Ideas for End-of-Expansion Guild Party

Hey SD! Anou here (and Darger and possibly Kuiper in the background behind me)...

Seeing as at the end of WotLK we had a somewhat disorganized Naked-End-of-the-World-Dance-Party in Dalaran, and everyone had a lot of fun just joking around because "the end of the world was coming", I figured this time, let's be ready for it.

In the past, core members of SD and a few good friends, joined together in various locations to bring you "thematic in-game parties", so here's my thoughts...

Everyone wears something that has an Asian flavor:
Chest/Legs ideas: Festival Suit, Festival Dress, Festive Black, Teal or Blue Pant Suit, Festive Green, Pink or Purple Dress.
Feet: Some type of flip-flops (Knitted or Cross-Stitched Sandals, Ringo's Blizzard Boots/Apprentice's Boots, or Shimmering Geta).

Everyone pays a visit to the barbershop and gets a hair cut: Black hair, braids, styles with an Asian-feel, braided facial hair, etc.

Add your own personal touch! For example, there's a set of plate shoulders that has an Asian-dragon type of look (Blood-Stained Pauldrons/Glimmering Steel Mantle). Add weapons, lanterns or flowers in your off-hand! Maybe find a staff that looks like a tree branch.

To honor the non-combat pets that will soon loose their "non" status, drag out a lantern or panda! Non-combat pets that fit the bill would be things like Pandaren Monk, Ancona chicken, Westfall Chicken, any variety of serpent, Dragon Kite, Festival Lantern, Lucky Quilen Cub, Lunar Lantern, Magic Lamp, Panda Cub, Tuskarr Kite.

BYOB, fireworks, novelty items, anything goes! There will likely be door prizes! This post will also be on the SD website. Feel free to leave comments, suggestions, ideas, etc!

Venez en grand nombre!
Merci, la direction.

Lub, Princesse Anou ;) xxx

Darger Returns "Hola!" ;)

Stroll Through the Bamboo

More photos at Anou's Armoire. And here too!

Event#6: Javelin

Loud cheers and applause drown out any other sound as the announcer tries to divulge the winners. The scoop was leaked through an unknown source and a mob of fans surrounds Trollbane Hall to acclaim the Gold Medalist in this noble event...

Results are in! (The commentator finally manages to be heard above the din.)

© The Red Brood Gazette

Featured above:  Darksoul Shoulders, Battleplate of the Molten Giant, Hyperion Vambraces, Bogslayer Gauntlets, Belt of the Fallen Emperor, Chromite Legplates, Cracked Obsidian Stompers, Terokk's Quill.

Here were the details for this event: "Javelin – Build an outfit around the polearm of your choice." "Your event entry must be able to use the outfit as a proper end-game transmog (so no Gnomes in Shaman gear or Goblin Rogues entering the discus)."

Oh my gosh. More applause. The ground is literally vibrating beneath the onslaught of cheering and stomping fans. What's this? Someone actually fainted?!

Congratulations to everyone for such a tight race! And kudos to the winners for pulling off the extra few points to make it to the podium!

Here's some of the commentary for the day's event...

"If it weren’t a tight enough contest at this point, we had a tie for second place at 385 feet! That means, with a whopping 387 feet, the gold medal went to the League of Arathor!!! Congratulations again to today’s winners, and in all honesty all of the competitors.  That was the fiercest and tightest event we’ve seen so far in this year’s Mogolympics.  Each and every entry should be proud for bringing their best to the field today!" ~JD Kenada for The Red Brood Gazette

"Wow! The winner is really good. There’s some attention to detail there, fx the red bracers. Really good mix and match." ~Ironyca for Stood in the Fire Magazine

Athlete's Profile

All in all, I admit I am totally surprised that this noble Night Elf stood on the podium, but boy was I excited! I actually squeaked 'I won!' in real life, in a very high and loud pitch, surprising my husband and children in the process. /sheepish

Thanks so much to the judges, I'm glad this outfit was strong enough to impress you! And again, congratulations to the finalists and to everyone who participated!

