Fantasy Faire: Dark Mirage

In many ways, Dark Mirage is "my" sim.

I've never been an official blogger before, so I have no idea if this is the usual way, but about a month ago  sent in an application to be an "official" blogger, and shortly before the Faire I was given "my" stores from the sim I marked as my top choice. You've seen me blog Sa-eela and De La Soul before, and when I hit Dark Mirage I decided I absolutely needed to bring out their lovely sale items again, as well as feature aspects of their stores here.


Poses: Sway, art'S #2/2

I had just been at the Pose Faire that day, so I had fun pulling out some of the odder poses I picked up there - including the art'S poses from Sway. Yay artsy! I'm showing off Sa-eela's gorgeous kirtle again, in my favorite configuration with the rope belt. The pose was complete accident - once I realize I could be the /l/ in Sa-eela, well... the picture was determined! The flow of the kirtle was really fun for wandering around in, too - I'm always struck by the delicate patterning of flowers on it. So very lovely.


Poses: Sway, art'S #3/4

Her store is very Arabian in style - at least the movie Arabia I know. Lots of carpets and tent curvings and these fantastic curtains. She put her vendors on center stage - check out me feeling myself up right by them! I actually spent a little while dancing here like a very silly faerie! There's also sand dunes, which made me seriously giggle because it's inside a store yet it looks so awesome! Pocket desert, complete with well! All of her items are settled into tents like this one, organized by style which makes it fun to browse.



And then, bouncing along, I found myself at De La Soul! Somehow I transformed, too. Gone is the kirtle and kind of cute desert girl, and here is me as a demon again! I stuck with the rainbow accessories, because that's just how I roll, and added in some fluffies and frillies with enough skin showing that I don't lose my demon cred. Behind me you can see the male version, too, and there are more RFL things on sale which I - bad faerie! - didn't photograph. You have to make the effort - and believe me this sim is worth it (but then all of them are - seriously).

Her store is this amazing dark temple with screaming faces on the sides! Very scary, but what lurks inside is not to be missed. Gird your courage and sally forth! Or... something of the sort.



The centerpiece of this sim is in the picture above, and I have to say I think the centerpiece in Dark Mirage is the most breathtaking.

I love all the sims - as my pictures will attest I hope, but the tall tower in the colors of flame kept me entranced for quite some time. I love the stained glass quality, the flow from one color to the other, and the crystal in the center. It seems somehow both mystical and magical, with a slight air of menace as well which both threatens and allures.



The wonderment begins in the first store; like many stores on these sims, there are precious prims set aside to turn the mundanity of a store into something magical. I fell in love with these flowers - especially the butterfly ones - and they were placed perfectly to entice you to stop and dream a while. I love how the dull brown of the backdrop would give way to glorious spots of color; like the flush of life which blooms in the desert, there is a feel of spontaneity and playfulness.



The color is continued in these charming lanterns which hang from wizened branches and curling posts all over the sim. They come in little flashes, easy to miss if you're in a hurry but an incentive to slow down and really savor the small details of desert life, even here by an oasis.



And then there's the tower, with it's satellites.



I love the tower, in all of its aspects. Words cannot possibly do it justice.

( Other pictures found here, more being added regularly. )

Credits: 

Eyes: Tacky Soul, Pride
Skin: Adam and Eve, Astrelle Fae (light brows) with Eye Tattoo Fae Titania
Ears: Illusion, Fairy Ears
Hair: Truth, Mariposa - Night
Clothing: Sa-eela, Sakhon Camisk
Feet: SLink, Barefeet Low

and

Body: De La Soul, Daemon Violent (Infected with Cleavage)
Hair: Truth, Mariposa - Night
Collar: Violent Seduction, Sound of Silence Collar
Shirt: Falln Angel Creations, Loven Dress Black Top
Skirt: Wishbox, Reveries Dress Skirt

Location: Dark Mirage
Light Settings: Nam's Optimal Skin 2
Water Settings: [TOR] Trandshan

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping only

Fantasy Faire: Enchanted Mysts

The Enchanted Mysts totally lives up to its name, being a misty and dreamy landscape with soothing water flowing through and little pockets of delight here and there for the visitor to enjoy. I particularly liked the pale stone with the simple landscaping - soft shades of blue and green and gray, with the occasional flair up of teal really set the backdrop for mists, stores, and avatars alike.




This gorgeous flower was actually inside of one of the stores, but I saw it and fell in love. I think I like the flowers all over these sims the most - though again, my perennial lament that I couldn't sit on it. The glow was simply charming, though; a little lens flairtastic, but somehow the unfocused light seems to suit the feel of the sim in general. I love the pastel leaves on this, though - simply gorgeous.




The central feature is a lovely open lake edged with the buildings surrounding the edges. Out onto the lake is a gorgeous, broken down bridge - you have to jump or fly to get to the glowing ball at the far end (I photographed it in another picture not shown here). I love the shape of the lights and their moving glow - the teal really stands out against the softness of the rest of the features - a hint at some hidden mystical past we may never be able to discover.




The sim fade here wasn't as smooth as in some of the other sims - the style of the Forest of Light being very different - but I think the lovely little ponds festoon with lilies and moss-covered trees is entrancing enough to distract the eye. Another feature all over Enchanted Mysts are these faintly glowing statues of angels doing various things; this one is, of course, holding aloft a torch to light our way into this new place.





