Fantasy Faire 2015 - Midnight Sakura

Cherry trees usually blossom in the daytime. Ordinary cherry trees, and ordinary flowers, maybe... but not the mythical Nightshadow Sakura, the admired and treasured plant that maybe two dozen adventurers have ever witnessed to turn into a bouquet of splendid silky flowers for one night only, promptly fading away at the next dawn. For the Nightshadow Sakura is a messenger of great and important tidings... whether good or bad, however, the flowers cannot foretell. They only glow in a soft silky mysterious light, as if smiling, and observe the world with majestic grace...

Outfit and accessories: "K'aalogii" by -AZUL-. This fabulous kimono set is a RFL donation item (850 L$), created in the true and authentic -AZUL- style, which is a synonym for "grandiose" and "regal". :) You can find their shop in the YoZakura sim, so don't hesitate to pay a visit.

Skin: "Oceanica Atlantic Eclipse" by Fallen Gods Inc. - a RFL donation item (1.100 L$) The skin package includes a complete set of mermaid fins and some jewellery, too, so you actually get an avatar for a very reasonable price. Fallen Gods is at Odyssey... where else? :D

Ears: Uni Ears "High Elf" by Soul (399 L$). The ears are not a current RFL donation item, but they are available in Charlie's booth at Ichi-Go Ichi-E.

Hair: "Petula" by Analog Dog - a RFL donation item (350L$) available at Tangleshimmer Grove.

Eyes: Perspective Eyes in "Oxidation" by IKON - an old group gift now available for 150 L$.

Necklace: Oceanica Necklace in "Ivory Shell" by Fallen Gods - included in the Oceanica Skin packages.

Cherry blossom petals with several built-in poses: Runo Runo - 200 L$.

The picture was taken at YoZakura.

Why I Relay. Fantasy Faire 2015

The nights were hard. The days were too of course. There was no hour, minute or moment that wasn't a fight. Wasn't a victory, or a loss. The spirit she embodied was with each who needed her, and they needed her all of the time. That she strove against was insidious, well named in its malignancy. Great strides had been taken through time, understanding had bloomed, science and faith combining, moving against the enemy hand in hand. The people had played their part, for whatever they were able. The diagnosis which had been a sentence could still strike terror with each syllable; the caring hand and dedicated mind could now, thanks to the work of so many, allow for hope. She, as the spirit of defence, protection, and hope could take the guise needed most by each who called on her. She has the backing of billions. All who have lost someone to the fight. All who are still fighting. All who, while untouched themselves can see, feel or try to imagine what it would take. For all that has been accomplished, for all that has been lost. For everyone. Fight on. Why I Relay.

I took on this blogger challenge last year at the Faire, and knew it would be one I would return to again. Tears have been sliding down my face as I have written this, just as they did before. And that's ok. The Fantasy Faire is far from the only time I let myself think about what cancer has taken from so many, and more selfishly, from my own existence. 

I've written in the past about my aunt. No words can do justice to the sorrow of loss. 

Here, and at the Faire, the loss is felt, but the focus is on the hope. The hope I feel, the hope pouring out from creators and donors, providing a beautiful environment for reflection, and a view of a possible future. 

The question of the challenge, why I relay is painfully simple. 

I relay because there is hope. 

There is hope for two of my cousins, both now facing down their own fight against cancer. 

I hope for them. 

I relay for them. 

I relay for hope.

I relay for the day we won't need hope for this any longer. 