Cozy in the Dampness

Here's another screenshot, of the same variety as the bowl of apples I liked so much. Kirina would call it a quirk, I think, but there you go. ;)

Even Lyv, who likes to sleep in wooden boxes in the deepest, dankest, darkest spots, was tempted by the straw beds in this grotto in Vashj'ir.

Event#5: Archery!

Here are the results for the fifth event, Archery! Congratulations to the three medalists!
This was my favorite event to do, it's the first I tackled because I was so excited about it. All I have to say is, Blizz! Make some agility skirts for heavens' sake! So many of the entries had skirts on, and all the winners had skirts too! It looks fantastic!

Give a warm hand of applause for Fenn Nightvine! (Wolf-whistles can be heard in the background as she takes the stage... However, the renowned archer seems nonplussed by the cries of adoring fans.)

Fenn Nightvine

Featured above: Bloodthirsty Dragonscale Shoulders, Lambent Scale Breastplate, Protector Gauntlets, Brightscale Girdle, Rippling Flesh Kilt, Stone Cairne Boots, Wyrmstalker's Bow.

This archery garb truly does not look as good on a Blood Elf, unfortunately, and I think it's because they can't have green hair. Funny how the simple color or style of hair can totally change the look of an outfit! It's disappointing actually, because I would have loved this for my huntard.

Criteria for this event: "Archery – Build an outfit around your favourite bow." And, as always, "Your event entry must be able to use the outfit as a proper end-game transmog (so no Gnomes in Shaman gear or Goblin Rogues entering the discus)".

I was going for something simple, yet delicate, woodsy and elven. This set says feminine yet stable and focused: Fenn is one with nature, blending into the forest but staying true to herself. It's my favorite entry! I think I've said that before, huh?

Athlete's Profile

Event#4: Wrestling

This event yielded, in my opinion, the largest variety of genres of wrestling imaginable from WWF drama to the Karate Kid. I bet the judges had a difficult time pin-pointing exactly what they were judging, I know I would have.

So, here are the results of the Wrestling competition. Congratulations to the winners!

The medalists were very good, most of them were more simple, high-school-style wrestling, I'd say, clean, and pure. Except the goblin from Warsong Offensive—drama queen! ;)

A few times I almost went off track with my own idea, and having chosen a hulking Draenei my intent was to go for more of a WWF look. In the end if was a simple WWF, neutral color, not too much drama.

Please welcome, Dranoss "The Fang"!

Dranoss "The Fang"

Featured above: Formidable Circlet, Scorpid-Sting Mantle, Vicious Gladiator's Ringmail Armor, Spiritwalker Handwraps, Split Shape Belt, Sentry's Leggings, Tsunami Boots (or any shoes that don't display on a Draenei).

The details for the Wrestling entry were: "Wrestling – We’re going to deviate from olympic wrestling and go to the sports entertainment aspect instead.  Using one of the “championship” belts, design your own Azerothian pro wrestler.  Think of the oversized belts, such as the Firemend Cinch [..]." And "Your event entry must be able to use the outfit as a proper end-game transmog (so no Gnomes in Shaman gear or Goblin Rogues entering the discus)."

Athlete's Profile

Incidentally, here were my favorites, and I repeat: I would have sucked as a judge in this event.

The Pimp, The Wrestler, and Mr. Miyagi. BONZAI Danielsan!

Master of Arms >:)

This Argent Blood Elf hero is handsome, and strong, and fearless, and so, so tall, not to mention interested. But really? In the dormitory?! Hehe. "Dagrin, take a look at what's in that closet," Anou whispers.

Gasp! Paparazzi!

Event#3: Discus!

The results are in over at Blog of the Treant, as Khizzara was one of the judges!

Once again, congratulations are in order! One gold medal and three silver!

Again, my personal favorites: Argent Crusade. Wow. Stormwind's first contestant, and The Exodar.

