjoy this time of year. Visit your neighbor and say Trick or Treat, most of all be safe.
ONCE UPON A TIME WINNING MODEL: XXFREE2BMEXX NotorieTree is filled with amazing models. We are truly blessed to have such a great supportive and professional team. Several times a year, we have contest shows with our partners Delure and Perfect Khaos. In these shows, judges select not only a winning developer, but a winning model as well. Our most recent winning model is xxFree2BMexx who won the NT & Perfect Khaos show, Once Upon a Time. Free is a true joy to work with in everything she does. From day one, she have worked worked and improved daily. It was wonderful to see her hard work and dedication pay off when she was announced as the winning model for the NotorieTree & Perfect Khaos Once Upon a Time showcase. I sat down with Free to talk about her experiences as a model. Jacs: What’s your background in modeling? When and why did you get started? Was it for the glamour? The gifts from developers? Pure kicks? Free: I began modeling in MJsouthernblondie's showroom July 2014. It offered me something to do on IMVU besides just club hopping. Before being asked to model in MJ's showroom, I never considered modeling. I found modeling to be very rewarding; it was fun especially when customers returned to see the latest creations and made purchases right there in the showroom. I loved modeling so much I wanted more. I had never been to a fashion show on IMVU, but until MJ had a show with NotorieTree. I had the opportunity for an interview and was hired by NotorieTree on November 23, 2014, This was a challenge I knew I wanted to try. I was scared to death because I am the most dot challenged person on IMVU and had no clue what I was getting into. I was assigned to be an understudy for the Winter Wonderland showcase. After many extra hours of rehearsal that first week Jacs announced I was not going to be an understudy, but a model for the show. I love getting to know the developers on a more personal level and promoting their products as best I can. Jacs: Who are some of your favorite models and designers, and why? Free: The team of NotorieTree models are my favorite. We are family and work together very well, We are the BEST!! My favorite designer - hard question - there are so many incredibly talented designers I don't think I have a favorite. It probably depends what I am looking for. For formal wear I would have to say Wiing or Gowns for the awesome selection. For everyday wear I like MJsoutnernblondie for her great selection of matching couple outfits. Jacs: How would you describe your style? Free: My style is versatile depending on my mood and the event or theme. I love classy and sexy. Jacs: Out of all of the edits you’ve done, which is your favorite and why? Free: My favorite edit is Breeze Blown Away by Shellz1212. The background I chose with the ocean and the rocks was so fitting for this outfit. I love the beach with the ocean breeze, the smell of the ocean and feeling the mist from the ocean when close enough to the water. This edit makes me think of all those things and the outfit shows the breeze. It just seemed so real to me. Jacs: What is fun and rewarding about modeling? Free: I really can't think of anything I dislike. I do miss some special events of my friends such as a wedding of a close friend and hate I can't be there, but they always seem to understand.
Jacs: What advice do you have for aspiring models? Free: If you want to be a good model you have to sincerely give it your all. It takes dedication and hard work. It's a commitment. Always be prepared by having your outfit together, complete with poses ready and clear cache before rehearsals and especially before a show. Never forget the purpose is to promote the developers and present their product the way they want it presented. Jacs: How do you prepare for a show? For creating an edit? Free: For an edit, some are easy and others are difficult. It's easy if I "feel" the part if that makes sense. The edits are easy when the ideas just pour in my head. Can't wait to pick out background and poses and put it all together. I always try to present the outfit to show it off as best I can. You know you have done a good job when people comment, "I love that and just bought it." Yes, to sell the outfit is what it is all about. For a show I always take a nap before a show but wake up in time to be alert and in the showroom at least an hour before. Before logging in I clear cache. Once on IMVU, I check my pose links in dress up to make sure they are all working (right pose with right fit). I go to the showroom and put on each outfit there then the first outfit. Now I am ready. Jacs: What does fashion mean to you? Free: Fashion is style and keeping up with the latest trends. Jacs: What do you think distinguishes a good model from a bad one? Free: True commitment. It takes working together with the other models as a team, encouraging and supporting each other. You can't worry about what others are doing. We are not competing with each other. A good model also works closely with the developer to make sure the presentation of the outfit is as the developer wants it. A good model does the best she can and is available when necessary. Jacs: What are some of the main differences in runway modeling and edit modeling? Free: Edit modeling is like advertising the product. It is putting the picture together with an appropriate background and pose to best sell the outfit. Runway modeling is more challenging and takes more time and commitment with meeting with developers, rehearsals, shows, and edits. I love runway modeling. I love the shows. It is exciting to have friends and developers and even people I don't know come to see the shows. Jacs: What drove you to join NT? Free: When I came to NT I had no idea what I was getting into. I loved modeling in MJ's showroom. I had the opportunity to interview with NT and wanted to give it a try. I have never regretted it. I absolutely love everything about NT. I love all the models, Jacs, Sookie, and Tech and the professionalism of NT. We are the best!! Jacs: What models - IMVU or RL inspire you and why? Free: All of the NT models especially Jacs because of her professionalism and the way she pushes us to be the best we can be.
