A quiet morning of mourning.

With Keredria’s help I upgaded my tanking weapon from King’s Defender to the Hammer of Quiet Mourning, a quest reward from a group quest in Zul’Drak. The hammer also replaces my trash tanking weapon, the Cleaver of the Unforgiving from Zul’Aman. There are actually three weapons from that group quest that are viable tanking weapons for a protection warrior, but in my opinion the hammer is the best choice statistically. The hammer is maybe the best weapon for a protection warrior before setting foot in a heroic or raid except for the Eternally Folded Blade. However as Keredria noted, the name is fitting as I was a bit bummed about my new mace. Why? Two reasons. One is that it is REALLY ugly. It’s a f***ing log. I am embarrased to be seen with it in Dalaran. The other was that the experience of getting it was very anticlimatic.  I remember when I did the long quest chains in Shadowmoon Valley, also with Keredria’s help, to get Grom’tor’s Charge. That was epic and a fun tank-healer bonding experience. But the log quest was too quick and easy.

The worst nerf to shadow priests.

One of those little nice things in life…

…is coming online on a weekend morning to do a bit of grinding, with a cup of good coffee next to me, and seeing my friends online doing the same.

I drink good coffee every morning

Comes from a place that’s far away

And when I’m done I feel like talking

Without you here there is less to say

88 lines about 44 toons (or less).

Our relationships with our toons are not unlike real-life relationships. Well, maybe they are and I am just weird. But I’ve found that my relationships with my toons can be categorized in much the same way that we might categorize real-life romantic relationships.

• The Soulmate. You have a very deep and unique connection with this toon. And despite considerable self-analysis, you still find it difficult to explain exactly why. You have a long shared history together and friends in common which add strength to an already profoundly deep relationship. For me this is my protection warrior and first toon, Jessika.
• The Off-Soulmate. This is the could-have-been. There is definitely a connection there, and you imagine that had things been different they could have been your soulmate toon. But as long as you have your soulmate toon they will be very special but not your main. For me this is my holy priest, Muriel.
• The Trophy Toon. This toon is all about appearance. They look good. Their gear looks sharp. They do very well on the meters despite the fact that your relationship is not as deep and so you haven’t invested as much in them. For me this is my frost mage, Aksana, who due to the strange mechanics of frost mages does relatively good DPS despite her gear, and looks damn good doing it.
• Just for Fun. Here’s a toon that you just enjoy playing. You know that you won’t raid with them or even level them up all the way, but the relationship is fun and stress-free. There’s nothing awkward about your relationship, but nothing deep either. For me it’s my beastmaster hunter, Suvi.
• The Failed Relationship. Here’s one that just didn’t work out. You lost interest and eventually had the courage to call it quits. In retrospect you saw it coming, but at the time it was somewhat fun and you found it hard to abandon the relationship until it became more trouble than it was worth. For me it is my elemental shaman, Makawee.
• A Little Action on the Side. Here’s the toon that maybe your guildies don’t know about. The toon is guildless, in another guild, another server, or maybe even the other faction. They excite you, but you feel a little guilty that they do because it feels cheap. For me it is my blood elf affliction warlock, Sula. You can tell from her gear that I don’t respect her.