Otherworldly

We Love Role-Play remains open for two more days, until the 28 of September, so don’t miss the chance to check out all the great deals for this round. You will find new releases at 15% to 30% discounts, such as the lovely Cerridwen gown from Ruxy and the Butterfly Hennin by Grasshopper St. The gown is definitely more of a fantasy piece whereas the headgear is appropriately medieval. The ensemble gave me a reason to revisit my little Renaissance-inspired town, built with Del-ka Aedilis’s Medici Series of buildings. I also added a fountain from Hextraordinary to fill out the central square some.

“You. Step inside, and you will learn what the future holds for you. Surely you are not afraid to know?”

The current round of Chronicles & Legends, “the Oracle’s Oasis”, is all about fortune telling. Fantavatar & Moonstruck has two new releases out, Fancy Divinator Chair and the Book of Major Arcana. The chair includes 4 female and 2 male poses and the book can be clicked to flip through different cards from the major arcana. You also get the book stand without the book on it.

I used a previous release from F & M, the Medieval Country Tent, to make a fortune teller setup in the middle of the woods. I ended up using a separate sitting pose rather than the ones included in the Divinator chair since those did not work so well with the long, slit skirt of the sexy Coriane dress from Petrichor & Ersch. Also from Petrichor & Ersch is the Makri headdress with matching earrings and bindi. Since both the dress and the headdress featured pearls (whose colours I could match up with the included HUDs) I thought the two went very nicely together even though they weren’t made as a set.

I have shown off several builds from the Medici series by Del-ka Aedilis already (and you can see a couple at the edges of these shots, making up the little renaissance town I’ve built up), but the Palazzo Leonardo is definitely the grandest of the set. Here you are treated to three opulent floors, three different balconies and a beautiful bell tower. This is undoubtedly the seat of someone wealthy and influential, used to hosting fabulous masquerades for nobles from far and away.  This could function as a stand-alone build in the center of a garden or as the ruling lord’s residence in a city.

A bit of a different beach photo, with dark clouds in the sky and dark waves rolling in over the sand. I wanted dramatic lighting to match the slightly windblown style of Imani, the latest Truth Collective collaboration between Truth and Wasabi. I also thought it suited the other collaboration I am wearing, namely the Bariel Bodysuit by Petrichor and Ersch. The dark blue shade I selected on the Gloss HUD, one of several available texture packs, put me in mind of a sea at night.

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.

With Ryo, the latest NextUp release from deviousMind, you too can become an exotic sword dancer, wearing silk and jewellery and both enticing and intimidating with your skills. This set paired beautifully with an old pose set from HopScotch called Dancing Blades as well as with a brand new hairstyle from Navy and Copper for the Hair Fair. This gorgeous braid can be worn over either shoulder or down the back and the accessory and be hidden for a less ostentatious appearance. But for this, the jewellery was the perfect touch.

Hair Fair runs until July 2nd and as usual the event benefits Wigs for Kids, with all styles sold at the Fair donating a percentage of the sale price. Many sellers also offer lovely gifts, so make sure you browse all the booths on the six sims.

I love how ornate the Carai outfit from Petrichor and Ersch for the Warehouse Sale manages to be even though there isn’t a lot of it! The thin chains drape beautifully from the pieces of filigree and the fabric (for which there are several different HUDs) is subtly patterned.  There is, of course, also a HUD for the metal which offers lots of different textures.  Prefer feminine pastels or darkly sensual hues? The choice is yours.  I am always drawn to lush colours and I wanted something suited for a courtesan to lounge about in an opulent bed in. Speaking of the bed, it is a favourite of mine, the renaissance canopy bed from Fantavatar & Moonstruck.  The other new release in this post is the hair from Wasabi, featuring two thick braids that can be draped over your shoulders or pushed back behind them. Here I’ve got one of each. You will find it at the Fifty.

What better way to go hunting in the deep woods than with a bow and your trusted wolf?

The gnarly bridge leading over the stream and providing access to the woods is by Lore, as is the tree arch at the end of it. The bridge is almost made to look like it has grown into this shape, with the ends looking like roots. With the tree arch placed at one end, the impression is strengthened. You’ll find both at the current round of We Love Role-Play.

My tunic and my boots are also available at We Love Role-Play, from Viki and Kegel, respectively. The gorgeous long hair is another collaboration between Truth and Wasabi and features four different style options.  The poses and the bow are an older set from HopScotch. And finally, the wolf is of course Teegle’s new release from the Fantasy Faire, here with an applier from The Flying Pony.

The Fantasy Faire closed yesterday, but thankfully bloggers had a chance to wander the sims a final time today. I took the opportunity to ride through some of the sims on one of my trusty Teegle steeds and take a few last photos. I hope everyone has enjoyed the Faire and done lots of shopping and exploring. Until next year!

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.

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.

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.

Musa has a lovely set of five poses (plus mirrors) at We Love Role-Play and these served as the inspiration for this setup. A beautiful young girl, vaguely Grecian in her garb, dancing for unknown—perhaps imagined—audience. The Hypatia dress from Belle Epoque features an ornate metal harness and a short skirt and goes well with the Astrid foot wraps from Sass, especially in this kind of scenario. The texture HUDs for both pieces allowed me to match them up nicely.

The skin I am using is a brand-new Skin Fair release from alaskametro called Elle, for LeLutka EvoX. The alaskametro “Fit” body skin has also received updated shading for the Fair, so if you own that since before make sure to redeliver it. Also new, but a mainstore release, is Magika’s Cordelia style, a simple updo with an optional leaf accessory on one side that can be textured in natural colours or as metallic. For the decor I used Nomad’s Aqua Spadanae set, which was out for this weekend at a sale price.

Few were granted the honour of meeting with the King’s favourite in her private apartments, from where it was said she ruled the King and thus the kingdom. She was beautiful, garbed in green and gold, and very dangerous.

From Zaara comes the beautiful Kashmira Lehenga, consisting of a beautiful, embroidered top over a skirt and accessorised with a scarf.  The fatpack allows you to mix and match all the colours, for some lovely combinations. The elaborate hair jewellery is made by Antaya and the HUD includes a good range of colour options for each section, so it was easy to match it to the outfit. Finally, I added part of the Ceres tattoo from Nefekalum, with materials for an extra bit of golden sheen.  All these new releases are from We Love Role-Play, whereas the decor consists of older releases from Old Treasures, Del-ka Aedilis, Libertine and Paper Moon.