Happy Easter!

Breaking the egg shell from the inside was hard work. She had been hitting and pummelling on the white china-like surface for hours... then, finally, she was rewarded by a tiny cracking noise. She continued in frenzy. Her fingertips were aching, but it didn't matter at all. She wanted to find a way out of the shell that had been her home for months, but recently became tight and restrictive. There was no sufficient place inside for a grown and winged creature any more... so she had to break free, and find her own space, soaring among the clouds.

The items I'm showing you here are from past events I intended to blog, but a recent stay in the hospital didn't allow me to realise my plans as I originally hoped. Better later than never, I'm wishing you Happy Easter now, with a few amazing items from some of my preferred creators in SL.

Skin: "Thalassa" by Fallen Gods Inc. for the last Verne-themed "A Tattered Page" event. I don't know whether this beautiful blue skin will be available at Selidor, but if you're in urgent need of another similar item, please pay a visit to the Fallen Gods shop notwithstanding... I'm quite certain you'll find something that catches your imagination.

Hair: "Healy" by TableauVivant for the last round of The Arcade Gacha event. As merchants aren't authorised any more to sell their prizes at any later time after a round closes, I'm afraid this amazing hair is now gone for good.

Outfit: "The Seven Sins - Greed" by Faida and Fallen Gods Inc. - 380 L$. I'm truly and really happy that Alia Baroque and Titania Halasy have decided to continue their collaboration! The fruits of their joined efforts are many already, among which this marvellous gown originally created for The Countdown Room. The sins are seven, so are the colours available, so please visit Titanias's shop or Alia's place, and pick the sin closest to your heart... but be warned, it won't be an easy job. :)

Bracelets: Finesmith - a past group gift not available any more.

Pose: "Elf" by HelaMiyo - 150 L$. The pose set was a special donation item for the Fashion for Life event, now available in the main shop, with the proceeds still going to the American Cancer Society.

The picture was taken at Un Jour, a rebuilt version of the emblematic sim "Embryo".

Sweet Light

It was the darkest time of the year. One could see the Sun for a few hours only, and even then the light was dim and feeble. She missed the brightness, the feeling of caressing warmth on her skin. The world was gloomy and cold now, and she had to feed on what she still possessed. The candle and the lantern... she had to hold onto them, and firmly. Her life depended on that tiny flickering light. She held out the lantern, defiant and strong, against the darkness. She was to resist, and survive.

I know everybody is quite busy in RL these days (including myself...), nevertheless I’d like to remind you that the 3rd Midwinter Fair is still running until the 24th of December. If you want to relax between two RL Christmas parties, come inworld and find something pretty at the Fair... and don’t forget to pick up the amazing pile of gifts that the very, very generous designers have left for you under the Christmas tree.

The skin and the eyes are not available inworld any more, and I usually don’t tease you with such items… but I still have my stockpile of Skinthesis eyes and skins, although the shop was closed many years ago, and whenever I have one of Cane Sutter’s creations on (that are still valid, unique and more than wearable), I wish she created skins and body parts again.

Skin: Mindi „Bronzed Goddess” by Skinthesis (Cane Sutter).

Eyes: Night Dollie „Harvest” by Skinthesis (Cane Sutter).

Tattoo: “Erin” by Fallen Gods Inc. (tintable, rare) – The Midwinter Fair gacha prize, 30 L$ per play.

Hair: “Amaris” by Truth – Black and Whites pack (250 L$).

Jewellery: “Morning Star” by Finesmith – December group gift (free; it is also free to join the group).

Gown: “Eowyn” in Blue by Bite&Claw (common) – The Midwinter Fair gacha prize, 30 L$ per play.

Pauldrons and bracers: “Eowyn” Accessory Pack in Battleworn, by Bite&Claw (common) – TheMidwinter Fair gacha prize, 30 L$ per play.

Lantern: “Holiday Spirit Lantern” in Silver by Remarkable Oblivion (common) – The Arcade Gacha, 100 L$ per play.

Pose: “Favole” by HelaMiyo - 1 L$ gift in the shop.

