Meet Our Sponsors: Death Row Designs

Jaimy Hancroft, Eowyn Swords and Morbid Deceit, the DRD Team.

Jaimy Hancroft, Eowyn Swords and Morbid Deceit form the DRD Team behind the Faireland San Mora, and the creation production factory that is Death Row Designs. They share their reasons to sponsor the Faire and talk of the story behind San Mora, and how it worked together with the roleplay that took place in there. They also reveal their wishes for the Faire, and their Auction Plans!

You have been both a world builder and a Faire-sponsor for many years now. What makes you return and do it all over again, year after year?

Jaimy:  One of the things that makes me return I think is the people surrounding Fantasy Faire. I know I am not the most social person in SL nor is Eowyn and each year at Fantasy Faire it seems like I actually talk with people (lol) , everyone involved is just crazy nice here!! It’s like the people at Fantasy Faire live inside their own little (or big) bubble, but it’s a fun bubble. The other big reason we return is the cause itself which is RFL, which means a lot to me and every year I hope we reach high number to contribute raising as many lindens as we can for it!

Eowyn: For me it’s about expressing my creativity to the fullest, I come from a very artistic family. My dad was a really good painter and created awesome wood art, he died of cancer at the age of 56. The Fantasy faire sim that I build, I dedicate to him each year. The Fantasy Faire event itself is also a wonderful time with wonderful people that come together for a good cause, I just love to be here.

Picture by Jaimy Hancroft

Tell us about your team. Who does what, how does the collaboration work?

Jaimy: This year the team changed. DRD was in dire need of some structure. My brain is chaos and you can imagine what DRD’s inventory was like lol

The process all begins in a skype meeting, Gathering ideas, we keep in touch for important SL events and make sure we all give our creative input for almost all our releases. Morbid is running the store behind the scenes, she is  designing the future for DRD and manages everything so that we do not miss a deadline, which was something I really sucked at…

Eowyn is always building the big meshes and is DRD’s meshmachine, and then everything is handed to me for UV sorting and texturing, I prefer to mesh smaller releases accessories/furniture and things like the human spirit monument 🙂

Then that mesh will be handed over to Morbid for animating/scripting, pricing, giving it a name, packing and setup, while Morbid is doing that we are almost finished building the next item… So it’s kind of like a factory almost, but a creative one I guess lol

Then we have two extra people helping out, Charlotte Bailey is DRD’s CSR and blogger manager and Cecegy Resident (my other RL sister) takes care of the MP, and creates custom logos for a lot of things, Like this years EBDA logo for example ^^

Picture by CeCeGy

How was San Mora born? What inspired it, what is its story?

Morbid: This year we wanted to host our own roleplay team that was in line with the theme of the sim. The roleplay sim Outbreak offered the perfect opportunity to blend the build with an existing RP lore in Second Life. San Mora is another city that exists in the timeline of Outbreak and facing the same challenges. The roleplay began a week before Fantasy Faire opened with a strange transmission calling the roleplayers from Outbreak to come and find San Mora in hopes of discovering a cure. This great team of people worked together for weeks to plan a unique roleplay experience that players at Outbreak will be able to weave story out of for months to come. I think we really made the most of Fantasy Faire this year and the legend of San Mora will stay alive in SL long after Fantasy Faire closes.

Eowyn: A post-apocalyptic sim is just something we always wanted to do, I just love the theme.

Jaimy: for me personally I LOVE anything post apocalyptic and it has been a dream to build a post apocalyptic sim. You may wonder why at Fantasy Faire, and does it even fit in? I say YES , it’s just contemporary fantasy 😀

What inspired it? Well, every post apoc game ever LOL, I’m somewhat an avid gamer and yeahh…. playing games like 7 Days to Die, Borderlands, The Division and The Last of Us, it will get your mind brewing… also watching shows like The Walking Dead and movies like Mad Max… yeah… Did I mention I love post apoc?

