My Latest Pets

I purchased a Guardian Cub yesterday. If you haven't gotten yours yet, you really should! It's a truly adorable pet, with several cute animations including a somersault, sitting up, comical yawn-roars, and my favorite: standing up to swat at a firefly but ending up in a belly-flop on the ground. So delightful!

The Guardian Cub pet matches the Winged Guardian mount, one of my favorite mounts in the game. Whoever at Blizz created these two creatures deserves very high praise. As an animal artist, I can really appreciate the skill and artistry involved. This is level of quality is what keeps me excited about World of Warcraft. Well done, Blizzard!

I'd been using my new favorite add-on (Mogit) to find an armor set for my Guardian screenshots and found Ornate Mithril armor. I remembered I had reshot my old Pet Bombling portrait where I was wearing that set, opting instead for the sunscale set. Ornate Mithril armor was a very good match for my Guardians, but sadly I had vendored it after I took the Bombling screenshot. Then I discovered that the quests to learn those plans were removed from the game, making this armor increasingly difficult to locate. Blacksmiths with the Ornate Mithril set should keep this in mind for the transmogrification process. Luckily, my new friends in Militis Justica came to my rescue, crafting a new set for my screenshots!

Hopefully many of you were lucky enough to attend Blizzcon, or at the very least purchase the live coverage, and were rewarded with the delightfully demented Murkablo! Purchasing Blizzcon is well worth the money, even without the pet reward. But this hot new pet spews fire, belches smoke, blows a giant smoke ring then leaps through it, and even hovers overhead spraying fire down on everything below. My eyebrows got badly singed during this shoot.

I thoroughly enjoyed the Hallow's End and Day of the Dead festivities. My only wish (which I am sure many of you share) is that the Macabre Marionette become a permanent pet. I guess Day of the Dead tradition is to invite the lost to return to the living and celebrate for a day, so I should just enjoy him while I can. It's only fitting. 

Hoping 4.3 goes live soon! I can't do much with such a full inventory! 

Fish Story Winners!

I really loved reading everyone's fish stories in the comments. It's always nice to know there are other people out there besides myself who have dedicated so much time to add to their collections. The winners of the Bloat loot cards are:

Yams

Pomelo

Congratulations, winners!  Please email me to claim your cards!

A couple of months ago while talking pets with my friend Jen, the subject of Dragonwrath achievement pet, Lil' Tarecgosa, came up. We were both very excited that her guild was working on the achievement. I told her that although I loved my guild (The Basin), sadly the legendary staff was a distant goal for us so I'd be unable to add that pet to my collection for a very long time. The next time we talked, she told me her guild was offering me a membership for a chance to get the pet. I could not believe their generosity! After much soul-searching and discussion with both guilds, I decided to temporarily leave my guild and join Militis Justica. They finished the staff shortly after, and the guild got the pet. It took longer than expected for me to grind my reputation to exalted, but I eventually got there. My favorite new pet, Lil' Tarecgosa, has such special meaning for me. I want to thank Militis Justica for such a generous gift, and The Basin for their understanding of my deep affinity for Warcraft pet collecting.

Over the next several weeks hope to be farming armor pieces for my Lil' Tarecgosa screenshot with my new friends in Militis Justica. 

I've also been having fun putting together other sets in anticipation of the 4.3 transmogrification feature. Thanks once again to my friend Jen, I learned about an amazing new add-on called Mogit. This mod lets you search for armor, sorting by class, material, slot, color, level, etc. With this mod, I was able to find and complete a new set that will likely be my main xmog look. I'm very excited about this add-on. It promises to be invaluable for my armor collection and screenshots!

A Fish Story - Purple Puffer Giveaway!

Well, it's been a while since I updated the blog. Real life getting in the way, etc. 

I did manage to add two more Hallow's End pets to my menagerie and spend a couple mornings preparing screenshots of them. I put together a sexy green witch costume to go with my green-eyed Feline Familiar. I was thrilled to get a Flying Broom so we could chase bats at dusk together. My friend Jen helped me locate just the right backdrop for my screenshot: the skyline of Gilneas, with requisite chimneys, bats, bare trees, and gothic spire. Here is the gallery page.

