Otherworldly

A princess of the Deep and her deadly Kelpie steed awaits you in my first vlog from this year’s Fantasy Faire. The Kelpie is one of two fantastical new horses from Teegle for this Faire, the other being the far more benign-looking Hippocampus. They have been released as Teeglepets so far, but there will probably be avatar versions down the line as well. The black skin is by CORN who has released a really nice set of textures for the two mer-horses in their Fantasy Faire store. You will find the Teegle store on the Last Stop sim, one of the underwater sims for this year. The video below was filmed at Thunnus Bay, another of the underwater sims.

In addition to the gorgeous Kelpie, the video also features a side-saddle riding mer-princess. The beautiful, glistening tail is the Odyssey tail by Brine, in the version fitted for the Legacy female body. The tail requires a little fiddling with your shape to fit perfectly at the waist, but it was fairly easy to sort that out. I have left the original materials on the tail, but added a black BOM texture from Krature. The crown is by Drunken Brokkr and the cuff necklace and armbands by Petrichor. The skin is one of the Draugr versions by Fallen Gods. Detailed credits with links to Faire-stores and main stores can be found below the video and the photos.

She raised the lantern up high and it cast a faint light over the dusky fields of flowers, the glittering waterfalls and the strange, twisted roots. What kind of place was this, she wondered, eager to explore more of its beauty and mystery. She did not know what lurked in the shadows, however…

Welcome to The Duskfall Court, sponsored by Quills & Curiosities and Cryptid. A lush Faireland shrouded in the colours of twilight and shadow, with beautiful little nooks and crannies to explore.

I wanted to echo the colours of the sim and the Sorana outfit by Petrichor and Ersch offers ample choice when it comes to textures, making that easy to achieve. I quite like the combination of the tiny bodysuit/bikini with a bolero and a flowing skirt—it looks almost modest from behind! For accessories a flower crown by Angelicus seemed appropriate, and the halo from Air added an air (pun intended) of mystery. Finally, the Beacons of Hope pose set from Audition offered an excellent pose with a custom lantern.

The beautiful, steampunk-inspired wings from deviousMind absolutely insisted that I should take to the skies. These wings include both rigged and unrigged versions as well as PBR and non-PBR versions for each. I am using the rigged PBR wings for this shot and I think they light really beautifully. This is the first PBR release from deviousMind and a bit of a proof of concept, so there will be more gorgeous colours of these wings later on (the plan is, I think, for the Fantasy Faire).

I paired the wings with the Cleopatra dress from Aurora, which comes with some nice texture options for both the fabric and the metals, as well as sheer/opaque option for the dress. And to keep me company, a beautiful swarm of butterflies from Puke Rainbows. All three of these items are We Love Role-Play releases, whereas the wild curls from Analog Dog are a new mainstore release.

The Queen was gazing out the window when the knight was shown into the royal study. His eyes fell briefly on the cabinet next to the window, beautifully painted with unicorn holding the royal standard.  On the desk, a half-finished scroll and a bottle of ink sat next to a couple of leather-bound tomes. After a moment, the Queen turned away from the window and approached him. The royal crown gleamed on her head and in her hand, she held a small handkerchief embroidered with a black rose.

The Lady’s Favor from Schoen is one of those fabulous little role-play items that can add so much to a scene and it was the starting point for the rest of the setup. The beautiful gown by the Muses is certainly regal enough (and looks particularly stunning when lit right thanks to the use of materials) and with the gorgeous crown from Angelicus you have a look worthy of a queen.

For the decor, I used various pieces from Del-ka Aedilis, including the small cabinet that is available with four different paintings on the front.

You still have a few days until October 30th and the last day of the current Redeux round, which features (among other things) the Villa Equites from Del-ka Aedilis. A part of the Rome Series, it is an elegant villa with a garden, such as might be owned by one of the Equites. They were a wealthy social class but not as high ranking as the patricians. The villa features a first floor with the atrium and garden and additional rooms, as well as a partial upper floor overlooking the garden and with an attached balcony. There, I placed the banquet triclinium from the Civitas series and did a shot from a set of dancing poses by Nantra and one on the couch.

The outfit is not very Roman! But it is quite sexy, this collaboration between Petrichor & Ersch. There’s a bit of a kimono-feel to it with the wrap and the bow, but of course made a lot more revealing. As usual, you get tons of options for colors and you can choose to hide certain parts.  You also have three different skirt options.

I went looking for a nice beach sim and came across Orcinus Isle which offered a beautifully landscaped island with beaches in different styles and little isles just off its coast, including this one with a lighthouse on. An excellent spot for a siren to hang out and lure mariners dangerously off their charted course. This particular siren wears the Ariendel outfit from Petrichor & Ersch, available at the current round of Collabor88.  As always, you have several different fabric HUDs, different HUDs for the shells and also an accessory HUD for pearls, metals, ropes, etc.  The set comes with sizes for Kupra, Lara, Legacy, Reborn and breast options such as Petite, Perky, Mounds and Waifu.

The curly ponytail is by Analog Dog and can be found at the NextUp event, where I was lucky enough to snag a black and a red pack for just L$75 each. And the pale skin (this siren does not tan) is by Poema.

For today, two reminders of events that are ending soon.