Jacs: You’ve modeled for a lot of amazing developers. what’s it like working with them one on one? Free: The developers I have worked with have been awesome! I love getting to know each one. They each have their own style and the creativity is incredible. Every developer I have worked with has been very encouraging and they have all been a joy to work with. Jacs: How has your creative process as a model changed since being with NT? Free: Gosh, where do I begin? I have learned so much since I came to NT. I look at my avi before NT and now and WOW what a difference! Before I never thought about proportion of head and hands or even skins or eyes. I had a head, skin, eyes, and of course hands and that was all that mattered. Now I look at other avis and want to ask them, "hey, do you realize how big your head is or how small your hands are?," not to be mean but they could look so much better. Jacs: How has being the winning model shifted how you approach each show? Free: It is such an honor to be a winning model. I think we are all winners. Each show I am more conscious of the pose for the outfit and the skin (if not provided by the dev). I like to meet with each developer to make sure I am presenting each outfit as they want it. We are promoting the developer and selling their product. Jacs: What’s it like waiting for the judges scores to come in? Is it hard knowing 4 or 5 people are critiquing your skills? Free: It is always exciting to get the scores. I try not to think about the judging once I submit the model sheet for judging and the show is done. I just do the best I can. The competitions are always challenging and the scores are so close. I do like to know why a score is lower so I can improve next time. Jacs: What’s your favorite thing about modeling? Free: Modeling gives me a purpose on IIMVU. It is very rewarding and satisfying and a great feeling of accomplishment after each show, especially when I view the video. It is awesome to work with the developers and the other models and being encouraged and respected by all. Jacs: What are your goals now? You’ve been the winning model for a Perfect Khaos showcase, what is something else you want to accomplish? Free: My goal is to learn all I possibly can to be the best model. Each show is always improved with even just the little things. I embrace each challenge. I am thankful to everyone who has helped me along the way to teach me new things from how to walk the runway to teaching me Gimp for my edits and making suggestions to make them better. I am open to constructive criticism because I realize there is always room for improvement and I want to do my best always. I love modeling and love the professionalism of NT and everyone associated with NT.
WHO YA GONNA CALL? YOUR HALLOWEEN MUSIC FIX WITH SSEXYSOOKIE
Booo!!! It’s that time of year again, where cavities run amok, and the costumes are varied and scaringly creative. I’m talking about Halloween! This holiday is not only a candy haven for the tummy, but a feast for the ears as well. Over the years of DJing, I always get the same song requests each year at every Halloween party, and those song never get dull or boring. So your girl Sookie is going to give you a mini “behind the scenes look” at a few of those crowd favorite Halloween songs. “Thriller” by Michael Jackson Thriller became one of the bestselling albums of all time, with sales of 65 million copies worldwide. The album won a record-breaking eight Grammy Awards in 1984. Unlike many artists, Jackson did not write these songs on paper. Instead, he would dictate into a sound recorder; when recording, he would sing from memory. “Thriller,” along with other songs from the album, was recorded by Jackson over the course of eight weeks. If you want to see a really cool “behind the scenes” look at the making of the music video of this Halloween song, be sure the check out this link on YouTube: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O10JryL6nBA). It gave a really detailed look at what went on behind the scenes of the 80’s trend of using music videos to promote music singles and what it took to make the “Thriller” music video, from precious connections between the late Michael Jackson and the director, to costuming, acting, prop set ups, and choreography. (Who can pass up seeing Michael Jackson’s face dipped in plaster?!). “Monster Mash” by Bobby "Boris" Pickett & the Crypt-Kickers This song was released as a single on Gary S. Paxton's Garpax Records label in August 1962 along with a fulllength LP called The Original Monster Mash, which contained several other monster-themed tunes. The "Monster Mash" single was no.1 on the Hot 100 chart on October 20–27 of that year, just before Halloween. The BBC had banned the record from airplay in 1962 on the grounds that the song was "too morbid.” It was rereleased in the United Kingdom in 1973, where it peaked at no.3 in early October. To celebrate this popular release, Bobby and the Crypt-Kickers toured Dallas and St. Louis around the 1973 Halloween holiday. This song is still a Halloween classic today and has many cover versions by popular artists such as The Beach Boys, The Smashing Pumpkins, and even Goofy from Walt Disney Pictures. “The Time Warp” - Rocky Horror Picture Show Soundtrack I cannot say how many times my audience requests this song religiously at every Halloween party, and even when it’s not Halloween. This song was featured in the 1973 rock musical Rocky Horror Picture Show. This song is both an example and a parody of the dance song genre in which much of the content of the song is given over to dance step instructions. Here’s a snippet of the lyrics: “It's just a jump to the left And then a step to the right With your hand on your hips You bring your knees in tight Then do the pelvic thrust It really drive you insane Let's do the Time Warp again.”