I love the little gatherings of cattails and lilies. The combination always reminds me of my grandparent's lake, which they had to dredge if we were to go into the large body of water for fishing. Lilies always covered the edges, creeping up against the cat tails and sometimes seeming to climb them! I did my first sailing there - very unsuccessfully - and learned to fish and gut a fish. Grandma would cook the fish we caught that morning, and it ruined me for fish in restaurants for years because I could always taste the fishy that comes when fish is frozen. Both of my grandparents are gone, now, but I like how little things can bring them back in my mind and remind me of the frustrating and wonderful roots of my family.




I absolutely adored these mushrooms with the giant watch. The butterflies actually move (one sad thing about static pictures is that the truly enchanting moving parts of these sims simply don't come across as well as I'd like. Sometime I might learn to take video just so I can incorporate it into these records!) and are beautifully colored. I totally want those wings and a dress to match! Something kind of dropping and artistic while still retaining the elegance black always seems to impart.




I should mention the outfit - though of course you've seen it before! This is Sa-eela's Smira Chalwar, which is one of the outfits I reviewed for the Fantasy Faire. You'll see the kirtle in another post, but the camisk is far too... not covering for me to wear when prancing around a sim, even if nothing ever rezzes. I'd simply DIE. I love the chalwar for bouncing about, though - it's very low prim, and I felt hardly any lag despite being in a faire situation, which is always a laggy sort of place.




This picture is a reminder for me! When I have time, I want to go back and poke around this, see if it goes anywhere and if I can find anything hidden. I swung by quickly on my first time through, but looking at it in pictures it looks like the kind of place secrets are held. I love the use of glow here, as well, adding something truly mystical.

( All Fantasy Faire pictures organized here, more added all the time. )

Credits: 

 Eyes: Tacky Star, Pride
Ears: Illusions, Fairy Ears
Skin: Adam n Eve, Astrelle Fae - light brows
Eye Makeup: Adam n Eve, Fae Titania
Hair: Sirena, Zoey - seashell
Outfit: Sa-eela, Smira Chalwar
Feet: SLink, Flat Bare

Poses: Alchemy Immortalis

Location: Enchanted Mysts
Light Settings: Nam's Optimal Skin 2
Water Settings: [TOR] Trandshan

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping only

Fantasy Faire: Sa-eela - Kajira Set

Sa-eela has some fantastic offerings for the Fantasy Faire, but before I get into gushing out the outfits I want to take a moment to squeal about these absolutely adorable packages for them. Using the textures of the items within, or in the case of the jewelry being a cute little box, the second these rezzed I knew I had to take a picture with them! Aren't they simply awesome?

The offerings are three outfits, appropriate for a kajira on the go, and a set of hair flowers with matching wooden and flower earrings. I love the earrings, a graceful curve with little flowers perching cheerfully at the nadir. The hair-flowers match in color, a set of purple daisies with sunny gold hearts.



The first outfit, which I totally fell in love with, is part Chalwar, part silks, in a lovely fade of gray and gold. The details - at the bodice and front and back of the silks - ares imply amazing. It comes with a belly ring, too, which matches the style perfectly.

The cut is low in front and back, the bodice one of the barely there type; it looks like the sort of outfit worn to remind people how easy - and fun! - it is to slip cloth off of skin.



Speaking of easy to remove, the Slibi Kamisk fits the bill to a T. With a sheen that speaks to fur or metal somehow, it has a daring half-cover design, leaving you bare from right under the breast down with simply a belt to hold everything in place. From the right angles, very little is left to the imagination - but I thought I'd give your imagination a little room to work!

I adore the thigh-band, complete with a diary and ink. It's an awesome touch, suggesting a kajira with a little more on her mind than flashing every passing person. The little flower is particularly appreciated.



Finally, the Sakhon Kirtle is a glorious example of taking prim clothing and making it look home made and raw. The top and skirt are both loosely fitted, baggy, like sewn by an inexpert seamstress. The large rope tie around the waist, woven in and out of the belt unevenly, looks like something done in a rush and knotted in the hopes it would last, without any real expectations that it will.

In addition to a covering top, the kirtle comes with a top with the sleeve pulled down, revealing... well, lets just say I finally had a use for those pasties in my inventory! It also comes with a plain belt, without the rope woven in, but I find the rope belt so charming I can't imagine not wearing it.

I ended up doing quite a bit of fitting on most of these outfits, especially the belt of the kirtle. It was easy to do, though, because - thank the gods - the clothing is modify-ok! A short while of editing, some shrinking and shifting around, and I had glorious outfits that fit even my round, petite frame!

( See the set here. )

Credits:

Skin: De La Soul, Charlie - Rainbow Addict
Eyes: Tacky Star, Pride
Ears: Illusions, Fairy Ears
Hair: Truth, Orchid Plain - driftwood
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle Wings - tinted to match
Prim Feet: Slink, Jolie Pied v2.0 Flat

Outfit 1:
Jewelry: Sa-eela, Sylv Head Flower and Earrings
Clothing: Sa-eela, Smira Chalwar
Poses: Elisa, I had a dream, Glitterati, 029, Glitterati, 007

Outfit 2:
Jewelry: Sa-eela, Sylv Head Flower and Earrings
Clothing: Sa-eela, Slibi Camisk
Poses: Glitterati, Pin up 4; Glitterati, Pin up 6

Outfit 3:
Jewelry: Sa-eela, Sylv Head Flower and Earrings
Clothing: Sa-eela, Sakhon Kirtle
Poses: Glitterati, Dressed 1; Glitterati, Dressed 7; Glitterati, Dressed 3

Location: Sa-eela Main Store
Light Settings: Nam's Optimal Skin and Prim
Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping only