Otherworldly

There’s a secret lair on Opera, well-stocked with wine and luxuriously furnished. Make sure you explore the sim thoroughly; it was beautiful before it was fully decorated and now it is just stunning. I wish it would stay around so that I could move in there, but alas, the Fairelands are ephemeral.

But I did at least get to move into the lair for a round of photos and naturally I needed a decadent and mysterious appearance for this. I picked Faida’s Brielle gown in Noir, one of two colours available as an RFL donation item. This slinky gown features a lace across the breasts, naughtily hinting but not revealing too much. I wanted to bring out the lovely Khara body again and Faida provides plenty of clothing for her already.

A mask was of course needed and this one comes from Hanzel. This is the standard version but there is also an RFL version. It makes beautiful use of materials and the HUD includes a nice range of possible texture options. And to add a touch of danger, the fingertips from the Vonnika hand jewelry set by Drunken Brokkr. The Kupra size will work for Khara as the hands are the same.

The Magic of Dragons is the name of this year’s quest at the Fantasy Faire, for many one of the highlights of the whole event. Featuring a new story every time, the quest takes you across the Fairelands to help the Bard Queen protect the lands from the Unweaver’s threats. This time, the quest is all about dragons, so it seemed appropriate to at least start off the quest in the shape of a dragon! Specifically, the Wyrmling Valorian Dragon avatar from Prehistorica, a brand new release for the Fantasy Faire and a fantastic treat for anyone who is a fan of the dragons of Westeros.

So, in the 100th Otherworldly vlog, I give you a look at the start of the quest as well as at the dragon avatar.  I hope you will enjoy it! More details about the dragon can be found below the video and the images.

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.

Opera is this year’s grand vision from Alia Baroque, a place of “baroque decadence, whispering curtains, bucolic debauchery”.  So, when I dressed up in a dramatic ensemble combining pieces from Petrichor, Find the Fish and Seydr, it was to Opera I went for a background to fit the mood.

Petrichor released a huge amount of different items for the Faire and here I am using both the Arvylinde dress and the Kyrkonen Veil. The latter kind of makes me think of the Vorlons of Babylon 5 and I love how it, together with the tattoo and the halo from Find the Fish, give a very priestess-like quality to my avatar. Adding an extra touch of magic are the Flayre Eye FX from Seydr, a kind of animated “eyeliner” that curls like smoke under your eyes. Beautiful effect.

Szystrum Synod is the fascinating creation of Walton Wainwright of [ContraptioN], an alien world inhabited by sentient machines that continue to exist long after the demise of their creators. Not only has he built a stunning sim, he has also conceived of a backstory for the world and details about its inhabitants which you can read here. A worldbuilder in all senses of the word.

I am wearing a full avatar from Somnium representing one of the seven houses of Szystrum Synod. I picked the House of Testament, the house of remembrance and history.  The avatars have four arms, two that work as regular arms and two that can be posed using presets or the pose creator in the Black Dragon viewer. In addition to the avatar I am wearing the Astrocartograph Aura by Seydr and using a pose from Astalianda’s Intrigue set. The Astrocartograph Aura is animated, cycling through different hues and showing an astrological map from the perspective of Earth with orbiting comets.

Do not miss the chance to explore Szystrum Synod while the Faire lasts.

The Fantasy Faire is open and I’d like to invite you to join me in little bit of exploring of Nysaris, one of the sixteen shopping regions of the Faire. Accompanying me on my walk around Nysaris are my two companions, a wise owl and a fierce wolf.

As usual, you will find credits at the end of the post, including direct slurls to the stores at the Fantasy Faire.

The mists are parting and the Fairelands are almost with us again…. From the Press Release:

“Celebrating its fifteenth year, Fantasy Faire 2023 is the largest gathering of fantasy designers, enthusiasts, roleplayers and performers in the virtual world. From Thursday, April 20 to Sunday May 7, treat yourself to shopping, dance and theater performances, DJ parties, auctions, questing, our Literary Festival, fantasy art, events and roleplaying as thousands of Second Life residents and creators bring their own visions together to support the American Cancer Society’s vision of a world without cancer.”

I will be bringing you as many photos and videos from the Fantasy Faire as I can manage to squeeze in and I am starting with a little sneak peek featuring Petrichor, KMH and Dreadfully Dark. A spell is being cast to summon the Fairelands back to us.

Just waiting at the castle’s forge for her father to return home from the tavern, where he has been spending too much time of late.

The Brokk Blacksmith set from Del-ka Aedilis is a nice set of non-animated props for creating a norse/medieval forge. I did find the lack of an anvil curious, so I added one from another set. The fires can be doused or lit and each piece comes in either plain wood or with a norse-inspired pattern.

I am wearing three new releases from We Love Role-Play. First we have the Atlas Gorget from Kreep, a very fancy piece of smithing which includes male and female fits and several texture options. The tunic is by Senzafine and I love the asymmetric cut. Finally, we have the Gudrun boots from Rakshasa. These are available for several male and female bodies and include a HUD for texture changes. Very nice and useful boots.

