Really. I'm not dead...yet.

My FFXI Character, Rumella, in full Bard Artifact 'Choral' Armor , except for the gloves, playing a Lute. ^_^

I really, REALLY love how this turned out. I had to use a reference to draw the lute, and a FFXI model viewer to keep up with the colors/details of the outfit. The details on the Lute is just some mumbo-jumbo crap I came up with. >.>;

The fur rim was a bitch to do. Period. And so were the pants. The hat also looks like a rabid shroom.

Why the Lute? Lutes were pretty much guitars that were popular back in the 12th-18th century, and my mom once played guitar with a passion when she was younger.

For those of you doesn't know what a Troubadour is...

Troubadours were lyric poets and musicians in France in the 12th and 13th centuries. They often wrote songs of either courtly love or chivalry. ^_^ Pretty close to the Bard and Minstrel. Bards were merely storytellers/poets/entertainers during the Medieval Period, while Minstrels were traveling entertainers, or just another name for a 'wandering bard'.

If any of this info is wrong, please let me know. ><

These songs gave me inspiration~

- 'Till the End of Time' by Misia (Vocal from Star Ocean 3)
- 'Sora' by Yoko Kanno (Escaflowne: The Movie)
- 'Speed of Sound' by Coldplay
- 'Clocks' by Coldplay
- 'Angelia' by Richard Marx
- 'City of Blinding Lights' by U2
- 'Crownless' by Nightwish
- 'Hollaback Girl' by Gwen Stefani (Don't ask... ><
- 'Angel in the Dark' by Nemesea

Wow, that was a long list. o.O;;