First we have Hair Fair, ending on July 2nd. For curls, Analog Dog is my favourite, and this is a lovely style called Mer. I have also been a fan of their browns and reds for many, many years.

Then Redeux, which ends on June 30th. There you can find an elegant Roman townhouse, perhaps belonging to a wealthy citizen or a prosperous foreign merchant, that is the latest release from Del-ka Aedilis as a part of their new Rome series.

Ever since the Teeglepets were introduced, I have wanted a nice-looking riding outfit in Second Life.  There have been some out there, but nothing has quite caught my eye. Now, however, there’s a very nice casual riding set out from Cheval D’or. Alana is a full outfit with a sun shirt, shirt, breeches (boot cut and regular), socks and jodphurs. The set comes fitted for Maitreya, Legacy and Reborn and includes a texture hud for lots of different colour combinations. It is perfect both for chores around the barn and for riding in.  As such, it was just the right thing for showing off some more PLAZA goodies, this time centered around Teegle and also Splintered Creations, the creators of the lovely welcome sign shown in the first image.

I love taking photos at the Fantasy Faire while the Fairelands are still around, but to show off the beautiful new buildings from Del-ka Aedilis I had to return home and play around with building a whole new renaissance quarter to accommodate them! There’s a total of eight new buildings added to the Medici series and I’ve worked three of those into my setup together with a pair of previous releases.  In addition, I have added decor pieces from Harshlands and Contraption. But first, lets take a look at what I am wearing.

Whenever she sought solitude, she went into the labyrinth No one else was allowed to come there, it was for the queen and the queen alone.

We Love Role-Play closes on the 28th of April and you do not want to miss this beautiful and detailed medieval gown by Grasshopper St. The Eleanor Sideless Surcote is very good when it comes to historical accuracy and offers several options for how to wear it and how to colour it. Yes, you can do a parti-coloured gown and yes, you can add on heraldic embroideries as well. You are also able to wear just the kirtle with a belt over it instead of having the surcote as well. All depending on how fancy and formal you want to be. This is definitely one of the best medieval gowns I’ve seen in Second Life.

Also from Grasshopper St is the Inlaid Circlet, though this one you will find at the Fantasy Faire. The same goes for the labyrinth and the matching gazebo by Fantavatar & Moonstruck.  I will try to give you a better look at the whole labyrinth as well, but I didn’t manage to do a garden setup that I was happy with for this post.

The tavern was lit by flickering torches and candles, adding a play of light and shadow to the performance of the graceful dancer. The man seated at the table watched her every undulating move.

We return to the Hot Pot Inn by Cosmos, this time for some of the evening entertainment. I love the Estrelle set from deviousMind, sexy and sparkly with minimal coverage and lots of gemstones. It leaves plenty of skin bare, which makes it perfect for showing off the Flourish tattoo from Nefekalum. To this I added a brand new hair style from Analog Dog called Fanta, a beautiful set of wild curls.  The poses are from Nantra, a set called Kismet, and the idea for the dancing girl on the table was all Ran’s, I was stumped for a good way of showing this set.

Six sims all dedicated to making you look as fabulous as possible can only mean one thing: Hair Fair is back. With all sales donating a part of the price to Wigs for Kids (and, in the case of bandanas from the Bandana Booths, that part is 100%) the event makes it easy for you to shop and donate at the same time. In addition to hair styles, the event offers hair addons, hairbases, beards, hair accessories and even some hair-themed props and poses. To make shopping easy, the layout of the booths make for very smooth browsing of all the stores. In fact, if you put up your draw distance high enough, you can stand at one point and cam shop the whole event. You’ll find all the links and previews on the official website, linked above.

Carefully, you peer into the clearing, in the middle of which can be found an ancient, stone-walled pond. The knowledge of who made it, and why, has been lost to the mists of time. But it is known to be one of the few places where one can easily spot the elusive fae.

Ostara’s Altar is now open, and there’s a shopping guide to let you plan your purchases ahead. The Olde Pond is by Candle and Cauldron and the lovely spring-green skin is another version of Arcana’s Fae-skins, this time the Cirice face in Clover. The fanciful outfit and matching accessories are a previous release from deviousMind which includes everything worn, from leaves to butterflies to antlers and ears.

From Del-ka Aedilis comes the Beekeepers set, which includes beehives and a beekeeper’s stump with animations, some generic and a couple for preparing honey. The beehives include optional sound and would be a lovely, atmospheric add-on to a garden. Here I set them up next to the edge of the forest and added a carpet of flowery grass around them courtesy of Fundati.

I’ve featured the Ludus Magnus from Del-ka Aedilis before, but what better build to use for a bad-ass battle pose? This is another pose from Be My Mannequin?‘s set of poses for Enchantment’s Iliad and Odyssey round, this time using the included prop sword. The Ines set from deviousMind for We Love Role-Play is perhaps not standard-issue gladiator wear, but this leather-and-feather set has such a fierce attitude. The hair from Analog Dog is currently a free gift in the mainstore, in the Freeball (you need to cam around a bit to find it). I also like how the Ashlynn head from Slink came out with this expression from Vista’s Facial Bento hud.

To show off the Ludus more fully, I built up a small mountain with the help of Fanatik’s Lofoten set and placed it on top, with one of the sim surrounds from Landscapes Unlimited providing the dramatic backdrop.