Here's a different shot of us so you can see my costume. I'm listing the pieces if you're interested in putting together this costume yourself. It's all cloth, so any class can wear it: Ivycloth tunic, cloak, girdle, and bracelets. Elegant Leggings. Quicksand Waders. Watcher's Cap.

My Creepy Crate screenshot took a bit more preparation. Although I had a matching armor set (Banded mail armor), I couldn't think of a creative backdrop. I just assume creepy crates are found under stairs, so I located a spot under an old stairway and practiced some positions and poses. I noticed the human female bow emote made me look like I was lifting something invisible. So I positioned myself in a way that it appeared I was lifting the lid of my crate. The hardest part was timing my bow emote to synchronize with the random animation of the green creep seepage. Many of you who take screenshots know how much work can go into one simple concept. It's often way more complicated than the final screenshot appears. It took nearly two hours to get this particular capture for my gallery. Yeah, I know. I know.

Anyhow I'm looking so forward to 4.3, but really expected it to be here by now. My inventory is bulging at the seams in anticipation of transmogrification and void storage. To celebrate the upcoming release of 4.3, I have a couple Bloat the Purple Puffer TCG loot cards to give away this week.  Since Bloat is a fish, let's make this giveaway fishing-related. In the comments, tell me your favorite in-game fish story. What fishing-related catch, achievement, goal was your toughest, favorite, or most fun? On Monday at noon GMT, I'll randomly choose two comments to receive a Bloat loot card.

Good luck to all! Don't let this one get away!

Fish in a Bubble? Tallstrider Mount?

I am so excited about this I'm giggling like a maniac as I type!

The upcoming TCG booster release, Throne of the Tides (Cryptozoic, October 2011) will reportedly feature some ultra-cool loot cards, including a mind-blowing mount and possibly the cutest wet pet of all time!  I nabbed this paragraph from a card distributor's website:

The three new loot cards for this set are good ones. The epic is the Tallstrider Mount. This is a unique mount not available in the MMO currently. The rare is Throwing Star Fish which players can throw at one another, and it will “stick” in them, which will be fun. The common is Fish in a Bubble which is a cosmetic pet puffer fish in a bubble.

I haven't seen any datamined images of either pet or mount yet, but I'm confident the always awesome Blizz CG artists will not disappoint! There's just one problem. It's not October yet! Hopefully I can get my hands on a Throne of Tides loot card or two to give away! Stay tuned!

World of Warcraft and Creativity

In an attempt to get you guys to visit on a regular basis, I'm going to try to keep the content more up-to-date. Not sure I can find time to post every day, but I'll try to get at least a few posts a week.

Of course I'll still be holding the usual giveaways. I'm hoping to schedule those more regularly in the near future. But in the mean time, there really is so much stuff I want to post about. Not just my contests or collections or projects that I'm working on, but interesting stuff I've learned about from World of Warcraft friends. For instance, my friend Jen found a really cool website called the visual roleplay gear list. With the upcoming transmogrification changes in 4.3, this amazing compilation of gear sets and assorted items will be a wonderful resource for those of us that collect armor and accessories. Nice find, Jen!

roleplaygear.wordpress.com

While visiting WOW Insider a while back, I found out about a great blog called World of Warcraft unofficial papercrafts where you can download printable patterns to create mind-blowing 3D paper models of creatures, characters, items, etc. I haven't attempted any of them yet, but I plan to. I just marvel at the mad paper skills of these people! 

I really want to start featuring some WoW-related art on my blog, since that's a big interest of mine. I saw a gorgeous illustration of Sylvanas Windrunner in the Blizzard Fan Art Gallery a while back, and was astonished to later learn it was a 3D illustration. It came as no surprise to me that artist, Tamara Bakhlycheva, works in the game industry. But I was thrilled to learn she's a young woman. She has such an eye for sumptuous color and intricate detail, but there's a soft, luminescent quality in her work that you don't often see in game art or concept art. Please take a moment to check out some of her amazing 3D work:

Tamara Bakhlycheva

And that of her husband Vadim:

Vadim Bakhlycheva

Edit: I mistakenly posted the latter image and credited Tamara, but it has come to my attention this is her husband's work. What a talented couple!