My hair is also a new release, the latest Truth & Wasabi collaboration called Seri. It comes in two versions, like this or with bangs, and is available at Kustom9.

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.

When I was given the opportunity to show off the new Khara body from Inithium, that also proved an excellent reason for revisiting the Iron Bed from Dutchie (nsfw images in linked post) since both the body and the bed called for a video. In it, I demonstrate the animations in the “Friends” menu of the bed and give you a closer look at Khara, the Inithium hud and the contents of the Khara Starter Pack. You’ll find a couple of additional images as well as the credits below the video.

The large inn lay furthest out on the peninsula and served travellers coming both by land and sea. The dusky interior was cheerfully lit by torches and by the smile of the tavernkeep’s daughter.

There are so many new releases that I absolutely adore in this post. First, make certain not to miss the Spring Edition of the Asha hair from Wasabi, out for 50 Linden Friday. This is my favourite braid in Second Life and it is so pretty with the flowers. I had already decided on wearing Asha for this post and then the special edition came out and made the look even better, its so sweet together with the lovely Emma gown by Les Encantades, a new release for We Love Role-Play. The dress can be worn with or without the embroidered corset and the fullpack you can mix and match the colours.

The April round of We Love Role-Play opens today and you can whet your appetite with the Shopping Guide as well as with the blog posts that are starting to crop up. Such as this one!

For this post, I am mixing up the releases from lassitude & ennui, Moth & Moon and Misteria, the result being a fae who rides in the Wild Hunt, here on the prowl on her on with her black steed. The soft green skin from Moth & Moon blends nicely with the Dryad gloves from Misteria (BOM layers and appliers included), and the Wild Hunt shoulder piece from lassitude & ennui adds a touch of menace. This is not a fae you want to meet in the woods on the wrong night.

I am also using a new release that isn’t from WLRP but which deserves a special mention because I find it so neat. RVN Store is a new-to-me store which I came across at the Level event and they have several different add-on deformers for mesh heads. Now, I have seen deformers for mesh bodies before, which allow you to achieve shape variations that the sliders can’t do. But with such body alterations you run the risk of clothing not fitting, so I haven’t found them that interesting. But face deformers? I had not seen those before and I am excited. The set that I am using pieces from here is called Chic Cheeks and it alters your upper and lower cheekbones. Perfect if you like sharper cheekbones. I am also really intrigued by their nose deformers since I am a sucker for strong noses, so I may have to give those a try too.

There’s a brand new release from Dutchie at FaMESHed and this is my favourite kind, a fabulous bed with plenty of naughty options. I’ve focused on those in this review, but rest assured that there are many other great animations as well if PG or plain Adult are your preferences rather than BDSM.

The Antique Iron Bed features a beautiful frame that definitely lends itself very well to tying someone up, which is what you will be able to do if you opt for the Maledom BDSM version of the bed. In total, this version has 210 couple animations, with 70 of them being specific to it. I found the animations using props particularly nice, such as the wax play (the candle even functions as a light source) and the feather teasing.  There are also many great choices among the other sex menus as well as the PG menus, such as some very sweet resting together animations and a sleeping animation where the bed rezzes the covers on top of you. Very cosy!  All versions of the bed are AVsitter experience enabled, so props will auto-attach, and the adult versions have automatic tilting for Aeros and the Physics Cock. The BDSM version also adds RLV options.

Of course, it isn’t just about the animations, even if they are very important! The bed is also beautifully made and offers 9 colour combinations for the blanket and spread and 3 metal options for the frame.  The style is a classic that will fit a variety of homes. And to help furnish your bedroom, there are a few additional items released alongside the bed: a lovely wooden chest, a lamp that comes in a floor version and a table version and some smaller decor items.

Below you’ll find eight images showing just a fraction of the animations. And yes, there’s NSFW content.

How fortunate that I sent Ran to shop the Salt & Pepper retirement sale, because a few days later it turned out that a naughty priest was just what I needed for the couple pose “the Noose” from Be My Mannequin.  Clearly, the temptation of the beautiful concubine was too much for this man of the cloth. 

I am wearing the very revealing Keraves dress from Petrichor & Ersch, a one-piece outfit with plenty of texture options for the fabric and the gems. Here I went with gold and red to match the utterly stunning Theodora Circlet from Old Treasures. That has to be my new favourite piece of jewellery in SL. And it fits very well with the beautiful new Morgana hair from Magika, a must-have style.

Spring may be just around the corner, but the weather we’re having lately makes it feel much further away. Fortunately, with the lovely new trees from Fanatik I am able to enjoy some lush greenery in Second Life instead.  Fanatik has released two sets of trees, the poplars I am using in this post and also a Nordic pine set. The poplars include six different shapes and come in Winter, Autumn and Summer variants, with texture differences even within the ranges.  The sizes are easily modified, but of course the land impact will change if you do so. At sizes up to 10 meters, they are 1 prim each. You may also notice that the leaves do not cause alpha issues with the background even though that is a common issue when using a mesh surround.