My own story behind it is when building the sim, we wanted to have a desert area and a city area, so during that process it came clear that the desert area was more a ‘bandit’ type area and the pier would be your safest bet. There’s lots of grafitti around the town with family messaging each other that “the dock /pier is safe” that just came automatically for some reason ^^

Picture by Eowyn Swords

What are you bringing to the Faire this year?

Jaimy: WAY TOO MUCH OK… lol well each year we basically build so much content (a total of 58 products this year)  we end up selling most of it, just very few exclusive items will go up for the Live Auction ^^

What are you looking forward to most this year in the Fairelands?

Jaimy: Well every year I look forward to so many things, this year I HAD TO BE ON THE BUS, and I was, so my Fantasy Faire is complete. #lifegoals #ffbusisthebestbusever #Aliasdriving #omgithadmusic #hoverbuslikenoother #NoFFwithoutbus #crossingsimswasOP

So I’m pretty happy right now lol, this year so far I had to catch up on sleep, I think this Fantasy Faire I have had the least sleep out of all of them >.> , I usually read a lot on the website as far as rp stories go and catch up with all that afterwards ….  I am hoping to do the hunt still and every year I look forward to the auction #Thisbuswillbemybus #donteventhingkaboutit #candycrash #hashtagseverywhere

Eowyn: I always look forward to walk around on the Faire and look at all the awesome creations of other designers, talk to the friendly people and also the auction is something I dont want to miss out each year, looking forward to bid!

Thank you, Jaimy, Eowyn and Morbid, for taking the time to talk with us! Thank you for bringing us yet another story-filled Faireland!

Picture by Jaimy Hancroft

Meet Our Sponsors: Death Row Designs

DRD Team: Jaimy Hancroft, Eowyn Swords and Tito DeVinna

Jaimy Hancroft, world builder of Dangarnon and creator and owner of Death Row Designs sponsors the sim she and her team built this year. She shares the story of Dangarnon, reveals a teaser about upcoming Live Auction and tells how Andolys of last year turned into the dark Dangarnon we see this spring. You can find out more about Jaimy and the sims she has built in her last years interviews: 2015 & 2014.

You are both sponsoring and building Dangarnon. This is your third year as a world-builder. Does it get any easier, how does the process change in time?

It does not get easier per se, but each year we do become more experienced in general so the workflow definitely becomes a lot better and faster 🙂

How was Dangarnon born? What inspired it, what is its story?

We have done something light and lighthearted for two years now, so we wanted to change things up and do what’s actually more DRD’s forte 😀 dark and gloomy … we started talking about it and we wanted to have it in way where the story kind of continues from last year Andolys, Dangarnon is Andolys 100 years later, Andolys has been overrun by evil, walls have been put up, where the castle used to be is now a monstrous fortress, The tower is inspired by a mix of Barad-Dûr and Minas Morgul from the Lord of the Rings.
There is a last hope section on the sim , where the last people of Andolys still come together. There’s a few short stories on the sim you can activate by clicking on certain items to get the background story some more 🙂

In addition to the stores, Dangarnon also hosts the Sanctuary RP Community. Your sim hosted them the last year, too. How does that cooperation work out, creating an area for a specific roleplay story?

This year was hard to come up with a solution, so we made special areas in skyglobes for a smooth rp, they needed sand and desert and well as you can see Dangarnon has none of that 😀

What are you bringing to the Faire this year?

We had no time whatsoever to create something special, so we decided to just sell pieces and buildings of the sim. The relay items, (cavemonster and belltower) will never be for sale after the Faire , so this is your only chance to get those.

The Evil Fortress tower will be available only once at the live auction together with the two statues of Dangarnon.

Do you listen to music while building? What kind? If so, does Dangarnon have a theme song?