Loot Card Pet Contest Winners!

I want to let you guys how much I thoroughly enjoy these contests. It's been so much fun reading all your comments and stories about your pet adventures. I plan to hold lots more Loot Card Contests in the future, so please bookmark or follow my blog for return visits!

And now for the winners!

Darren McNeil - Spectral Tiger Cub

Who was randomly chosen from the Lost Key entries.

What pet were you most thrilled to get and why?

Beth Smith - Fool's Gold

Who was randomly chosen from the comments:

I'd always hoped for the Hyacinth Macaw, but I thought it's rarity would put it out of my reach. So I just hoped I'd get lucky like Drrum and find it on the AH for cheap, so I scanned it everyday, sometimes several times a day. 

After Cataclysm came out I saw it was on the AH much more, and saw that it was now a possible drop from any mob in Stranglethorn. I planned on making a worgen to see how I'd like the race, and figured if I'm going to level it up, I might as well go to Stranglethorn and try my luck. So every time I killed something I'd hope I'd get it, closing my eyes while I looted, and probably a few dozen quests in I GOT IT!!! So excited, I mailed it immediately to my main character, learned it and just stood around in Stormwind fishing for complements. After a bit I went back to grinding out quests, still high off my luck. A few dozen more quests, and BAM, another one! I was going to learn it on another character, but couldn't pass up the chance to make a little extra gold, so I put it on the AH.

And Moonlace - Nightsaber Cub

Who was randomly chosen from the comments:

Oh that's difficult to choose...I've been an avid pet collector on all games I play, but I would have to pick my Lashtail Hatchling. I was SO sad when she was stolen from me by Bloodlord Mandokir! The next day I saw her again with those big blue eyes of hers...poor thing was being held hostage! I couldn't just walk away after slaying the Bloodlord...I had to rescue my poor hatchling! Vela hasn't left my side since :)

Congratulations to the winners! 

More Loot Pet Contests! Spectral Kitten!

I'm holding two contests side-by-side this week, both with fun loot card prizes!  Please read contest rules carefully before entering either contest! You may enter both contests, but please enter only once per contest!

Kobold and Nightsaber Cub Contest!

The first contest I'm giving away a Fool's Gold (Greedy Kobold Pet) Loot Card and a Nightsaber Cub Loot Card. In this contest, two winners will be chosen randomly from comments left on this post left before midnight GMT on August 21st, 2011. To enter, please answer the following question in the comments section below: 

What pet were you most thrilled to get and why?

One comment per person, please!  One prize per winner!

Spectral Kitten Contest!

When you're done posting your comment below, head over to my gallery website for another chance to win a very rare pet! Somewhere on my gallery website pages is a lost key. Locate that key and click on it, and you'll be taken to a page with instructions on how to enter my next giveaway. In my second contest, one winner will be randomly chosen from all the eligible entries submitted before midnight GMT on August 21st. One winner will receive a very rare Spectral Kitten loot card pet!

One entry per person, please!

Congratulations Screenshot Contest Winners!

First of all, thank you to everyone for all your wonderful entries. I was really blown away by the creativity and work that obviously went into your screenshots. The judges had a hard time picking their favorites, but here are the winners:

First Place: Jen Janke
"Crawling Claw"

Prize: Banana Charm

Second Place: Melodie Pellizzer

"Jump to the Stars"
Prize: Robotic Homing Chicken

There were also two runners-up who won Nightsaber Cubs: Diana Russell and Marusu Kaname!

Check out a selection of the most impressive entries here!

Grats to the winners!

Screenshot Contest Has Ended!

Thank you to everyone who entered! I'll be posting the winners and a selection of the screenshots within a few days.

Screenshot Contest: Rare Pet Prizes!

Congratulations to all you serious pet collectors on your latest 4.2 achievements and your new pet rewards! Here's hoping the fires of the Midsummer Festival bring luck to those who are still Coilfang-diving for their very own Frigid Frostling - I'm thrilled to announce Ahune finally dropped Ice Chip for me this weekend! I was so excited, I ran straight to the closet for an outfit for my screenshot.