Hair : /Wasabi Pills/ Jaden Mesh Hair - FEM - (BOOBS) - Licorice
Odyssey
Hair ornament :  *Figment* Sakura Hairpin-Silver Red
IchiGo IchiE
Skin :  :[P]:- Immortalia Skin-Femme:// Arahven - from the low lag avatar gift at each Fantasy Faire sim!
Eyes :  ~BLD~ RFL 2015 Hope Eyes
IchiGo IchiE
Pendant :  :[P]:- RFL Sword Pendant
Sylvan of Spells
Gown : .PoshTale. Cequi Dress
IchiGo IchiE
Shield :  [CONQUEST] [Shield of Breast Cancer.]
Tangleshimmer Grove

Wildehaven Marsh to Tangleshimmer Grove

The marshlands had been a good place to grow. Few others from the outside world may have seen Wildehaven Marsh as the adventure playground it had always appeared to the eyes of those fortunate enough to dwell there. In the darkest dankest reaches of the mire, where creatures slithered, crept and crawled, they learned the iridescent and beautiful could be found. In the toads eye were held all the colours of the earth, the snakes scale, all the colours of the sky. Here she had grown, running through silt, tripping over tree roots; until she could climb moss strewn branches, and finally, her wings unfurling, take flight.

Now she had grown, had spread her wing and flown, it was time to leave the marsh. There was a whole word to explore, skills and abilities to develop, always always so much to learn. In the marsh, she had been as cygnet to swan, by necessity her form and choice of vestment most fitted the miasma. Out in the grove, her plumage had changed. Wings hidden, little need here to fly through the trees when such easy paths and waterways beckoned. In the sunlight, her colours shone. Tangleshimmer, this place was called; within it she found new beauty, a new life, and hope.

More from the Fabulous Fantasy Faire - this time showing a peek at the beautiful sims, as well as the amazing items available, raising money to fight cancer through Relay for Life. I've tried to cover items which bring the most L$ directly to the charity - with grateful thanks to these amazingly generous creators.

Wildehaven Marsh Chapter
Hair :  /Wasabi Pills/ Jasmine Mesh Hair - (BOOBS) - Licorice
Odyssey
Skin :  LURE - Desire Depth - Cleavage
Tangleshimmer Grove
Wings :  Material Squirrel - Thethys Wings 6.0 - Left - RFL Color Set ~
Odyssey
Eyes :  Avatar Bizarre -  Eyes Spectre Purple
Vallacia
Earring :  ALEGRIA Dragonborn Earrings - Light Silver
Aurora
Necklace :  Bliensen + MaiTai - Soleil - necklace
Spires of Andolys
Gown : *{Junbug}* The Succubus in Worn
Spires of Andolys
Pose :  *Eternal Dream* Lita 01 and Lita 06
Poppetsborough

Tangleshimmer Grove Chapter
Hair :  /Wasabi Pills/ Jasmine Mesh Hair - (BOOBS) - Licorice
Odyssey
Skin :  LURE - Desire Depth - Cleavage
Tangleshimmer Grove
Eyes :  Avatar Bizarre -  Eyes Spectre Purple
Vallacia
Earring :  Bliensen + MaiTai - Soleil - Earrings
Spires of Andolys
Necklace :  KittyMoon - Dash of Hope Fairy Dust : Breast Cancer
Aurora
Gown :  Spyralle - Owl Moon Gown - Midsummer Night
Odyssey
Pose : [Black Tulip] The Magician #2
Poppetsborough

Light in the Darkness - Fantasy Faire 2015

Sunbeams filtered down through the lush green canopy, warming the woodland carpet of mosses and ferns. These daylight hours were precious, the woods around the settlement friendly and welcoming, she could walk for hours along pathways, through glades, away from the work of the town. Away from needlework, away from the soot blackened range, away from the cares of totting up household accounts. Sylvia came here, as so many others did while the sun shone, to enjoy the quiet, to relax and enjoy her freedom.

All with a care for their own safety left the woods before sundown...

Sylvia had reasons to linger through the twilight, staying in the woods past sunset, past moonrise. Her safety mattered of course, but much less to her than her freedom. She had some during the day, but that freedom was held in check. In the moonlight she could run swift as any deer, her antlers brushing leaves and twigs aside. Those in the town feared what lurked in the darkness, she sought it out. Bow and arrows in hand she followed traces and tracks, hunting down the malevolence wherever it tried to hide. Through thicket and in the depths of gorges she would search, always her aim, to keep her freedom, and allow others theirs.

