Dragon Castle Revival - Summer 2014!

As I said in my previous post, I am back! - and the first thing I had to do was find land to rent to put out my castle. The lady I rented from last year has sadly packed up and left, so I searched and searched among the reasonable-rate parcels, trying to find one where my castle would be accepted. The problem, as I found with my first landlord, is that the building is quite tall - nearly, but not quite, as long as one side of a 4096 sqm plot, if you include the turrets - and so it does tend to dominate a smaller parcel and its neighbours. However much I would love to, I really cannot afford a larger parcel, but happily I thought of Foxkin Rentals, which have been around since forever - I met one of my best friends there many years ago (and as it turns out, I had forgotten, she is still on their admin list) - and are furry and dragon friendly; so I was quite hopeful they at least would appreciate my castle. I double-checked with the estate manager and she loved it! So I moved right on in. Although I do say so myself, I think my castle is a scenic asset to the island, and doesn't overpower the neighbours at all. 

Note that the boundary to my parcel is very close to the castle itself, you can see the left boundary dike running between the trees. I put the castle as far back on the plot as possible, with a sheer drop to the water (sim edge) behind, but it runs all the way up to the edge of the little lake you can see at the front here.

[The Dragon's Castle by TheMaxx Dragonash]

Here is a view from the other side, with windlight atmospheric settings changed to give this beautiful golden light, a simple toggling of the RGB settings just as you would tint a texture.

I haven't changed too much of the original build, but the top room - my bedroom - is the exception. This is the original decor. Fine if you like skulls, and I'm not generally averse, but it's a bit dingy and attic-dungeonesque. And this picture is artificially brightened.

So, a bit of texture re-application and some furnishings and voila! A bright, welcoming room fit for a dragon queen to sleep in. I've cammed to the left a bit with this shot, to show the bookshelf; you can just see the door out onto the roof-space, which I retextured as with the rest of the room. My bed - and a dragon tapestry - are up against the big stone 'chimney' where the dragon throne used to be.

[Bed, shelves & rug from Concrete Flowers] 

Moving down a floor, we come to the main hall of the castle, a large open area good for dancing or feasting (the banqueting table to the right produces a magnificent 3 course meal of temp-rezzed prims) or simply cuddling up by the fire to chat with friends. I haven't changed any of the original structural textures (the dragon painting is mine) but I did do a bit of spring cleaning, dusting and polishing to brighten the place up a bit. (Original textures were dulled with a grey tint.) Behind the camera is a little alcove, below:

[Angelic Designs M'Lady Dining Table; Relic 'Warsong Collection' Lovers' Chair]

Where I put the dragon throne, somewhat modified, particularly the statue, which I love but is very primmy. I tore it down to a few essential parts, and now it is more a dragon abstract than a life-like statue, but still makes quite a statement - especially now it is situated in the main room of the castle. I don't really understand why it was hidden away upstairs before, in the dusty attic!

Exiting the big double doors at the end of the main hall, you come to this sort of vestibule which isn't really large enough to use as a proper room, but needed something to give it purpose. So I put a tree in it. Well it's clearly a delicate tree, being all snuggled up in a wool cosy, and doubtless benefits from being inside. I think I was influenced by the painted tree in Ghormenghast; indeed the whole castle has something of a Ghormenghast feel to it.

[New Trails lighted tree with knitted veil]

Past the tree-room is a long gallery which of course now houses my finest works of art. I couldn't really get a camera angle to do it justice and there are far more than the two paintings shown here. This shot also shows one of my recent purchases, tucked into a corner - a music box from ContraptioN, which plays a haunting melody; the Cordwainer's Son; composed originally and exclusively for this piece. I find when I listen to it, I can't easily break away, it is so mesmerising. It was one of the first things I bought after settling my castle, and I was so glad to find the store still had it.

[MiaSnow bookcase with rats; 19MC armchairs; ContraptioN music box]

Out down a steep staircase and into the guard-room, I suppose, containing the front and rear portcullised gates. I have put my dragon-bed here, a comfortable nest of gold coins fused together by heat into one solid mass (so thieves needn't get too excited). You can see a shaft of sunlight coming through a skylight just above camera, in fact a textured prim which I left here; I removed all the others, along with a few oddments such as window frames and candles, to save prims. I think windlight makes such effects redundant now.

The 'ground' floor bailey of the castle - in fact it is perched on a rocky escarpment so not at parcel ground level - has both a stable and a fountain. Naturally a dragon cannot fit in a humanoid bath tub, so I have made the fountain area into my bathroom, with the addition of some pretty candles, bubble-bath and floating lilies. Seen through the intruding branches of the wisteria bush outside (you can see that in the first photograph) which make an appealing, fragrant curtain.

I haven't done anything with the stables, this is how they come. They house my unicorn, Earl, who is currently preferring the summer weather out in the meadow (pics to come).

I have made the castle very homely but for the first time I made a really big effort on the grounds; with such success that I have been spending all my time outside! I will post photos of the castle environs next, to showcase some of the (many) things I have bought since my return. This concludes the post for the castle interior - rather long, but I wanted to show it off for those who cannot visit.

~:~