Fantasy Faire 2014 - Minoan

The sun was setting and the first torches were already lit. The High Priestess adjusted the last fold of her heavy ceremonial dress. She felt the weight of the ancient crown on her forehead and the weight of duty on her shoulders. The latter was much, much heavier, she thought. She also took the golden sceptre... although it was a mere symbol and not a real source of power, but the ceremonial rules required her to carry it anyway. She sighed and closed her eyes for a moment... then she was ready to enter the Labyrinth. The Minotaur was waiting in the dark.

Those two pointy-eared guys at 22769 did it again! I was already squeaking with glee when I could see their creations at the last Fantasy Faire (I'm still in love with those elven ears...), and now I'm amazed how their mastery in fantasy art has developed in a year. They were already excellent at making modern clothing and furniture; now, in an eyeblink, they conjure up shoulder pet dragons and spectacular crowns from nothing. Paco and Manuel, I soo told you that you must continue with your fantasy line... it's an absolute success, you urban elves. :)

Dress: "Chloris" in Green by 22769, also available in Red and Purple. The RFL donation item is the special purple-and-white version of the Chloris dress, available at Hope's Horizon (250 L$).

Crown: "High Council Crown" in Iron by 22769. This magnificent headgear is also available at the Faire in Gold and Bronze (135 L$).

Necklace: "Apala" by Finesmith, an old Runway Perfect Hunt gift, not available any more.

Skin: The Plastik - Astrali "Io" by The Plastik, another great skin from the Astrali series that has 100 (!) different tones in 3 categories. During the Fantasy Faire you can visit The Plastik at The Faery Court; the full range of the Astrali skins is however available in the main shop (999 L$ for a single colour pack with lots of tattoo layers and appliers).

Eyes: Dragon Eyes "Sage Wisdom" by Sterling Artistry (85 L$).

Staff: Snoodle's Inferno Fire Staff Version 3 - a RFL donation item (149 L$). I confess I didn't know anything about Yap Snoodle until he sent me a polite message - which is very nice, coming from a practising goblin :) -, asking me whether I was interested in blogging about his goodies. When I received the Inferno Fire Staff I was quite happy I had said yes. It is a pretty mixture of moving and fixed parts, and it can be much more than an accessory, as the staff also allows to be scripted for combat. Yap's tent, full of interesting gizmos, is at Mourningvale Thicket - definitely worth a visit!

Pose: "Symmetry" by HelaMiyo, and old and absolute favourite (25 L$ for a single pose, 100 L$ for a pack of five poses).

Fantasy Faire 2013 - Dragons Never Give Up!

The attack came so quickly that Dracoylea and her people didn’t notice the invaders until it was too late. The humano-dracoids were peaceful beings who lived in harmony with Nature and one another. There were some brawls in Spring, when certain young males were way too eager to mate, and it was dangerous to approach a dedicated mother during the hatching season… but, apart from that, Dracoylea and her fellow villagers enjoyed a happy life.

The attackers came from outer space. Their spaceships were huge metal creations, they stank of overheated engine oil, their voices creaked like a sword on a grindstone... and they wore armours of heavy, battered metal. Dracoylea and her people were frightened, but the terror lasted for a few minutes only. The mothers promptly herded together the hatchlings and they run into the woods. The men and the unmarried women picked up their swords, maces and lancets. They were to defend their home. Dragons never give up, after all.

The 2013 Fantasy Faire is up and running on eight breathtaking sims! Just that you get an impression of what it is like, I’m showing you a few splendid items that you can purchase there… and when you buy a FF donation item from any of the special vendors it also means that the sum you pay will finance cancer research IRL. Do you need more prodding, folks…?

When I received the blogger package from Kouse Singh I just stood there with my mouth open and I immediately knew I had to do justice to the splendid ethereal gowns so characteristic of Kouse’s Sanctum. I needed a unique skin for these lovelies, and when I started nagging Charlie Destiny, the owner of De La Soul, that he should give me something worthy, he not only listened to my pleas but promptly dumped a big box on me (ouch, my head still hurts…). :) Together with the marvellous Ceredil Candace skin I was also given a pair of pointy ears that I adore maybe even more that the skin itself. The eyes are from another generous and fantastic creator, Silverr Andel, Lord of the Thousand Peepers; I’ve been wearing his feline and dragon eyes in SL for ages and now I almost feel naked without them. The elaborate staff comes from a Magician’s secret shop… Talevin Whelan looks like an adult Harry Potter and indeed, his staves, wands and portals aren’t less magical than any Hogwarts stuff. I didn't know Filomena Quinnell before, so it was a surprise when I found a giftie bag from her in my inventory; she graciously offered poses, makeup and props to all FF bloggers... the pretty eyeshadow and the pose are her FF donation items.

