Janine "Iris Ophelia" Hawkins' ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style
When SL user Cara Olivieri was putting together her clever take on the Ice Bucket Challenge for her blog, I doubt she was expecting her picture to turn up where it has. Cara's image is the latest Second Life pic to end up in the last place you'd expect: Bizarro conspiracy theory websites. It's not unheard of to catch a Second Life snapshot being used (presumably without permission) in a cluster of links about Goji berries and Jennifer Aniston and housewives with one cool trick, but time... This is something really special.
It was virtual fashion designer Shai Delacroix who caught sight of Cara's image as a thumbnailed clickbait ad about the Ice Bucket Challenge's "true" meaning. And what is that meaning? I know you're just dying to find out...
Honestly, your guess is as good as mine. Something about weather warfare? And Satan? And ISIS? I'm not sure what I was expecting when I read it all through. It's the kind of website that says "beLIEve" with a straight face, and posts conspiratorial word math like this:
Ice = 9+3+5 = 17
Bucket = 2+3+3+2+5+2 = 17
Challenge = 3+8+1+3+3+5+5+7+5 = 40
___________________________
Ice Bucket Challenge = 17+17+40 = 74Jesus = 10+5+19+21+19 = 74
Cross = 3+18+15+19+19 = 74
Lucifer = 12+21+3+9+6+5+18 = 74
Cross = 3+18+15+19+19 = 74
Oregon = 15+18+5+7+15+14 = 74
So hopefully Cara has a sense of humor about where her picture has ended up. Just remember, your Second Life snapshots can turn up in the strangest places.
[Hat tip: Shai Delacroix]
TweetJanine Hawkins (@bleatingheart on Twitter, Iris Ophelia in Second Life) has been writing about virtual worlds and video games for nearly a decade, and has had her work featured on Paste, Kotaku, Jezebel and The Mary Sue.
If you really want to go down the rabbit hole read the comments on the Bizarro conspiracy theory website. I did and I think I'll go take a shower now.
Posted by: Amanda Dallin | Monday, September 01, 2014 at 05:41 PM
It's all paranoid fun and games until somebody loses control of a major political party.
Posted by: Arcadia Codesmith | Tuesday, September 02, 2014 at 05:03 AM
@Amanda: A quick skim was enough for me. Buckets of ice in a Satanic ritual? If anything, dumping a bucket of ice over yourself might symbolize Hell freezing over. I doubt Satan would like that.
Ahh, paranoid people on the internet. Good times. Wonder what they think of Second Life?
Posted by: Cicadetta Stillwater | Tuesday, September 02, 2014 at 11:15 AM
I *knew* it!! ;)
Posted by: FredTheGamer | Wednesday, September 03, 2014 at 07:41 AM