Fantasy Faire 2011 - Day 8 - Fantastical and Magical

4/9/11  at 6:48 PM
We were live for 13 hours today on Fantasy Faire Radio. It was on-air fund-raising at it's best. It told Relay's story. Our story. It raised alot of money. Up $1400 USD to bring us to $16,000 USD.  Tone Uriza played his heart out & an army of great DJ's kept the dance party moving. It was fun & exciting! Faire Justice fell on Erin Talamasca, Morgaine Price & Khyle Sion but generosity freed them.  Yours is a great story. Tell it proudly. When it ends, your total will be $20,000 USD.  And thats the plan :) - Zander Greene, Friends Fighting Cancer
As we leave the extra-terrestrial excesses of Exotic Worlds behind us we fell suddenly sleepy, eyelids heavy, the sandman cometh... for we are entering into the dreamy delights of Fantastical and Magical. A woodland wonderland grows up through a patchwork duvet, giant toadstalls loom high overhead, a tiny strawberry street lamp lights our way. We are in the land of dreams.

Day 8 - Fantastical and Magical
(http://slurl.com/secondlife/Fantastical%20and%20Magical/65/127/23)
Words by Beq Janus
Photos by Judith LeFevre (except the last by Beq Janus)
Fantastical and Magical is a journey through our childhood dreams, in here we'll find those classic fairy stories, traditional tales, those favourite cartoons, movies and books, all tumbling head over heals into your sleep. The craziest, wildest, most colourful and wonderous dream you could never imagine. Never that is unless you are Mayah Parx. Not content with having a hand in many of the other sims she took Fantastical and Magical head on and the result is nothing short of spectacular.
We have entered from the east, Fantastical and Magical lies at the South West corner of our ring of 8 Fantasy Faire sims. We came from Exotic Worlds and will awken from this dream in Enchanted Mysts to our north.
The land here is a shifting sparkiling mixture, the undulating patchwork duvet under which our inner child is safely slumbering, interspersed with the sparkling darkness of the fabric of dreams and the soft leafy undergrowth of our fantasy world. The pathway leads us westwards but it is all we can do to keep ourselves on the path as our eyes rove across the temptations to the north. All manner of sweet things, cakes and candy await us here, but their time will come.
As we walk a tall stone tower reaches high above the trees, amidst a patch of vicious looking thorns, we squint at the window above hoping to catch a glimpse of princess Rapunzel and her legendary golden hair. But no, the true love of a fair princess will have to wait for we are going shopping.
The stores here are a blend of oriental and fae/hobbit. The curved roofs reminiscent of chinese architecture, with the small round windows set in to walls of tree bark, harking back to the fantasy influence. The merchants here more than in any other single sim are catering for the more cute and childish - in the nicest sense since Second Life is so often about recapturing the imagination of our childhood. It is one of the achievements of the event that it represents so broad a spectrum of genres. Here in Fantastical and Magical Tinies, furries and fae are all well catered for, and look around and you will find many more between too. A full listing of the merchants can be found on the Fantasy Faire vendor list page
Like in any dream we find ourselves skipping from theme to theme, seamlessly blending concepts. As we leave Rapunzel we pass toadstool homes and pixie lights before bright blue grass fills the scens and in its midst we see majestic pegasi grazing.
Continuing west we reach the south west corner and turn right at the giant crayons (now how often am I likely to ever blog that?).
As we head north, more favourites are brought in to our dream. Dr. Seuss's Cat in the hat has left his hat here next to a plate of green eggs.
Before long we a standing beneath the telehub, to our west is the sim sponsor, The Arcanum, a shot of something more grownup anchoring our dreams. But now we are weakened and give in to the temptations, running up the hill and through the gates to the east, only barely noticing the subtle phasing of the colours, as we scoop icing from the cup cake fence.
At the top of the patchwork hill grows a mighty tree, small windows cut into its trunk lead the eye upwards to the platforms above, but the tiny door does not open.
At the top of the tree, on the platforms, is a table setout for a wild tea party, but is it simply a trap to lure in the unwary?
For here at the base stands a candy cottage that might appeal to Hansel and Gretel, and perched on the branch above us a dark, forboding house with the legs of a bird that can only be the dwelling of the russian witch Baba Yaga. the leaf textures alone on these trees are nothing short of inspired; a gorgeous swirling pattern of leaves that works wonderfully to create a fantastical feel.
We leave the tree and head northwest where we find a turbulent lake of chocolate. On an island in the centre, a candy cane tree grows and tantalisingly out of reach is the famous golden ticket to Wonka's choclate faactory. And yet our imaginations are mixing our tales again as high above the lake of chocolate we find pinnochio as a puppet, swirling around in a giant tea cup.
We can ride the delicious looking donuts that swirl around him and look around at all the goodies. Is this Wonka's factory? Or is it the puppet boy's land of plenty? We best not think too hard for as we try to grasp the dream it wriggles and writhes away from us, like the liquorice lace below. We settle instead for a ride on the carousel, mouths watering at the plate stacked high with cakes. I, for one, am enjoying myself so much I find myself checking a mirror to ensure I am not changing in to a donkey.

We head back to the gazebo and continue on our way. So many things, from landscape features to tiny details in this sim add to its wonder. So many stories woven into its theme and I have mereley touched upon a few.
 Heading north again, back on the path which will lead eventaully lead us east and to the gate. A tree-like face or is it a face-like tree stares out from a store as two marionette bunnies get covered in brightly coloured paint. But before long we are at the end of our tour, back beside the lake of chocolate, its pirate ship still sailing in circles towed by seagulls.
The bent iron gate that marks the end of dreamtime looms. Mists pour over the threshold and it is time for us to leave these dreams behind, for all good things must come to an end, and enter into the serene elven peace of Enchanted Mysts.

Previous Fantasy Faire Entries on Prim Perfect:-

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