Please forgive me if I don't give you exact prices and landmarks right now. The first hours of the Faire are a bit hiccupy, so please consult the official blog for any information.

Gown: "Ophelia" in Lavendar by Kouse's Sanctum - FF2013 donation item

Skin: "Candace Ceredil" in Dark Gold by De La Soul - FF2013 donation item

Eyes: "Dragon Eyes" Regal Gaze by Sterling Artistry - FF2013 donation item

Makeup: "Eyelashes 5" in Elegant Gradation by !Musa! - FF2013 donation item

Staff: "Staff of Arcane Rites" by Talevin's Designs - FF2013 donation item

Pose: "Fantasy Pose No. 33" by !Musa! - FF2013 donation item

Necklace: "Apala" by Finesmith - a former hunt gift not available any more

Hair: Tokyo Girl - not available any more

The First Ball Of The Year

The winter holidays were over. The gift boxes were all opened, the beautifully decorated Christmas tree started to wilt slowly, almost invisibly… the first fragrant needles were already scattered around in the room. Yet, Melusina didn’t feel sad or exhausted or sorry. She was preparing for the first ball of the new year. The snow was white and fresh in the garden, and the new silk dress felt similarly cool and crispy under her gentle fingers.

Yes, the old year had ended, but a new year just began, and Melusina was looking forward to whatever she would encounter during the forthcoming months. She put on her new necklace, a lovely surprise from her family, then she touched her nose tip with a powder puff, and cast a big happy smile at her reflection in the mirror. Yes, beginnings were always exciting and wonderful, Melusina thought... and she swept out of the room, the first tunes of the very first waltz already ringing in her ears.

A Happy New Year and happy beginnings to you all, too, dear readers and followers! :)

Skin: Mother Goose’s “Lene” – Lucky Board gift in the main shop (0 L$).

Hair: Exile „Violetta” in Autumn - Subscribo gift in the main shop (0 L$).

Eyes: Sterling Artistry “Starlight Eyes” in Astral Blue – camping prize in the main shop (0 L$).

Tattoo: White Widow „Shine” in White/Black – Christmas hunt gift in the main shop. You must look for some tiny white gift boxes, each containing a male/female tattoo (10 L$).

Outfit: PurpleMoon „Winter Queen” in Ice – December group gift (0 L$); the group membership fee is 50 L$.

Jewellery: Finesmith „Happiness!” New Year VIP group gift (0 L$); the group membership fee is 365 L$.

I didn't use any poses for the pictures, just started clicking at Petit Pas. :)

Fantasy Faire 2012 - Raggedy Rosie

Rosie May Copperstone was poor. So poor that she couldn’t afford to buy a proper dress in her entire life. She wandered around in the country, sometimes she asked for food, but more often she begged for a piece of rag, an old shirt that nobody used any more, a skirt that was too small for the lady of the house. She was very apt with the needle, and quite soon people were calling her “Raggedy Rosie” because of her billowing, huge patchwork dress.

Then, one bright summer day, Rosie met her luck. A pair of lovely shoes lay scattered along the path she was taking, as if they had been waiting for her to pass by. Rosie May didn’t think twice, she put the shoes on... and after a few steps she felt so very odd. Why was she walking with such ease now, as if she were flying? And when Rosie May looked around she discovered she was indeed floating, the butterflies on her shoes came alive and a swarm of these beautiful winged creatures was also grabbing at each square inch of her colourful dress, whisking her away. People were talking about Raggedy Rosie for a long time thereafter... but nobody saw her and the patchwork dress again.