Argent Crusade, Stormwind, The Exodar Contestants

Khizzara's dialog-type commentary between a tauren and a goblin had me rolling. And being that my loyalties are to the Horde, when she commented on Jaremy's performance I actually LOL'd. The gold and blue shield was clearly the most popular choice and most of the outfits put together for this event were based on those colors. By the end, I bet the judges were sick of seeing it.

And heeeeeeeeere's Jaremy!

Jaremy Thompson

Featured above: Replica Lieutenant Commander's Lamellar Shoulders, Brutal Gladiator's Lamellar Chestpiece, Wound Dressing, Bracers of Gleaming Shards, Wheelman's Shattered Grasp, Belt of the Ordained, Imperial Plate Leggings, Grim Sabatons, Crusader's Shield.

"Khizzara:  Here’s a Human from the League of Arathor.
Kaylira:  Boo!  Booooo!
Khizzara:  What are you doing now?!
Kaylira:  I never win Arathi Basin.  I hate these guys, so I’m booing them.
Khizzara:  I wonder if that will work as well as the mooing?
Kaylira:  326 yards!  Ha!  Take THAT, you Alliance jerks!
Khizzara:  You know, we’re supposed to be impartial, right?"

~Khizzara's Comments, from Blog of the Treant.

Still laughing about that! Anou normally refers to them as Alliance Scum™ but she's a Blood Elf, so, likely more edumacated than a Tauren. /cough

Athlete's Profile

The rules for this event were as follows: "Discus – Build an outfit around one of the shield skins seen here.", and of course, "Your event entry must be able to use the outfit as a proper end-game transmog (so no Gnomes in Shaman gear or Goblin Rogues entering the discus)".

(I just realized I made a crucial mistake: The shoulders he's sporting can only be transmogrified by someone who earned the original PvP Feat of Strength for Legionnaire/Knight-Captain or higher. I probably lost points for that. Oh well.)

Morning Rendez-Vous

Where to begin? Teniah. Considered as my evil twin for being a cat-eating warlock (as opposed to just a warlock), Teniah and I go way, way back. I'm talking Burning Crusade end-content. Originally, we met while raiding with Savage Darkness, and he really stood out for the new guy—he was determined to wand the bosses after dotting them, so as not to pull aggro off the tank which also happened to be the guild's GM. Hahaha. We still laugh about that.

Anyway, last night I was in the AQ area shooting some screen caps of my tier 2.5 set for Anou's fashion blog and was playing around with emotes to get something suitable, when Ten whispered me. After I post this, I'm logging in, with my coffee on my desk beside me, to meet him. ;)

Farmers in The Dell

Let me get this out of the way first: Check out the cool nursery rhyme that inspired the title of this entry!

On a lazy Saturday afternoon, Anou was out in her favorite spot, farming two very, very rare items: Farmer's Broom and Solliden's Trousers. She actually has Brill as her hearth to get there more quickly. Conveniently, there is a vendor across the road from the farmstead to sell all the other garbage that seems to drop in spades. No pun intended.

Anyhow, being the curious types, Darger and Taint came out to see what I was doing, and to compete against me, promising to get the drops before me since their luck is usually better (and something about squealing in vent, which I won't get into here). Meyana also finally joined us, but she just sat in the sun and watched the farmhands at work. Not that I blame her—slaughtering humans is such tedious work.

Taint came prepared. (Featured Below: Russet Hat, Blue Overalls, Pitchfork.)

And Darger sported his now-famous "camel-riding outfit". Anou did the best she could, considering she'd emptied her bags to be able to farm longer, and only had her fishing outfit with her.

Spotlight: Elwynn Lamb

Spotlight: Mr. Wiggles

Ancona Chicken and Sinister Squashling

Despite the constant, and merciless teasing ("Oh, look, a broom, let me vendor it!", "I killed Farmer Solliden three times!", "I'm looting all the Farmhands before you, Anoooou!"), it was a fun and different way to spend a Saturday. Vent helped, naturally.