This is it! The mists have lifted, revealing the Fantasy Faire 2015! 

If there is one event you go to this year - take my advice, make this it. Thirteen outstandingly beautiful SIMs, the very best designers in SL, all with one aim. Relay for Life. 

Cancer affects so many people, every single step towards ending this disease for good is worthwhile. At the Fantasy Faire, you can help in this fight. Each creator has vendors with the proceeds going direct to Relay for Life. 

These amazing people are so generous with their talent - be generous with your L$, raise money for this most worthwhile of causes - and get some excellent stuff! It's all win!

Daylight
Tiara : .: Fujiwara's World :. Heart tiara ~ Silver RFL
Poppetsborough
Earring : Rainy Fey Creations - Dragon bead Earring - Cape Amethyst
Spires of Andolys
Necklace :  OtherSkin - Cured - Relay For Life 2015 - Female -
Aurora
Shape and Skin : .:Soul:. Davina - (F4) Violent - Toned.
Not a RFL item itself, but the 'Kissers' appliers which go with this skin certainly are!
Ichi-go Ichi-e
Gown :  ::Bite&Claw:: Suriya - Fern
Spires of Andolys

Night
Antlers : *~*HopScotch*~* Wild one Antlers
Poppetsborough
Horns :  :{Oak & Elm}: RFL Velvet rose horns (branched/nose)
Tangleshimmer Grove
Forehead adornment : Lilith's Den - Tilaka -Scorpio
Poppetsborough 
Cuff :  The Dark Fae : Slither Cuffs Copper
Spires of Andolys
Outfit :  Feyline Fashions - FF* Ranger Serra Forest outfit
Sylvan of Spells

Desert Rose - Block 100 Fair

The city was known as the Desert Rose, it wore its name well. Sandstone walls of pinkish hue towered above the rolling sands, stretching out for days on three sides. The ocean guarded the fourth, it was here that she liked to watch the sunset, the glowing lifegiving orb dipping into the waves drew the finest colours from the city which was her home. The lanterns had been lit all along the shoreline, from the harbour to the thorn gardens. It had been a long walk, but one she took each evening to bid farewell to the sun, and greet the coming of night, easing the transition through the line of fire, each lit from the coals nestled in the urn she carried in her hand. She began her walk at the cliffs, came through the harbour, the first lanterns lit in the brightness of day, the last as evening mists rolled into the thorn gardens. The soft sea fret gilded the roses as beautifully as any morning dew, it was these she picked to adorn her hair; their delicate fragrance, spiced like the desert winds, accompanied her as watched the sun set.

The 100 Block Fashion Fair is back in 2015.

A full sim fashion fair showcasing many designers, each offering up an item exclusive to the fair, available at 50% off! You can shop to some excellent tunes, as on particular nights there are live DJs for your entertainment.
For those interested in photography, showing off the items they have bought - there is a photo contest running, in which you could win prizes valued at over L$ 200,000.
The Fair runs from 9th - 30th April 2015.

Rose Crown : :FF: Fleur Crown Box (Solstice)  L$ 249.
Beautiful crown of roses, four blooms to each side. Delicate chains across the forehead. All controlled via HUD, with four options for the colours of the roses, and four metal tones.
Hair : *~*Damselfly*~* Keats Rigged-Mesh Light Reds  L$ 125
Beautiful MESH hair - HUD driven 20 tones in the Light Reds pack
Gown : :[P]:- Crotan Gown:// Wine  L$ 329
Amazing full length MESH gown from The Plastik. The texturing is amazing, giving the gown a real silk feel, complete with natural 'crumple'. Hidden by the hair, the gown has a rounded square open back, with a discrete smart bow. 5 sizes, from XXS to L

The Block 100 Fair

A new future

For centuries past, all the lands and seas around the citadel had contributed to its greatness. From beginnings many in the capital today would call inauspicious, a small fishing village on a natural harbour, amazing changes had occurred. Morgyn was a descendant of that hamlet, though her rise had little to do with lineage.