My sister Eowyn listened to the Lord of the Rings soundtrack 😀 and I played my favourite youtube channel called pandora journey, which just plays fantasy/epic soundtracks etc… it really helps with building, Tito likes to build in silence though haha 😀
Not sure what the theme song would be for me, anything off this https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmVGp8jfZ0VLg_i8TuCaBQw youtube channel most likely 🙂

What are you looking forward to most this year in the Faire?

I’m looking forward to a lot of the events, parties, Literary Festival. the particle shows, jails and bails, everything really I hope I will be able to make it for a lot of it, after the build my body kind of crashes into – couch-mode lol but I’m going to try and be there as much as I can …I’m always excited for the hunt/quest 🙂

Thank you for taking the time to talk with us, Jaimy! Thank you to the whole team for bringing us a fantastically dark world to visit!

Brave the Darkness of Dangarnon

Villains roam the cobbled streets of a fallen Andolys where evil rolled in and blotted out the light. Skeletons of what once was are all that remain. Rotting and crooked the stone houses and towers are a sad reflection of their former glory. Darkness hangs over the land like a heavy blanket suffocating any ray of light. But even here, in all this blackness a shimmer of hope has managed to hide and survive, a tiny piece of what once was this magical place still lives within these dead walls. Perhaps all is not lost yet…

Dangarnon by Jaimy Hancroft and Eowyn Swords.

Duchess and Irina Reporting from Fairelands, Day 2

Fairelands calling, Fairelands calling! It’s time to continue our journey through the Fantasy Faire and our next stop is Blackwater Glenn. This untamed woodland settlement is breathtakingly beautiful, although I’m a bit vary of the marshes, there just might be eels waiting for an opportunity to attack me, and I don’t find the thought of eels very appealing. As any good female reporter would do, we check out the stores first.

“Okay, hit it.” Duchess says to me when we find a nice spot for the report after the shopping spree.
“One, two, three, testing… Is this thing on? Testing..” I tap the microphone less than gently as it doesn’t seem to turn on. “Testing … WORK! YOU WRETCHED THING!!” I shout out with all the fury I can muster and of course just then the microphone works.
Duchess looks like she wished that the earth could swallow her at this very moment as I’m yelling like a madwoman, and in live report no less.
“Erm, sorry about that!” I flash a smile to the camera and resume my report. ” Irina and Duchess live from Blackwater Glenn! As you can see, this beautiful swamp-ish -”
“Irina!! You can’t say swamp-ish! It’s not even a word!” Duchess exclaims.
“Hrrrmmpfff…” The smallest of sighs escapes from me. “This beautiful village in a forestal area, with a few marshes scattered here and there, is the perfect example of how a man and nature can exist in harmony.. and now for the shopping opportunities here…. “

One and half hours later we’ve finally covered all the local merchandise and it’s time to move on.

Next our path takes us to another marshland, Heavenslough. Also this place is incredibly beautiful. We’re rushing back and forth exploring the flora and the fauna, watching the little animals, admiring the massive falls at the center of everything – and of course shopping like no tomorrow.

Having learned from my previous mistake, I make sure the microphone works before we start our report. “Irina and Duchess live from Heavenslough! Behind us, you can see an ancient rock formation, which is often used in druidic rituals and -.” I sneak a glance into the bog on my left only to gravely regret it a moment later, for I see two tentacles briefly reaching out from the murky water. “Duchess!!! There’s a swamp-monster in there!! Look!!” I point to the spot where the water now lays completely still.
Duchess stares at the water for a moment and rolls her eyes. “There’s nothing in there, just water. Go on with the report.”
I step a little closer to Duchess just in case, my gaze flickering between the water and the standing stone we’re here to report, my voice quivering ever so slightly. “ .. The large boulder is also regarded as a shrine to the deities of the nature and many forest-dwellers wander here frequently to pray, make offerings or just to meditate. Also if you look carefully – “
“SON OF A TROLL!! There – is – a monster!!!” Duchess’ eyes caught finally unnatural movement at the water on our left. “Tactical retreat! TACTICAL RETREAT!!”