I still remember how I first arrived to the shop of Grim Bros. One day I saw a girl wearing a long, floaty dress with so many lovely details that I just had to find out about the creator… who happened to be one Cutea Benelli. I immediately TPd over to her shop, where I got a minor shock seeing what an unbelievable product range she offered… and how incredibly crazy and quirky some of her creations were. Ever since I’ve been a regular at Miss Benelli’s lair and whenever I feel like wearing a truly creepy funny demented avatar, I only have to look under the „Grim Bros” chapter of my inv.

Cutea has her shop at the Fantasy Faire and offers many RFL donation items, among which the explosively colourful yet lovely „Patchwork Princess” gown and the pale „Butterfly Mask” skin that completes the look. Yet my personal favourites are the „Butterfly Love” heels, not only because the colour of the shoes perfectly matches the blue of the butterfly mask, but also because the butterflies are animated and they gently flap and flutter… now who wouldn’t want a pair of heels like this?

You can find Grim Bros in the Meandervale sim. Check out the shop thoroughly, because you’ll find many more RFL items that you’ll certainly covet and, quite probably, also buy... and if you click on the white commando bunny that hops around in the booth, and you answer his riddle properly, you even get a lovely prize!

Dress: Grim Bros „Patchwork Princess” – RFL donation item (180 L$).

Shoes: Grim Bros “Butterfly Love” heels - RFL donation item (150 L$).

Jewellery: Finesmith “Enlightened” set – April group gift (0 L$).

Skin: Grim Bros “Butterfly Mask” skin - RFL donation item (40 L$).

Hair: Evie’s Closet “Butterfly Effect Hair” – Crazy Hair Hunt 3 gift (0 L$). The hunt is on until April 30^th.

Eyes: Sterling Artistry “Neko Felidae” Look – camping prize available in the shop.

Butterflies: Talevin’s Designs “Staff of Butterflies” – MM Board prize (0 L$).

Poses: No Strings Attached “Frankenfae” in the first picture and Long Awkward Poses “Butterfly” in the second one – neither are available any more.

The pictures were taken at Alirium Gardens.

Lotus Demon

Rahrynn knew she had been dreaming of her mother again when she saw that one of the lotus flowers, that had just blossomed the day before, now looked withered and old. Lotus flowers were so very sensitive of the mood changes of their caretakers. They were magical plants and only qualified fairies were permitted to look after them… and Rahrynn was a very special fae gardener indeed.

She was born a demon and her mother trained her carefully for her future job. What Rahrynn’s mum didn’t have a clue about, though, was the secret dream of her daughter… luckily, because she’d have skinned Rahrynn alive if she had known. Rahrynn was obediently snatching souls and howling at crossroads, and she felt generally miserable… until a demon hunter caught her mother in a powerful trap. The next day Rahrynn sawed off her horns (dammit, the pain was terrible!) and applied for a job at the Central Office for Magyckal Gardening. The old warlock at the admissions desk looked at her with some suspicion, but applicants were rare and Rahrynn seemed very, very determined indeed.

She had been a flower fairy ever since, and she was really good at her job… except those mornings when she found another dead flower and she knew she must have had another nightmare. „Oh Mum, please!” – Rahrynn begged silently. „You should see them, my dear lotus flowers, they are so very pretty… and I’m sure you’d learn how to love them. I’m expecting you back, Mum, by the way…”

Outfit: (Vanguard) „Venus” – part of the new collection by Rollyn Humphrey (150 L$). I confess I didn’t know about her shop until recently; now I’m quite impressed by the simple yet spectacular dresses she offers at a remarkably good price.

Jewellery: Finesmith „Joy” in Black. The main Finesmith shop at Blackliquid is being rebuilt for the time being, so I can’t tell you the exact price of the set.

Shoes: Stiletto Moody „Bare Marilyn” in Black (1200 L$).

Skin: PixyStix „Cupcake” – Supernatural 3 Hunt gift (0 L$). The hunt is on until March 31st.

Hair: Eshi Otawara „Lydia” Bun in Platinum. This particular hairstyle isn’t available any more - which is a pity -, but the quite similar „Large Bun” is currently on sale (200 L$ for one colour, 600 L$ for a pack of six colours).

