"It's Not What You Know But What You Wear
-or-
We Are Living In A Material World, and I Am A Material Girl"

by Stephenne Minteauveux

Okay, obviously that isn't true, it does matter what you know. But isn't it also true that first impressions are the most important? What about noticing someone's new clothes or hairstyle? Often what we wear reflects the kind of person we are, or want to present to society. We follow trends for style and occasionally shun those that do not.

Granted, DragonRealms is not exactly your typical visual maelstrom that school or work is, where first impressions are more often what you see. In DragonRealms, I'm happy to say that what you say and do often means more than what you wear or own. But that doesn't mean that you can't use your inventory to reflect your personality. And I'm sorry to say that there will always be those people who are more interested in what toys they can acquire. We all have met them; we may even have been them at one time or another. There's nothing wrong with wanting to impress someone with what you have. However, if you're like me, and I suspect there are a lot of people who are, you simply can't afford all the nifty trinkets and toys created in this society. We have to make do with what we have, but that doesn't always mean we can't do it in some style.

COLOR COORDINATION

I will be the first to admit that more than one of my characters is most likely a fashion violation. In one of my past professions, I wore on a regular basis a white blouse, black skirt, white socks, pink ribbons and a golden bow, mist grey journey pack, feathered charm, gold hairpin, and a myriad array of rosettes. You look at someone in the Realms, and you see all their items. However, as I take a moment to think of what I wore (and still do, I admit it), I'm an eyesore. Most of us are. If the scroll produced by looking at someone isn't enough to give you a headache already and cause your eyes to glaze over and not see a thing, then imagine if you saw someone with all the things their characters really wore. Pins, charms, necklaces, boas with combat boots, leather armor and full length skirts, rings, bracelets, anklets, leggings, stoles, shawls, earrings, nose-rings, toe-rings... The list is endless.

And I love them all! Every possible piece of jewelry I can put on my person, I have, and where I'm missing something, I'm looking for it. I love jewelry, and it shows when I open my pockets and look in on rings and necklaces from prior merchants and fests, things I'll never truly be able to wear unless I change them on a regular basis. I have junk. I'm a packrat. I'm also a fashion violation.

It's not a bad thing. It's just funny. Coordinating isn't the end of the world, but it can be a very nice impression to make. I once saw someone who coordinated with rose quartz. That was over three years ago, real time, and that impression has always stuck with me. Both Leth Deriel and Tiger Clan have places to dye your materials, and they'll dye most things. Besides normal clothing, which you can buy with normal colors (white, black, blue, yellow, etc), you can dye things like longbows, arrows, containers, most anything that is a standard item without color or with one color. (A friend of mine was disturbed that he could not dye his tabard, which was made up of many intricate colors and designs. Also, I haven't found anyone to change the color of jewelry, but there is a metal dyer out in Knife Clan now.) Why walk about in a cuirbouilli coat, when you can walk around in a rich sable coat (I don't know how many times I had to explain it really was armor, but I was also able to wear it to formal occasions, so it all works out) or leather reinforced gloves when you can have forest green gloves.

The other side of the coin is this: Too much of a good thing. I've seen blood red and jet black used to excess. Blood red pack, blood red leathers, blood red cowl, blood red gloves, blood red weepers, blood red weapon harness - you get the picture. There's nothing worse than going to your friend's computer, the one he set up to highlight colors in the game (red is red, blue is blue on black screens) and seeing someone who looks like he should be heading to an empath, and fast! Obviously if you're going for a style or you have a favorite color, wear what you like; no one should tell you otherwise. But I often blink, rub my tired eyes and think, "Okay, do NOT look there again."

My personal gauge is, "How do I think it would look outside the Realms"? Before you scream "But that's not the point, this isn't real life!" let me just tell you that while I'm playing the game, I like to put myself there. I look through my characters’ eyes and I try to translate that for my mind. Otherwise, why have role-playing at all?

Back to my point. If I look at someone, and I see scroll and scroll and scroll of colorful things, I'm always impressed, but my mind sees a box of crayons gone awry. If I look at a person and I'm seeing a fashion violation, I wonder if they intended that look or became a victim of it. Maybe their mother just dresses them funny.

PRICE VS. VALUE

I will be the first to tell you that for someone who has been around the Realms for as long as I have, I ought to have some money. But I don't. Somehow, strangely, I never made my fortune. Could be because I changed profession three times, could be I socialize too much. Could be a lot of things. But I'll tell you this, I'll never afford a snake charm on my salary.

Does anyone remember when juggling balls were just lying around the juggling tent, and often discarded after they were used for that particular contest, before the tent resurfaced? I know I kicked myself a few times when I think about it. And, of course, there were juggling items that came along to the thieves some time after that, but apparently we all thought they were going to be around forever because no one got enough of those.