The microphone and camera fall into the ground and we run like little elves into the safety of the traveled paths. Thankfully, we meet a pleasant and brave gentleman, who agrees to get our equipment back to us for a small, nominal fee.

Photography by Duchess Flux
Text by Irina Strazytski

Duchess wears:
FAUN: Autumn Tribe Mesh Faun {Autumn Leaf} by Satyrs Moon ~ Available at Fantasy Faire at Heavenslough
NECKLACE: Gilgalad by Bliensen + MaiTai ~ Available at Fantasy Faire at Faery Court
ARM BANDS: Elf Armor by Death Row Designs ~ Available at Fantasy Faire at Hope’s Horizon
REMAINING OUTFIT: See Duchess’s blog Threads and Tuneage

Irina wears:
TUNIC:22769 – [femme] Linnen Tunic (brown) @ Hope’s Horizon
SKIRT: 22769 – [femme] Battleskirt (brown leather) @ Hope’s Horizon
BOOTS: Death Row Designs – Elf Armor @ Hope’s Horizon
REMAINING OUTFIT: See Irina’s blog Dark Chest of Wonders

Meet Our Sponsors: Death Row Designs

Jaimy Hancroft, the creator of Death Row Designs and one of the creators of Dwarfins is also the sim builder of Hope’s Horizon. She shares with us her love for fantasy and the Faire, her development as a builder and the story behind Hope’s Horizon.

This is your first year sponsoring Fantasy Fair. What made you decide to become a sponsor?

I am a creator for Dwarfins and last year’s experience with Dwarfins had a major impact on me. I absolutely loved it, I loved it so much I applied to be a sim builder as well, so there was no real thinking about it for me.

How did you begin building in Second Life? What inspires you to create?

I began just making shirts for myself, people liked them and wanted to buy them off me, so that’s how it all started. I started with a tiny stall and worked my way up slowly for the past seven years. What inspires me, everything. DRD has no solid theme, I just make whatever I feel like making. If I feel like making zombies, I do it, the next day I might feel like making fairy wings and I go for it… it’s just fun coming up with cool designs and bringing it to life.

What are you bringing to the Faire this year? 

Well, LOTS of people have asked for armor, so I will be doing elvish armor this year for DRD 🙂

What calls you to fantasy? When was the first time you encountered the genre and realized you enjoyed it?

I have always loved fantasy, my first fantasy movie I saw was the Dark Crystal and all the creatures, creations are so amazing, my love for fantasy just grew from there. I am a big Lord of the Rings fan and hoping we will have plenty more fantasy for us to watch in the future. I just love fantasy because you can create even the impossible for this theme and in fantasy, nothing is impossible.

Do you have a favorite Faire memory? What are you looking forward to most this year?

Last year was actually my first very active year at Fantasy Faire and I think I was there all day almost everyday. The people you meet, the fun, the events, the organization is just impeccable and the people and organizers are amazing to work with, the backstage group is so fun and everything that just surrounds this whole event is amazing, I was blown away from day one… I have no favorite memory, the entire Faire and everything that comes with it is something to look forward to.

How was Hope’s Horizon born? What inspired it, what is its story?

Hope’s Horizon was born in Tolkien’s mind, because the sim is inspired by the great city of Minas Tirith: of course with Second Life’s limitations and sim sizes, I would have needed all ten sims to accomplish that, but I did my own smaller rendition of it. I am dedicating this build to my dad, who passed away a couple years ago of cancer. He was a major Lord of the Rings fan and this was my chance to do something great to make him proud. The building stands high above everything and it is as if you are flying when you reach the top, you can see the surrounding Faire sims when you are standing there. I have put a blossoming tree at the top to represent life, and everything good in life. The tree is blossoming there in all its glory on top of this city in remembrance of our loved ones letting you all know that the spirit never dies…

Thank you, Jaimy, for taking the time to chat with us, and most importantly: thank you for being a part of the Fairelands!