The dance is one of the major audience-participation activities during screenings of the film and performances of the show. Cover versions of this song have been recorded by such artists as Glee Cast, Black Lace, Damian, Groovie Ghoulies, Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers, and Sebastian Bach of Skid Row. “Somebody's Watching Me” by Rockwell This single was by American artist Rockwell, released on the Motown label in 1984. Produced by Curtis Anthony Nolen, this song featured former Jackson 5 members Michael Jackson on the chorus, Jermaine Jackson on additional backing vocals, and Alan Murray on percussion. "Somebody's Watching Me" peaked at no. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1984, and reached the top of the Billboard Black singles chart, where it stayed for five weeks, as well as reaching no.6 on the UK Singles Chart. The single's music video underscores the song's paranoid tone with a haunted house-inspired theme, including imagery of floating heads, ravens, graveyards, and shower scenes referencing the suspense novel by Robert Bloch, Psycho. “Ghostbusters” by Ray Parker, Jr. This 1984 song was recorded by Ray Parker, Jr. as the theme to the film of the same name starring Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, and Dan Aykroyd. Bowing at no.68 on June 16, 1984, the song reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on August 11, 1984, staying there for three weeks, and at number two on the UK Singles Chart on September 16, 1984, staying there for three weeks. The song re-entered the UK Top 75 on November 2, 2008, at No. 49. It was nominated at the Academy Award for Best Music, Original Song, but lost to Stevie Wonder's "I Just Called to Say I Love You.” The actual lyrics for the song was derived when Parker, watching television late at night, saw a cheap commercial for a local service that reminded him that the film had a similar commercial featured for the fictional business. This inspired him to write the song as a pseudo-advertising jingle that the business could have commissioned as a promotion. So when you hear that strange bump in the dead of night, who you gonna call? HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Credits: https://en.wikipedia.org
URBAN LEGENDS The four teenagers were driving around aimlessly for a few hours after scoring a twelve-pack of beer courtesy of Rob's older brother. "Okay this is boring" Mary said from the backseat of the Gremlin. "Why don't you just take us home?" "No wait.." Ken popped up between the backseats and nudged Rob on the arm. "Let's go to Creek Road!” Ken made googly eyes and tried his impression at an evil laugh, causing Wendy, who was sitting in the front with Rob, to roll her eyes dramatically. "Paaaleeeaase.....do you really think that scares us? Just a bunch of old made up stories,” she said. "But the snow from last week is just starting to melt - it may not be safe to drive back in there. I am sure as hell not pushing this ugly purple car down a back road in the middle of the night." "Don't be such a girl Wendy" Ken mocked from the backseat, and with that they were on their way. Creek Road is a back road that runs through a state park and also backs up to land owned by a certain gunpowder-turned-chemical-producing family that has been in the area for hundreds of years. As the kids drove slowly down the dark road, the moon came out from behind the clouds shining down on the slushy road where trees were laden with melting snow and ice. The weather had been warmer the last few days, so fog was visibly rising off the snow as warm air met the cold snow. In the background, there was an occasional crack of breaking ice in the nearby creek as well as the occassional crash of ice falling as ice melted from trees in the surrounding forest. Ken said, ”Hey dude, stop a minute. I really gotta take a leak.” "If I get stuck dude, your pushing us out" said Rob from behind the wheel. "Pain in the....." Wendy muttered as she opened her door and pulled up the seat so Ken could get out. She locked the door behind him laughing, "He is on his own out there if something comes out of the woods." They sat there for a minute when, from near the back of the car, Ken said "Hey, did you guys hear something?" "Yeah" said Rob. "The girls got a peek of your package and they're dying of laughter. Hurry up dude." "No seriously, I think I heard something." He zipped up and started walking back down the road in the direction they had come from. They all turned around to watch for a minute but as he kept walking, they turned back and cracked open more beers. "This is stupid, Rob - beep your horn or something. I want to go home." Mary said from the back. They all jumped in their seats as Ken came running back up to the passenger side door, grabbing the door handle and fruitlessly pulling it up to get back in the car. "Open the door!" he yelled. "I am not kidding!" They all laughed at him and made faces out the passenger window but he continued to yell at them, pulling on the door handle. "I'm not kidding! Open The Door!!! Hurry!!! It's coming." He then ran around the car and tried to pull open the driver's side door, but that was locked as well. "Oh my God, Oh My God" he yelled over and over, his face distorted in fear.