This is my point. Supply and demand. No matter how much we undervalue a thing, when it's gone, we suddenly think we should have bought more. Heaven forbid the general store should suddenly run out of something as discarded and necessary as backpacks.

I detest inflation about as much as I detest those folk who buy all of something to sell it later for more money. Sure, Traders are a part of our society, and if someone really wants to pay X amount for something, they should, but I do not personally think social status should be associated with how much you paid for an item. Snake charms are as expensive as they are for two reasons: they're rare, and they do something independent from their owner. It's the reason companions are so cute to others and familiars are all around (or is that because there are so many Warrior Mages?).

But if an item is neither old nor does nothing of note, why are people paying so much for it? Silver Ranger guild rings; I had a Fanger who had a yen for silver, thus I bought a silver Fanger guild ring. Those were sold for several platinum because they were rare, then the tent came back and everyone had one. 20 plats for a jadeite gwethdesuan? 40 for a kyanite gwethdesuan? I got one, who wants it? I'm kidding, but my point is that obviously we as a society have way too much money, and we want to part with it because we're paying these prices. New things come along all the time. The first time I saw a silver rose ring, I thought, "Oh, that I want!" Ultimately the Valentine Merchant came along, not overnight, but patience is more than a virtue; it'll save you money in the long run.

This is what I'm saying. Just because someone is offering something for a few dozen platinum doesn't mean it is worth a few dozen platinum, and just because something is being bid over doesn't make it suddenly more attractive. If you've got a thing about spending money, that's your business. But I, for one, rarely bid on things everyone else can't live without. The mark-up is too much for my brain and bank to handle.

I'm certain snake charms will come back, and this time I'll be ready. Or the next best thing will, and I won't notice it because I'll be waiting in the other tent.

QUALITY AND QUANTITY

When I was a young Empath, the more scroll you produced when looked at meant the better off you were. We didn't have expensive houses or shiny cars to show around so we stuffed on more fluff. Don't deny it, we've all been there. In fact, you can tell a novice by the lack of fluff. And haven't we all mistaken the silver chain for a nifty necklace that surely someone didn't mean to leave lying around?

Another sure sign is the large sack. They're large, great for holding things in, but most older players will have theirs dyed if they plan on keeping it past a circle or two, or what about tunics and vests that we are often brought into the world with? Most characters get rid of these things simply because you cannot wear them with the armor you're going to need to survive. Sure, there are plenty of folks out there well past novice who wear the garb to appear one, but that's the point. It has a "look."

A quick way to start being an individual is when you buy your backpack. Pick a color because it's not that much more expensive. You're already in debt; what's a few more coins spent? Chances are, you'll have that backpack for a long time; and it'll still be a while before you get it dyed. Why not have a color on it? Sometimes people will just flat out give you things. More fluff, more joy. Pretty soon you'll be looking just like the rest of us un-color coordinating folks.

Oops, I mean, becoming your own individual.

WEIGHTS

Fluff weighs a lot! Just because we call it "fluff" doesn't make it fluffy, light and creamy. I'm sure there's folk out there who are more weighed down than I am with their fluff and other useful inventory, but it's still a pain. You'd think I'd have learned by now.

There is a shop in the Crossing that can weigh your items for a bronze each, and that's MAMAS, or the Merchant Adventurers' Mapping, Assay, and Survey Company. Build up your strength if you want to be able to sit and stand, move around through a fight, or even wade the brook without putting yourself on the verge of complete exhaustion. Remember too that even if you're strong enough for all your fluff, that doesn't mean someone else is, which could come into play when someone has to drag you, dead or alive. I've never had particularly strong characters, but I have always been fluffy, so I'm usually paying for it one way or another. I can't help it, I like trinkets. It's a good thing you can only wear so many necklaces and rings, or else I'd certainly never be able to get out of bed in the morning.

I know I'm going on and on about having things, but on the flip side, there are plenty of people who go with the philosophy "more is less." I really admire that. There's something to be said about simplicity. After all, you've got your armor, your weapons-carrying item - what more do you need? I miss my "light burden" days, but only when I'm trying to do something that's going to make me tired. Just be careful not to give yourself a hernia.

THE DREADED JUNK ROOM

One very last note, and that's about corruption. No, not the sort of corruption one means when one speaks about unspeakablely evil things, but the sort of corruption at the end of the path of fluff. If you come into the Realms with 500 or more items on your person, you will be sent to the "Junkyard" and not released until you get rid of things. This is a bad, bad place. Most people keep track of the total number of items on their person with a handy tool called INV CHECK. Oftentimes what happens is someone is dangerously over 500 due to their spoils of war (gems, pelts, what not), and before they can do something about it, they lose their portal to the game. This is a bad, bad thing. The reason for this junkyard is to keep your character from corrupting itself because of a LOT more items, so in a way, this is the slap on the wrist before the "powers that be" have to explain why your favorite character is no longer with us. Prevent this from happening by checking your inventory, and often.