Happy Yule Fest

From anonyHobbit and Bee, who just built their first snowman. (Bee found the acorn.)

Breathe Deep the Mirkwood Air

Having seen The Battle of the Five Armies (twice) when it was released on Friday, I returned home with a strong desire to visit Mirkwood again. I found it spookily beautiful when I first came there, and missed the bare trees and misty air. So Arae went back. She completed a few deeds that she'd skipped the first time through, and killed one heckload of Orcs. 

Far-Gazer

I now begin the painstaking process of putting together an outfit based on Thranduil's armour!

Horrorfest 2014

The crowds gathered in force this past weekend for the crazy fun that was Landroval's Horrorfest event. Elimraen and Faina spent an enthusiastic week trying to find perfect outfits, cancelling all other events in the diaries, stocking up on pie/beer/wool (I was supposed to be knitting at the same time as dancing) and made their way to the Da Bugans homestead of doom in time to catch the first band on Friday night. 

Here follow just a small selection of the screenshots Elim took. She thinks she has a promising future as a photojournalist. Judging by the dreadful feelings of withdrawal I was going through yesterday*, I'd say she's going to be spending enough time at future events to make that dream a reality. 

*Araewenel ran around Enedwaith for about ten minutes last night, finishing off some random Algraig reputation quests. The music craving got the better of her after that and she ported to Bree, desperately ran around looking for musicians, couldn't find any, so ran to the Pony to buy a harp from the Bard so that she could play something herself. There, thankfully, she found a minstrel playing in front of the fire and had a jig. Crisis averted. 

Screenies!

BARA BAHAU

New party outfits

Flock of Smeagols, making us feel all kinds of uncomfortable

We had a right little sync-dance troupe going

The Starlight Orchestra <3

Vethlo's 'and now I must return to my home planet' pose

A Rock and a Hard Place, plus fireworks!

Mondbarden! 

And my favourite band of the event, Old Winyards. They played the Farmer Maggot Pibgorn-off song and Elim went weak at the knees

Elimraen Elvanui, Level 36, Overachiever

Regrets her decision to come here today.

Dancing in the Town Square with Friends

Just caught Under the Sunlit Sky and Notenzauber playing in Bree. Elimraen was lucky enough to be taken under the wing of Rye, a kinnie, who gave her all sorts of tips about sync dancing. Good times :)

ALL THE NAMES 

Araewenel Elvanui, My First Level Capped Toon!

This happened last night! 

Dear Arae, who has been my main since about September 2012, reached level 100. I'd been putting it off and putting it off, feeling a certain unwillingness to 'have nothing left to do', which is a total joke, by the way. She has so much left to do. 
  
She'd been fighting her way round Gondor for the past couple of weeks, mostly with the XP Disabler equipped. Finally, last night, she got to level 99-with-about-100,000-xp-left-to-gain-before-hitting-100. [Gondor spoilers ahead] 

She got to the tent where Jajax was being held by Abedec. She checked her xp. I swung the camera around to look at her face and hit complete.

Hoorah!! There is something weird and wonderful about reaching level cap for the first time! Arae has been through a lot - unguided by me (or that's how it feels), she became attached to a certain NPC who did not make it as far as Gondor. More on that in future '30 Photos' posts. Now I think of her as damaged, with not a lot of laughter left in her. So this was a special moment. We've come a long way.

After rescuing Jajax and bidding him farewell, with a few whispered words to him about a kinnie who misses him, she made her way back to Dol Amroth. Having changed her outfit, obvs. Here she is on the road with newly-named Rovail (wings), who is wearing her nice new saddlebags. 

Arae likes Harpers' Court best of all in Dol Amroth. She went there to contemplate her journey so far and what is left ahead of her, if she can find the hope to keep on fighting. 

[Spoiler! She can :D]

Lotro(geek)'s 30 Day Picture Challenge: Picture 1

One year and four months ago, the Lotrogeek tumblr owner issued a picture challenge to her followers. Ever on the ball, a couple of months ago I actually came across it. I don't like to back down from a challenge unless it suits me or I can't be bothered, so I have decided to take this up, but on my own terms, otherwise it might become not fun. Nothing to do with Lotro should ever feel like a chore!

Here's the original post by Lotrogeek. I'm going to be all P about it (Myers-Briggs reference woo) and have no structure to the order I do it in, or the time it takes me. So, without further ado, here is number 30 on the list: 

The Faithful Follower - Show us that soldier, animal, herald, anyone that follows you faithfully through the game and makes you feel safe.

I have a lil' Hobbit Cook who splits most of her time between Michel Delving and Hobbiton, occasionally going so far as Bree for a festival. She's followed around constantly by her spotted shrew, Bee. The Hobbit herself is an introvert and doesn't take kindly to people even knowing her name. She's not in a kin. She hardly ever comes out of her shell to talk to people. But one time she did bow to Pineleaf when she ran across her farming in MD. I can happily report that she bowed back. 

Anyway! Voila, the Hobbit and Bee. 

(Sorry, Bee. I still think you're beautiful)