Nails: Candy Nail „Long Nails” in Black (100 L$).

Eyes: Sterling Artistry „Underworld Eyes” in Andesine (65 L$, the 6-pair pack is 260 L$).

Poses: No Strings Attached „Frankenfae” in the first picture, Glitterati „Breast Cancer Awareness” in the second one. Neither poses are currently available, but there’s a consolation prize, too… Glitterati has a crazy sale, items with an original price of 500 L$ and up have been reduced to at least 50 % off; everything else is 100 L$. The offer is valid until the end of the Pose Fair.

The pictures were taken at Hazardous, the latest build of Wendy Xeno.

The ones at the gates

As different as they looked when they were in their true forms as similar was their appearance when they transformed themself into beings which looked more like humans.
Chama de Xeo forced more power into her stuff. So that it started to light the darkness around her. Her reptilian eyes would have allowed her to see her even in the night but she wanted to make sure that the beings on the last island knew that she was around. Chama was one of the guardians. Normaly the ones of her kin were not asked to guard anything. They prefered to sit on their hoards, only leaving them to threaten all kinds of beings to get more glittery things so that their piles of jewelery grew and grew.

Chama had done the same for two or three thousand years. But then she started to have a hoarding problem. Her cave became too small and she also had to recognize that the beings she pestered not always gave her gemstones. Some started to give her shiny glass crystals and she had taken those as precious stones. The thought that somebody might know that her hoard did not only consist out of very seldom and worthy items made her shiver. For some years she caught pretty young men and forced them to sort and polish the things on her hoard. All of those died really suddenly in her opinion. Most of those men had been kept by her for sixty years but that was not much time for a being like her. So after the seventh or eighth - they changed so fast so she had a hard time counting them - she had to admit that she needed to do something else. Luckily other dragons had had the same problem before and decided to do something which might kept them entertained for a longer time or which would at least keep them from killing themselfs because of boredom. Chama became a guard. As many others she spend her time now on an portal island and took care that none of those strange beings, which had never heard about magic, made their way into the world she loved.

What to say about the Draco skins from Fallen Gods Inc. beside that they are amazing? They come in 22 skin tones with 4 options at every skin tone. Of course they are available for both genders. But only the female ones come with a SB version (SB = Superboobs). The options consist of a scaled, a smooth one and a marked version of each of those. There are demos of all skins available in the store. They are great for roleplay and could be used to make for example mermaid/mermen avatars. And the ones without scales of course could be the base for any fantastic being.
The clothes on those pictures come from Deviance. The black set is called Enchantress. It comes with several options for the cape. It could be worn with and without collar and in a long and a short version. The skirt reminds a bit on silks and comes also in several options. I liked the one with beads and skulls best. The top comes on the systemlayers and there are also undies layers included into the set althought the skirt covers everything. The staff with the crystal belongs also to the set. The top in the shades of green belongs to the Elementalist sets. Those are only made of prims. The set contains a version of the clothes with a golden trim and one with a silvertrim. Each of those comes with two kind of tops, bracers for both arms and a skirt and all of those in two sizes. It takes some time to adjust all those primparts but the details are just so lovely which makes it worth it. And of course the textures are amazing.

Outfits:

Silberblue:
Skin: Fallen Gods Inc.: DRACO Glacier xx +FGInc.+ Scaled (990 L$ or 3300 L$ for fatpack with all versions of that skin tone)
Outfit: * Deviance * - Enchantress (Onyx) (400 L$)
Hair: /Wasabi Pills/ Ryoko Hair (250 L$ for one colour 1500 L$ for the fatpack)
Jewelry: Finesmith Rhonda full set (currently not in the store as the store is being rebuilt)

Teal:
Skin: Fallen Gods Inc.: DRACO Mithril xx +FGInc.+ Scaled (990 L$ or 3300 L$ for fatpack with all versions of that skin tone)
Outfit: * Deviance * - Elementalist - Lagoon (500 L$)
Hair: /Wasabi Pills/ Maeve Hair - (250 L$ for one colour pack or 1500 L$ for all colours)

The pictures have been taken at [E U R O P A] with poses from Purple Poses .