I also have a couple outfits ready for my newest achievement pets screenshots! Time for you all to work on a screenshot of your own! Dig up some slick gear from your footlockers, closets, or the bargain basement at the Auction House... because you can win a rare pet!

Starting at today's patch until Midnight GMT, July 18th, 2011, I am holding a screenshot contest with the top two prizes being loot card pets! The first place winner will get to choose either a Rocket Chicken loot card code or the Bananas rare loot card! Second place will receive the other! Please read the contest rules before submitting an entry. Only one entry per person. Top 5 entries will be posted on my blog and website.

I've heard from lots of you regarding your collections of pets, armor, RP items, etc. What I would love to see in this contest is a single, unretouched, ingame screenshot of you posing in a fitting location, with a favorite non-combat pet, wearing an outfit of some sort (not necessarily matching, but something appropriate). Anything else goes, really! Pet/owner lookalikes, humor, adventure, seasonal, whatever inspires you. Papa Hummel-sized or traditional-sized pets will be judged equally, but please zoom in enough where both you and your pet can be seen clearly while still fitting in the frame. Also, please turn off all name tags and UI unless there's an actual reason your screenshot requires either. You may crop your image, but you must not include elements such as filters, frames, effects, cut/paste, etc. Unretouched only! Check out my old Tips & Tricks page for taking screenshots.

I'm excited to see what everyone submits! I just know there's going to be at least a few collectors that will put me to shame!

Brrrrrrrr! 

Attention Whores! Upcoming Contests!

This won't come as a surprise to anyone, but I'm a bit of an attention whore. I know, right? I ain't gonna lie, that's mostly the point of my posing and parading around the lands wearing adorable outfits that match my supersized pets. Here's a shout-out to all the other attention whores out there! This blog post is for you! Check out this recent gaga-licious vlog parody homage to attention whoring by Ember (Isolte) at Girls Do Play Wow! Awesome. 

I've had a lot of people tell me they were inspired by my gallery to pair pets or mounts with outfits in-game. Soon you'll be able to show off your talents, your love for pets and mounts, and your fashion style for a chance win a rare loot pet code! I'll be hosting a contest where you'll be asked to pair a favorite non-combat pet with an outfit of some sort (not necessarily matching, but something appropriate), and pose for your screenshot in a fitting location. Pick a favorite now, because only one entry will be allowed per person once the contest begins.

If you don't already have an outfit ready for your pet screenshot, you'll want to start collecting the pieces now! Some sets and outfits are time-consuming to collect all the pieces for, so consider this a heads up for my regular blog visitors! I'll be posting the contest rules here within the next couple weeks. The contest will be blind judged, so you'll be required to turn off names for your screenshot.

Another upcoming contest I'll be hosting is a Fan Art competition with additional rare loot code prizes. This is a heads up about the theme for regular visitors to my blog. You'll be asked to paint, draw, sculpt, sew, bake, carve, or otherwise create a likeness of your character with his or her favorite mount or non-combat pet. In order to prevent submissions of older or existing artworks, I'm requesting that the fan art include some reference to the Cataclysm expansion. For instance, your work must include an element only available since Cataclysm: either a pet, mount, scene, story, or in-game item, so start thinking of ideas now! Artistic talent will take you far in this competition, but don't let that stop you from entering if you don't happen to be mind-blowingly talented. Creativity, humor, originality will also score high marks!

Don't send in your contest entries yet! Please wait for the contests to start.

Latest Screenshots and Pet Winner!

Kim Buck is the randomly selected winner of the Lichling pet! Congratulations Kim!

My two latest screenshots are the Cenarion Hatchling and the Voodoo Figurine. 

The Cenarion Hatchling is from my friend and guildmate Zack, who made a donation in my name to the Japan Tsunami and Earthquake Relief efforts. I've been waiting a long time for a special pet to pair my Glimmering mail set with. Thank you, Zack!

I don't recycle outfits very often, but I had to for my Voodoo Figurine. The Gothic Plate set was just too perfect a match. 

Thanks for visiting and commenting on my blog!

A Few More Gallery Images

This post I'm showcasing a few more early screenshots from my gallery. I'm also giving away a Landro's Lichling code.