Inconspicuous Cow

"Did anyone see Kuip?"
~ Giggle.
"Where'd he go?"
~ Snicker.
"Maybe he's at the boss already?"
~ Rustle.
"I don't know. Weird."
~ Chortle.
"Is he in Vent?"

"Tee hee hee! They'll never find me!"

On Kuiper (a.k.a. Fereldin), and his love of finding his way into strange pots. Err, I mean spots.

Event #2: Hammer Throw!

The hammers have been thrown and the judges have measured the distance. Here are the results of the second event.

Congratulations to the winners!

The Gold medal winner (Undercity) was simply incredible with a score of 386. Wow. And I must admit, I love it on a troll! My personal favorites were Lower City, Silver Covenant and Exodar in no specific order.

Lower City, Undercity, Silver Covenant, Exodar Contestants

Not a big fan of maces, what can I say? Pfft. Excuses, excuses. I'll admit I stuck to my fashion "principles"—epic is overkill—and I knew this outfit was not one of my strongest. The reason I stayed with it is because I felt that it was achievable and still flashy. I mean look at those pants.

Please welcome Corrick McCord!

Corrick McCord

 Let's hear Elcombe's commentary on the event:

"The League of Arathor is next, as we settle down to the final three entries in today’s competition.  He taps the hammer against each boot for luck and releases a strong overhead throw…looks like he might’ve snapped it a bit there.  It comes down hard and 336 says Logard.  I’ll say it once more, that’s still an effort to be incredibly proud of."

Featured above: Fel-Steel Warhelm, Heavy Mithril Shoulder, Alabaster Breastplate, Reaver Gloves, Girdle of Many Blessings, Emerald Legplates, Heavy Lamellar Boots, Earthwarden.

"In a recent interview, Corrick admits to having had one too many bowls of Haggis before going onto the field. His wife Birgit was hassling him about it (we could hear her voice echoing through the halls after him), but as any self-respecting dwarf, he paid her no heed. Birgit also disclosed to us that her husband wears that great-helm to make him appear taller; 'He's very self-conscious about his height,' she explained."

~The Trollbane Tribune

Athlete's Profile

So, here were the rules:

"Hammer Throw – Build an outfit around your favourite two-handed hammer." And "Your event entry must be able to use the outfit as a proper end-game transmog (so no Gnomes in Shaman gear or Goblin Rogues entering the discus)."

Eat Me

Welcome to the Serpentshrine Caverns elevator boss. This elevator kills many, many players, and everyone giggles about it. After much thought, I am convinced it's because people are too busy staring at what's under their feet and thus not at where they are running.

Personally, I like to stand right in the center of the fish's mouth—makes me feel like a pipe!

Birthday Gift

About a week ago, I logged on to raid, despite it being my birthday. Taint whispered me, asking me to check my email. The dialog went something like this:

Me: "Now?"
Him: "Yeah."
Me: "But we're in raid. Right, right now?"
Him: "Yes. Right, right now."
Alt-Tab. Open Thunderbird. Gasp. Alt-Tab.
Me: "Omg. You bought me a pet?!"
Him: "What?"
Me: "You bought me a pet from the Blizzard store?"
Him: "I don't know, did I?"
Me: "-.-"
Him: "LOL. Happy birthday."
Me: "..." Pause. Excitement. "OMG! WHY?!"
Much fighting ensues. DBM floods chat.
Me, over boss corpse: "I didn't say thank you. But I'm too excited! THANK YOU! You shouldn't have!"
Him: "Why not?"

You can see where this was going. He likes to play innocent, feign indifference. But he's a sweetheart. (When he's not misdirecting bots at us in Ulduar.) Also, this was a gross dramatization of our conversation, because Taint doesn't punctuate, capitalize nor write full words most of the time.

Cute and Hyper

Thanks Taint. ♥

Event #1: Cycling!