By this time, everyone realized he was not joking, Mary screamed "Open the f**king door Wendy Now!" Wendy screamed, and jumping in her seat, she kept trying to pull the lock button up that was somehow now stuck. Both girls screamed and pulled on the lock to no avail, Ken was now back at the passenger side door, beating on it. Wendy was crying and furiously trying to roll down the manual passenger side window. Ken stopped screaming and looked towards the back of the car becoming eerily calm, "It's here." Then they all heard a scraping noise against the side of the car. Ken turned and ran up the road slipping and sliding in the slush as Rob squealed wheels and took off. The girls were screaming and Wendy finally got the window open. They caught up to Ken about fifty feet up the road and slid to a stop next to him. Wendy reached out of the window, grabbing him by the shirt and pulled him in the car head first on top of her. Rob took off down the road, everyone in the car screaming their heads off. Ken pulled himself in the car and into the backseat, sitting up between the seats. Rob stopped the car and the girls started screaming at him to get moving. The guys started laughing hysterically, then high fived each other. "That was Epic!!!!" ___________________________________________________________________________________________________
Wendy was me when I was seventeen. True story. I can't tell you the rest because it involves Mary and myself trying our best to ensure that neither Ken nor Rob could ever have children. They did though, both of them just saying... Every city, every town has their own special twist on urban legends. In my town the story goes that the gunpowder-turned-chemical-producing family that had been in the area for hundreds of years apparently interbreeding to keep their millions in the family. They produced strange, psychotic, physically deformed offspring who were kept locked away in a nearby family mansion, but the were either let out or had escaped to roam the park at night. This morphed into our own local version of The Hookman. Urban legends can vary from the extremely unique to different versions of the same theme in different areas. The stories all seem to start with "A friend of a friend knows someone who..." One thing they all have in common is their ability to strike a chord of fear in all of us. The fact that the stories revolve around a real place and leave the people involved at the mercy of the situation, relates to a very basic human fear - helplessness. We invite you now to be brave, turn the page and dive into the stories of some of the most popular urban legends. Don't worry, I'll hold your hand - or something will anyway..... -Brynn
HALLOWEEN SKINS by SpacieStacy Skin selection for anyone in the IMVU universe could result in hours and hours of searching for just the right look. We all have our favorites that we check out often and in most cases find just what we need. Halloween may pose different problems for different people. It's a time when creating a look outside of our everyday avatar is needed and expected. Anyone familiar with the wide variety of skins available will quickly be overwhelmed when searching for something very specific. So for this Halloween edition, I will be reaching in and pulling together some very good skins with Halloween flair from several developers. I want to include what most might look for when creating there IMVU Halloween avatar... The Gothic look.. If your not familiar with this type of look, searching for the best developers that are pros at this look might prove difficult. So for all the witches and vampires, we have you covered. What would Halloween be if not for the zombie look. I think including this look is needed because it takes talent to pull this effect off. This category will be broader than just the decayed skin of the typical zombie. Death has many faces from... paleness of death, ripped skin, exposed bone to the completely decayed dead skin. Finding quality skins in this category is hard the veteran skin shoppers, so including these for Halloween is needed for anyone who wants to create this look for there avatar. I have my favorites of course and several of those are included but truly the ones that really excite me are the creature skins. I love being able to take my avatar look to the extreme, and Halloween gives me the perfect opportunity to do just that. There were a couple factors to take in with the skins I will be showing. I looked for developers who have more than one skin type in there catalog. Another important factor I took into consideration, is if they have both male and female skins and wanted to show matching sets when possible. These are only a small sample of what each developer has available, I tried to give a showing of the best skins that may fit the themes listed above. Check out what else these developers have to offer, you will not be disappointed. For many of us the skin is the beginning and start of the look we want to create. Starting with a good one is very important because it will be the key to the success of any completed look for your avatar. A particular skin could make or break any outfit. I hope that seeing a large variety of Halloween skins gets your mind buzzing with ideas. Let this Halloween be fun and exciting when putting your costume together. Be brave and bold, this is the one time of the year you can get away with just about anything...!
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NOTORIETREE EVENTS CALENDAR October Sunday October 23 - All Hallows Tricks & Treats with LunalyiZelet Saturday October 24 - Perfect Khaos & NotorieTree Halloween Fashion Showcase Friday October 30 - Bonkolina & NotorieTree 2nd Anniversary Bundle Promotion Party
November Saturday November 7 - LA Trends & NotorieTree Present Fashionable Fiction Showcase Saturday November 21 - NotorieTree Presents Baby It’s Cold Outside! Winter Fashion Showcase
To book an event with NotorieTree, contact JacarandaTree on IMVU.