Fantasy Faire in Second Life happens for about two-weeks every Spring. This year there are over twenty regions*. The virtual real estate is provided by Linden Lab, but Second Life residents make the landscape and the builds. It is a magical place, and it is only here for a short while. There are merchants, and music. There is storytelling and roleplaying. There are quests and contests. Over all there is a riot of costumes. It is an enchanted environment, but Fantasy Faire is one of the events in Second Life that raises money for the American Cancer Society.
Trying to do and see too much at once can cause sensory overload.
There are legions of bloggers** covering the event, so I'm just going to do a tour of each region and practice taking pictures:
Wandering Woods:
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| A meandering path through a blue twilight world. |
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| In the deeps, wisps of light amidst giant bones, surrounded by a warren of icecaves. |
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| Looking up at the snowlands above. |
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| A scrimshaw skull |
Valhalla:
From the ocean level, where giant statues guard the entrance, through level after level of heroic builds, this region is amazing.
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| At the entrance to Valhalla. |
A soft land designed to look as if it had been knitted out of yarn.
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A giantess tries to join the dance.
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| A large dragon on a high perch. |
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| I wait for a small dragon to use the teleport first. |
In Ostara the skeleton of a dragon is near an altar with a gigantic egg.
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| My avatar is just a speck on the skeleton's skull. |
Ling Xiao Long: I don't know how, but the artists made the entire landscape look like an ink-brush painting. Even for Second Life, this is weird.
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| I'm in a painting! |
Tempest Bay: On the surface, this looks like a typical sailing port, but when I explored a cavern that led below the town I found a crew of skeletons dancing near the wreck of a pirate ship.
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| Dancing Skeletons |
The Seventh Valley:
One of the major quests at Fantasy Faire this year is 'The Language of the Birds' and many of the quest birds are in the wooded valley.
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| Heron |
The Amethyst Rift:
A still picture does not do justice to the beauty of this Region.
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| The translucent paths are safe. |
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On the edges of the rift there is evidence of a prior civilization. A group of young explorers seem to have captured a monster of some sort. |
Cerulean Bombora:
Small islands with monuments where you can light a memorial candle in remembrance of those you've lost.
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| Memorial candles |
A'Dracunas:
Some residents have hollowed out these strange ovoid objects to serve as shops.
But one seems to be hatching.
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| Royal hatchling Gilgadrac |
Peaville Goes Nuts:
A fairy-tale world where a Peanut Prince meets a mysterious stranger.
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| Tiny treehouses and mushroom houses. |
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| A 'Hipp-Pea' under a Dragon Tree |
Will future elves live in a neon jungle? Part of the Region is dominated by a statue made of a net of lights that gradually changes color along with parts of the surrounding build.
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| Statue of light |
Isles of Tarrin:
A peaceful pastel village floats above the sea.
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| A floating island village. |
Somniatoris Arx:
In a city of spired churches, the central cathedral houses a giant skeleton.
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| Who (or what) was this? |
J'adoube:
Giant chess pieces scattered around a rich landscape.
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| J'adoube means to reposition a chess piece without moving it. |
Yin Yang:
A land of Japanese temples, rainbow waterfalls, and golden dragons.
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| An unexpected delight. |
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| Upper Yin Yang Region by moonlight. |
The upper part of this region is one of the event areas, and the bottom part is an undersea art installation. The stage changes according to the nature of the entertainment.
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| The 'flowers' are seats. "Drum" is about to start. |
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| A small piece of Haveit Neox's sculpture. |
The Dark Awakening:
A transition area of small vendors and ghost sculptures.
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| Looking towards the sea. |
For many years now, there have been quests at the Fantasy Faire. This year the Main Quest was "The Language of Birds"and involved finding and talking to birds all around the Faire, then using the information you've gathered to solve a puzzle that opens the way to a treasure trove.
The cost for all this treasure? The Quest Hud cost less than a US dollar. For a slightly higher fee you also got a themed costume.The quest and the prizes are the same.
Smaller quests in Valhalla and A'Dracunas also offer prizes.
The odds are that you will read this when there is NOT a Fantasy Faire in progress. Mark it on your calendar for next year.
5-5-2021 The Faire is winding down now, and in a few days all that will be here is empty space. I'm still wearing my Quest costume and I feel like the little girl who is still wearing her Halloween costume in November. Don't let it end! So far the Faire has raised the equivalent of $56,000 US dollars to support The American Cancer Society.
*A region is an area 256meters by 256meters.
**I have read through most of these blogs and I'm fascinated how each blogger sees Fantasy Faire from a different perspective. A lot, of course, are series of selfies disguised as 'fashion blogs' but many include storytelling elements that enhance their photos.
I skipped the ones that had 'adult content' warning.
I added some of the better ones to my blog list.
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