The Dreamer

I know it’s Friday, and Friday usually means polls.  But I woke up this morning with an idea for a soft, summery sort of outfit, and I can’t get the idea out of my head.  My actress character Luned gets to be the model, since “dreamer” is pretty much her default mode.

It’s strange to have her in pastels:  she favors black and soft grey and red, both for sentimental reasons and her sense of High Drama.  And then, of course, I discarded “soft” as an outfit concept in favor of “omg pastels,” choosing my beloved Exquisite Long-sleeved Dress.  I was thinking soft and gossamer, but “like an Easter egg exploded” seems to have won the day.

The wacky supporting player here is the Drape of Evendim, of all things.  This nutty cloak seems to go well with the pastel explosion dress.  I was thrilled!  Then again, a typical outfit for me on any particular day might be a lime shirt, orange shoes, and turquoise nail polish.  Pixel-art imitating life.

Blue Caste Sorcerer

Well, sorta.

If you let Ered Luin’s spider-filled hinterlands fill in for the Brown Lands, and a level 15 substitute for a Blue Caste level 75 NPC, we’re golden!  That said, I’ve been fascinated by the Blue Caste Sorcerers since I first ran across them in the Brown Lands — powerful warriors with arcane might.  I decided to make an outfit in homage to these creepy, cranky NPCs.

My character’s outfit centers around the (Ceremonial) Robe of the Stone-Student, which is one of the many Moria pieces you can currently pick up in the LOTRO store.  I dyed it navy to approximate the Blue Caste’s robe colors.  Important supporting pieces include the Padded Mantle of the Dunland Soothsayer (umber), the Plain Cloak (Ered Luin blue), and the navy-dyed Battle-mask of Rhun.

Seen on the Streets: Fincin the Music-lover

It’s been a day!  And I wearily came online looking for Seen on the Streets candidates, and chanced upon this merry, plainly-dressed, but clearly adorable Hobbit called Fincin dancing in the Prancing Pony’s square.

Fincin is a member of House Whitewolf, and is heavily involved in Landroval’s fantastic music system.  She’s been a member of both the Eriador Music Society and the Green Hills Music Society, and is now starting a new band with her friends!  Keep watching the Landroval forums; I bet you might see something there on the matter!

I love this outfit’s pastoral simplicity.  Fincin wears the Robe of Leisure (available in the LOTRO Store), as well as the newly offered Summerdays Hat in umber.

I call your attention to the band Animal House, found in the background of a few of these shots. Dapper, musical people, all!

A Wedding Under the Stars

So, one of my characters got married tonight.  Nidhil, my beautiful Gondorian perfumer.   She and her betrothed, Gaelyn, have been together and separated, together and separated, though it’s been due to his wide-ranging adventures, not any trouble between them.  She’s waited patiently while he’s wielded both diplomacy and the sword in Angmar, Mirkwood, Dunland…the list goes on.

And now, the gregarious, business-minded, man of Bree has married his elegant, wealthy Minas Tirith perfumer.  In the fiction of our emotes, lanterns dangled from overarching tree branches over a trellis covered in purple, flowering vines.  The moon hung heavy overhead.  Tablecloths of white and cobalt blue covered long tables laden with food.

And now I get to show off some of my friends.  Score!  Here’s a big shout-out to the Wayfarers’ Guild, along with our guests from Elentiri, the Falcon Trading Company, and the Oathsworn.

The blues don’t match. But I’m okay with that — neither do the characters who got married. They’re variations on a theme, just like their colors, and style.

As Seen at the Party Tree

So my full-time training still continues, and I’m in transit for like 3 hours a day even though it’s 5 miles away and OMG WHINING.  Let’s put that aside for the moment, and talk about more pleasant things.

The Summer Festival is live!  And of course, Hymne of Cosmetic Lotro is hobbit-on-the-spot with all the latest screenshots.

Me, I thought I’d indulge in another mega Festival Seen on the Streets, this time capturing candid shots of Landroval players at the Party Tree.  This is a brand-new thing for me, to try total candids with no coordination.  I just had fun snapping shots — if you see yourself or a kinmate here, give a shout-out!

Alvirhelm of Allies of the Free People

Apologies!