My first fishing reward pet was Muckbreath. Before I had so many armor sets cluttering my pack, I'd carry around a fishing outfit to wear as I fished, Muckbreath at my side. The blue overalls always look great with a Crochet Hat, but the Conjurer's Shoes look like thigh-high fishing waders! 

My Mana Wyrmling was purchased from an exotic vendor in the Outlands. I paired him with the Lofty plate set.

For some odd reason, Willy is known by a few different names. He's a delightful chap with one eye. So as a nod to his condition, I wear a Noble's Monocle, which always looks great with a black suit.

I updated the screenshot of my Captured Firefly when I put together my Ornate plate set with Cloudkeeper Leggings. I love the silver and gold together on both armor and pet!

My Sprite Darter Hatchling is still one of my favorite pets. I just adore the detail and the colors. An Elegant Dress really brings out the shimmer in her wings and dorsal fin.

My very first pet, the Crimson Whelpling, matches my Bloodlust mail armor beautifully. I wear a Flame Tabard to pick up the bronze hues of his wings.

If you know which robe I'm wearing in the screenshot of my Smolderweb Hatchling (below), leave a comment below and I'll pick a random person to email a code for the Landro's Lichling pet.

Revisiting My Gallery

So many of you emailed me asking about matching my armor sets in my screenshots. I'm a warrior, so I'm very lucky that I can wear most non-class specific armor from cloth to plate. But there's a wonderful variety of clothing and sets in the game, so chances are if you want to dress to impress, you'll be able to collect some gorgeous sets no matter what your class. On my gallery website, if you click on a smaller photo, it will take you to a large image where I list the name of the pet or mount featured, the armor I'm wearing, and the location of the screenshot. If you have any specific questions about something I'm wearing or where to get it, leave a comment! I'll be happy to answer. Leave a comment anyway, I love hearing from you!

I've decided to feature a handful of old screenshots per week on my blog, starting with some of my older gallery images. If I can remember details, I'll talk about how I got the pet or mount, the armor, and how or where I set up the screenshot.

I started collecting pets shortly after I began playing WoW. But when I bought my first trading card game pet "Bananas", he came with a free stack of Papa Hummel's Old-Fashioned Pet Biscuits. I was so enamored with my baby gorilla (who was quite rare at the time) I decided to find a little outfit to wear when showing him off. That was just over 3 years ago and the rest is history! The Aboriginal Skins were just right, so I decided to capture a screenshot in Stranglethorn Vale with a nice jungle backdrop. I thought I had a nice little collection of pets at the time, so I decided to dress up and pose with each one after feeding it a biscuit.

Bananas!

My next screenshot was of my favorite pet at the time, Peanuts. I chose the Blood Knight set because it reminded me a bit of a circus. I rounded up the set from the auction house over a period of a few days. Waiting for Peanuts to show off his trick was the most complicated part of this shot.

Peanuts!

It took me ages to fish up Mr. Pinchy out of the lakes of Terokkar Forest, but when I finally got him I was ready for a screenshot with one of the prettiest armor sets in the game. The Engraved set. I set up a screenshot near the tidepools in Azshara. I love the low-rise leggings and hip belt of this set, not to mention the vibrant colors. 

Pinchy!

I had a few of the Boneshredder fur pieces already before I got my Tranquil Mechanical Yeti. As soon as I finished the set, I took this screenshot in the cave in Alterac Valley. 

This pet is a crafted Engineering item.

I would love to know if there's anyone else out there dressing up with or without their special pets or mounts. If so, post a link or send me some of your screenshots! If not, start thinking about it. I'll be holding another giveaway contest in the near future!

My Latest Screenshots

Now that the launch of my blog has passed, I've gotten back to work on my pet collection and screenshots. Like many of you, I've recently acquired several new pets with the patch. My latest screenshots are Scooter, Wolvar Pup, and my newest and favorite, Legs.

I want to take a minute to thank my friends, as always, for helping me gather pieces of gear for my in-game hobby. I had to gather up the Brood of Nozdormu plate armor for my Legs screenshot and set. I got plenty of help from friends and guildies, especially Theus, Michael, Kushiel, Ryoshi, Shunai, Adam, and Sylvern!