She had spent more than hours, more than days pondering the reasons behind the world, and the way it was today. This intellect had played a part in her attaining her current status, but had not helped her reach any concrete conclusion. Night followed day, and still people came, came bearing the profits of their labour, came to offer it up as part of something bigger than themselves. Those with nothing came to look upon what was made, and were inspired by it.

Still she had to wonder, what was it all for? The charm of the village, as rustic and run down as it was, had been buried beneath stone. Stone was topped with iron, steel, then silver and gold. Precious metals were chased and inlaid. It brought prestige, it brought envoys, it raised the working coastline to an empire. Had piled up riches in the hands and under the feet of those who had never toiled to earn them. Tradition and tradition alone, of appointment by lottery had brought her to these halls, to rest on drifts of diamonds.

She had it. The long night of the celebration ball and all its revelry faded as morning light crept across the shining floor of her chambers. The people came, they brought all they could. Her plans would unfold swiftly, those of the citadel were more misguided by greed and practice than malice, they would see the error of their ways, and the rightness of these new actions. All desired the betterment of their world, it would no longer be confined to their capital. Each would turn their talents and the fruits of their enterprise to their homes, to the lands of their friends. Diamonds and pearls would no longer outshine the beauty of wood and earth. All that could be made would be made, all that minds could imagine, and all would be able to see it.

Outfit : :[P]:- Esme Outfit:// Mermaid  L$ 289
Beautiful top and skirt MESH outfit. Available in a fantastic array of colours, here shown in Mermaid. Check out the side lacing!
Plastik
Sofa : DS'Elles Baroque Sofa  L$ 700
Fabulous MESH sofa, with 20 individual poses. All poses can be shifted on X, Y, Z axis for a perfect fit.
DS'Elles

Walking the wilderness

The dried up stream bed passed beneath Nahuel's feet without the slightest sound. Blades of grass folded, succumbing to his weight; twigs bent and stone ground against stone under him, muffled to muteness by the movement of his body, never erring, lithe on shoeless feet. He had come this way without thinking, no particular quarry in mind. The kills the previous day would feed the camp for at least another. Walking alone through the dawn was his intention, silently wandering through new territory to see what could be seen.

Not everything could hope to be so silent. In the stillness, the glow of golden early morning light seemed to dance on every surface it touched. Vibrations of light, such as a finely tuned ear could almost hear. Something caught his attention, the feeling and sensation of movement, though none could be seen when he turned his head to look. Out here, for the most part he was predator, not prey, that was the better part of the balance, the way it had been for most of his life. Times when strangers came were few, they had never left, but become part of their group, or had chosen a different path, taking nothing of themselves with them but spirit. Spirits seemed to move from fading to lingering shadows, something was walking with him in the glade.

Welcome to The Arena!

Finding a lack of events for the men of the fantasy realm, the creatives behind the Fantasy Gacha Carnival have organised The Arena to cater to this need! A shiny new event, which will run quarterly, offers patrons an array designers with fantasy and RP items both directly for sale, and in gachas. The event opened on 5th April - get along and have a look!

The Arena

Face Tattoo and Piercing : .ARISE. Gota Piercing + Facepaint Addon / Black  L$ 109
The tattoo is modifiable, so you can tint it to any colour of your choosing! 
Pauldrons : .Keystone. Tarnsman's Pauldrons.  L$ 200
Three options are included with the pauldrons - Steel, Worn, and Worn Steel - shown here.
Pants : !gO! Navajo  pants - black  L$ 212

Part of a range of clothing and skins available from !gO! at The Arena, look good all on their own!
Wrist Daggers : 7mad;Ravens Knife Fight Bloody    L$ 199
Who wouldn't need a bloody knife strapped to their arm? Not me!

Not from The Arena
Skin : :[P]:- Immortalia Skin-Male:// Silvano
Hair : *Dura-Boys&Girls*20 (Black) resize