So, Mr. Kenada is really busy with real life, but TotA has posted the winners and entries for the first event on her website.

Congratulations to the winners of the Cycling event!

Having seen the winners, I really like the Gold medal one, but I think there were better entries that could have won Silver.

Alas, I didn't win any medals in this first discipline, which happens to be the one I thought I may have a chance with. (I warned my guild-mates that I probably wouldn't win any medals, considering I'm up against the big guns, *wink wink*.)

Now, without further ado... Please give a warm hand of applause for Rodney “Red Rod” Crankshaft, representing Arathor in the MogOlympics!

Rodney “Red Rod”* Crankshaft

"Although he is no taller than a handful of apples, Rodney Crankshaft, better known as 'Red Rod', has dedicated his short life to racing choppers. Of course, this sport never paid the bills, but his natural abilities as a rogue have kept him quite occupied otherwise.

As a professional athlete of sorts, he pulled his look together to show his resilience towards comments in trade chat regarding 'rouges'. As everyone knows, 'rouge' is either the color red in French or another word for lipstick. The name does leave a few people blushing though!"

~The Trollbane Tribune

Featured above: Legion Headguard, Bonechewer Shoulderguards, Walloper's Chestpiece, Red Workman's Shirt, Rageclaw Gloves, Bandit Cinch, Dark Leather Pants, Boots of the Shifting Sands.

Here are the "details" we were handed with regards to this event: "Build a biker outfit to compliment the Chopper.  It must be either Leather or Mail." And "Your event entry must be able to use the outfit as a proper end-game transmog (so no Gnomes in Shaman gear or Goblin Rogues entering the discus)."

Athlete's Profile

This apparently wasn't enough of a challenge for me. In my opinion, epic items will always look awesome because they are, well, epic. Let's face it, Blizzard wouldn't reward players for end-content play with something mismatched and frayed. So, I feel that it's too easy to use sets and epic gear to get an amazing look. As much as possible, I try to stay away from anything with a purple name, and I make an extra effort to make sure other items aren't simply renamed look-alikes of set pieces. With this biker look, I feel I achieved my goals.

Look-Alikes: Blood Knights

Here, Octavien has just stepped out of the transmog office, thoroughly content with having changed the appearance of his epically mismatched and ridiculous-looking tanking gear, and what does he see before him? Someone dressed exactly the same. /sigh

The Tainted Forest

Flying above The Tainted Forest, I love the gloom and the dark, the mist and the ambiance. Alliance people sit comfortably in their halls below and behind me, away from the ruins of the rest of the Blasted Lands.

Incidentally, beyond the pier is an excellent spot to fish for Summer Bass, without those pesky alliance PvP NPCs paying you any mind.

The Opening Ceremonies!

OMG How EXCITING! (Hehe ;)--All in the spirit of things!)

Let The Games Begin

Four Stages of a Bloom

Our guild often runs the old Temple of Ahn'Qiraj raids, you know, for t-mog gear and rep. One day, Pally had nothing to do so he asked if I needed to run it on Anou. (Pally is so sweet, always remembering other people, and trying to do things to make them happy, especially when he's bored.) Anou can't solo much—she can't cast many spells while running, and her gear is always too.. cloth-y.

During the gauntlet of AQ40, Pally, all excited, said: "Anou! Follow me, quick, watch!" And down we went through the long, winding tunnel, collecting all those insect-creatures, and racing to the boss. When we crossed the threshold, the bugs swarmed around Pally since he had all the aggro, and he AoE'd them to oblivion. Meanwhile, I got a spectacular view...

Ninja Turtles

Well, I'm a noob. Despite all the times I foraged through the Dalaran sewers, looking for mushrooms or just wandering around, I had never noticed (until a few months ago—in May to be precise) the small grouping of turtles admiring a Sewer Rat. At first I thought this strange and so I mentioned it randomly in guild chat. "It's a reference to Splinter and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," said Viagra. Ha! Awesome, Blizz!