Blizzard's Watching You

ryoshi from WarcraftPets.com pointed something out that i think is worth noting. the NPC that currently sells the winterspring cub on the PTR has a strikingly familiar name, doesn't it?

when i first learned about the vendor, michelle de rum, i thought to myself 'what a unique name. why does it feel like deja vu?'

that's because it's very likely drrum's namesake! michelle, aka: drrum, was featured on wowinsider's 15 minutes of fame in late 2010. she has an outstanding gallery on her website of all her vanity pets and matching in-game outfits! it's hard to not be awestruck by the amazing screenshots she's taken over the years.

much like breanni of WarcraftPets, drrum is an excellent choice for another nod to the pet collecting community within the game. her time, energy, and effort spent on not only collecting all those companions but also all that gear to match each pet is a pretty accurate portrayal of what collecting is about. it's fun, it allows her to enjoy the game in her own way, takes dedication and some patience but pays off in the end, and at the same time it inspires others.

just goes to show that blizzard is silently watching from the shadows. even if they may not be saying much or actively participating in all the world of warcraft communities, they are taking notes and who knows? if you've somehow managed to leave a positive impression on them, you may find yourself staring at your namesake in the future too.

call me a geek, but i'm absolutely ecstatic for the pet collecting community if the naming of this NPC was totally intentional (it definitely seems that way, though, doesn't it?). considering the many groups found within WoW and how small the collecting community is in comparison to the more well-known types of gameplay, any acknowledgment, however subtle, from blizzard is really amazing.