I’m in the middle of training for my new job, and holy COW exhausted.  I have plans and plans and plans waiting, but they’ll keep until I’m not faceplanting on the keyboard and ending up with QWERTY embossed on my forehead.

<3  More soon!  Outfits!  Hilarity!  Houses!

Title Week: Eye in the Storm

For the last installment of Title Week, Ivy and I decided to change it up a little by choosing just ONE of the new class titles, unbeknownst to each other.  And for whatever reason, I decided to eschew all the titles earned by my 75s and choose instead one of the titles from my relatively wee Rune-keeper.

“Eye in the Storm” is the title earned after completing the level 15 Rune-keeper class quest, and should not be confused with the “Eye OF the Storm” Champion trait.   I thought a lot about how to portray this.  The obvious implication of “IN” the storm is that the Rune-keeper is right there, tossing weather to and fro.  And however you feel about RKs in the game vis-a-vis lore, that is sort of the visual shtick.

And then it got all wrapped up in storms and birds and flight and lightning, and that’s how I ended up with the rather strange combo of the Raven Festival Mask/Cloak of the Raven with the Shoulders of the Stone-student and the Gown of Autumn Nights.  The gown’s the wild card, but I can’t help but think of the motifs at waist and hem and cuffs to be lightning, rather than thorns.  The grey piping on the gown ties it back in with the metallic and grey elements on shoulders, mask, and cloak.

Title Week: Wrath of Winter

Title Week with the awesomesauce Ivy continues!  Please check out her outfit today; it’s great!

You earn the title Wrath of Winter by killing a metric tonload of worms in Forochel.  It’s a great title, and I struggled for a bit with either being the wrath of winter by going fiery (which Ivy did, to awesome effect) or letting winter’s wrath take a big bite out of my character.  I ended up choosing in winter’s favor.  Let it snow!

Waaaay back in the day, the romantic interest of one of my characters gave her a Great Hoary Aurochs Robe.  I love the thing, love it.  So did my character.  There’s been better “winter” clothing added to the game since, but I still really love the furry texture of the robe.  The Bearskin Winter Cloak and the Ceremonial Leijona Shoulder Guards (with their furry texture) play supporting roles.

Did I mention Forochel is my favorite zone?  Forochel is my favorite zone.

Title Week: The Unwise

Ohhh, I had so much fun with this one.

Title Week continues!  Today is one of Ivy‘s choices, the hilarious, cheese-death-inspired The Unwise.  You actually earn the title by eating cheese that drops off random…wights.  Which, when you think about it, really IS unwise.  And gross.  “Hey, this centuries-dead guy had cheese on him!  Nom!”

Since I’m a cosmetics blogger, I decided to bypass the “how do I interpret cheese-death with pixelclothes” issue and and make my model’s lack of wisdom show in clothing instead.  He’s wearing the Radiant Hat, Valar help him, along with the Fancy Shirt and Trousers and the Cloak of the Shining Star.  Dye colors are rose and purple.  His mood is mischievous.  I laughed so much taking screenshots.  Smiiiiirk.

So, a fancy man just got a HAT. And the promise given with the hat, was: “Ladies love a good hat.” See where the “Unwise” bit is going?

Title Week: Servant of Process

Title Week with the beauteous Ivy continues!  Check out her “Foe of Night” from yesterday, it’s just lovely.

Today’s is my favorite of the whole bunch, simply because it’s such a charmer of a Hobbit title:  Servant of Process.  You achieve this title by serving A Formal Complaint to one Will Tuffin in Dwaling.  Tuffin, a miscreant and Man, means nothing good for the people of the Shire.  Once you’ve completed the small fellowship (but really, soloable) instance associated with the quest, you become a Servant of Process for realsies!

The basis for this outfit is the simple, outfitter-acquired Long Fancy Robe, along with the Hat of Rallying (also found as other names), and the Map-maker’s Travel Pack.  Featured colors are olive, gold, and orange, and this is when I really wish there was a sky-blue in game, so I could highlight the vest beneath the robe.  I love that pop of color.

Now that the Mayor’s eaten his fill, back to business! He gives our intrepid Servant of Process an assignment. Get this writ to Polo Brockhouse!