I'm trying to find the cloak my NPC is wearing to complete my matching set. As soon as I get my hands on it, I'll get my Winterspring Cub screenshots done. If anyone recognizes that cloak, drop me an email! 

Giveaway Winners!

First things first. The lucky winners of the egg hunt giveaway are:

Amy Carlstrom - El Pollo Grande

Micki McClain - Robotic Homing Chicken

Thank you to everyone for hunting and entering, and congratulations to the winners!

Many of you have commented on the portrait I painted of Drrum and the cubs for my blog header. I have re-styled the high-resolution artwork to make it suitable for use as a desktop wallpaper. Feel free to help yourself to this image here. Desktop use only, please!

Back to archeology 4.1 pet chasing.

Pet & Mount Loot Card Giveaway Has Ended!

Entries are now closed.


I want to take a moment to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this celebration giveaway. I wish I had loot cards to send out to every single person who entered, but unfortunately there were many hundreds of entries and only two cards. 

I'll be announcing the winners on May 5, 2011(sorry, you'll have to wait!), but I want to express my most sincere appreciation to everyone who visited my blog and website, celebrated with me, and entered the giveaway. Thank you especially to all the people who sent such wonderful comments either ingame or along with their entries. I can't begin to tell you how much fun I've had hearing from WoW players all over the world. 

The week was so much fun for me that I've decided I will be running more contests and giveaways in the future. I hope you'll bookmark my blog and visit again, even if you're not one of the lucky recipients of my first giveaway. Please don't hesitate to leave a comment for me with ideas and suggestions!

Loot Card Giveaway to Celebrate My NPC!

Welcome to my blog. This is my first post, so there isn't much content yet. I hope to be posting reports and pictures, and discussing tips and ideas regarding my favorite activities in World of Warcraft: collecting pets, mounts, and gear. I'd like to also occasionally spotlight WoW fan artwork, since that's another interest of mine. But first things first.


A few weeks ago, a guildmate asked if the new NPC on the public test realm was named after me. I hadn't heard anything about it, so assuming it was a joke, I kiddingly replied "yeah, that's me". A few more people started talking about this NPC in guild chat, so I became curious. They said her name was Michelle De Rum, and she supposedly sells pets. At first I was amused that her name was so similar to mine (a combination of my real first name and a surname that was phonetically similar to Drrum). But once I learned her full title was "Michelle De Rum <Pet Collector>" I began to wonder if it might actually be some sort of tribute. It just seemed too crazy, but I downloaded the PTR anyway. I had to see this NPC for myself. I thought if she looked anything like me or had some matching armor set on, I would be less skeptical.


I logged onto the PTR and flew out to her location in Everlook. I wandered around the buildings looking for her and finally found her in the back of the inn, two Wintersaber cubs at her feet. As I approached, I was astonished to see she was identical to me! Hair, face, everything. It was like looking in a mirror! She looked splendid in her tier 2 Wrath set, a lovely shade of blue matching her pets perfectly! That was the clincher.


Now that she has made it into the game, I am completely overwhelmed with excitement and bewilderment. I remember how thrilling it was when Breanni of Warcraftpets.com got an NPC. I was so touched that Blizzard noticed and paid homage to someone who put so much love and work into a fan site. I'm thrilled to share company with the likes of Breanni, who I credit (along with Lisa Poisso's articles about me at WoW Insider) with popularizing my web gallery. I am delighted and truly honored that Blizzard gave me this very special ingame recognition.


So to celebrate, I am giving away two very special World of Warcraft TCG loot prizes: El Pollo Grande mount, and the Robotic Homing Chicken. I have hidden a couple of eggs on random pages of my website gallery. If you find one of the hidden eggs between midnight GMT on April 26th, 2011 and midnight GMT May 3rd, 2011, click on the egg then follow the instructions to enter your name in the pet and mount giveaway. Two winners will be selected at random from all the entries received by the deadline. Winners will be announced on May 5, 2011. One entry per household please - one prize awarded per winner. Click here for the complete rules.

Please don't spoil the fun for others by revealing the location of the hidden eggs, which will move to different locations throughout the week!


Happy Hunting and good luck!