Otherworldly

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.

Night has fallen over the desert. By the fruit trees and date palms of the oasis, a large, striped tent has been erected. There’s no sign of activity outside of the tent, but inside someone waits…

Roughly a week remains of the Fantasy Faire 2021. One of the things you do not want to miss out on doing is the traditional quest. This year it is called “The Language of Birds”. You can buy the HUD needed to participate in a regular (L$250) or deluxe (L$350, includes exclusive outfits from Silvan Moon Designs) version at the landing points on all the Faire sims and all the proceeds go to RFL. The quest package also includes a charming little companion that will help you out with extra hints along the way.

You will need a bit of patience for the quest as you are looking for birds and they are sometimes fairly small and may not rez until you are closer by. But the rewards are well worth it, from the sim-specific gifts for finishing each part of the quest to the grand prizes at the very end. Plus, you get a wonderful free tour of the Fairelands; I definitely saw areas I had missed on my shopping tours! The final sim, The Seventh Valley, is particularly gorgeous and that is where I took this shot. It was very much a spur of the moment photo, I hadn’t actually planned to blog about the quest or the outfit I was wearing right then, hence the lack of closeups on the accessories, but I liked how it came out!

You still have a few days to visit the current round of We Love Role-Play, where—among many other things—you can find the Evrim outfit from the Annex. I knew I wanted that one in gold as soon as I saw it (it also includes a sheer version, btw) but then Skin Fair came between me and setting up a desert scene for photoing it. When I finally did get around to it, I had picked up a couple of more things for the scene such as the beautiful lantern from the Dreaming Thicket and the ornate tack set by Cheval D’or.

Les Encantades has a lovely set with a tunic, pants and shoes (each sold separately) out at We Love Role-Play and to me they suggested a hunter, especially in the Olive green version with brown accents. I found the shoes a little modern-looking so I wore a pair of boots from Senzafine instead and because the pants end a little below the knee that worked pretty well. The set is available for a wide range of bodies, including Slink Physique, which always makes me very happy. There are also alphas included, something I wish more creators did these days. After all, BOM was supposed to be the end of alpha cuts on the bodies, but sadly not all body makers have gone that route.

What wanders the lush woods of Queensgarden? A creature of legends, an elusive wood walker. Her skin is nut brown and dappled like a deer’s, she has long, claw-like nails and eyes like those of a cat, and she wears clothing made of leaves. At her side, a large wolf, a companion but nevertheless a wild animal.

With everything on offer at the Fantasy Faire—from skins to companion creatures—it is easy to create a fantastical character of your own, whether wholly original or, as in this case, loosely based on a pre-existing source. And remember, you will be shopping for a good cause if you buy from the RFL vendors that raise money for the American Cancer Society.

Today also marks the beginning of the first part of this year’s Faireland’s Quest, don’t miss it!

Somewhere deep in the woods stands a tall tower, where a man wearing a mask has arranged for a secret meeting with a lady. Who is the man who will not reveal his face? And why has the lady agreed to meet with him in such a secluded location? Is there a scandal in the making, perhaps? Or does he know some dark secret that he is using to blackmail her with?

Christmas is over and the last day of the year is approaching fast. I was laid low by another round of cold, barely two weeks after the last one, so the video showing off my presents to myself that I picked up on the 25th had to wait until today. I had been eyeing several new releases from Teegle and for the Teeglepets and finally decided it was time to treat myself. I picked up the new Clydesdale Teeglepet, a baroque tack set for the Friesian Teeglepet and a side-saddle animation set. In the video, I show how to add the tack set and how to install the animations. I also show off a lovely new gown from the Dreaming Thicket. For me, that is, not the horses. ;)