Tuesday, May 19, 2009

What's In A Name?

This past Sunday was a joyous day for me.

Sunday was the day that, after countless attacks on Maexxna 25, Gothik 10 and Heroic Ymiron, I finally, finally upgraded my waist piece.

It was partially a matter of pride. I'm in Ulduar, dammit! I'm a Tier 8 raider, with Tier 8 britches! I don't need to be running around in a heroic badge belt! ...except that the [Sovereign's Belt] I replaced it with is off a heroic end boss. What's the difference?

This, my friends, is not [Vereesa's Silver Chain Belt].

I spent what must have been a month and a half raiding Naxxramas with a quest blue belt out of stubborn refusal to buy that piece of armor. No way in hell, I said time and time again, was I going to have the name of an enemy of the Horde and embarrassment to the Dark Lady's bloodline wrapped around this proud troll's waist. At some point, though, my thirst for big numbers managed to win out over my loyalty to Silvermoon, and I handed over the badges.

I've worn the damn thing ever since. Fuck.

Let me go into this a little deeper. My co-guild leader, Ailinea, is one of my best friends, and her toon is one of Jez's nearest and dearest as well. While Jez is perfectly aware that Aili outdoes her in damage 98% of the time (homegirl hit nearly 7k DPS in heroic Azjol-Nerub last night!), there's still a bit of tribal instinct that sees a tiny little girl elf wearing cloth robes, and is intensely protective of her. That's most of the reason she was so gung-ho in defeating the blue dragonflight -- yeah, trying to destroy all mortal magic users, bad thing, whatever; but going after her Linny? That's a killin' offense, right there.

Anyway, Ailinea was actually studying in Dalaran before the razing of Quel'Thalas and had to rush home when the Scourge steamrolled her city. So this random elf chick, who's banging a human of all things, trying to keep the sin'dorei out of the city when Aethas Sunreaver himself, y'know, is one... not to mention hating all over the Horde when they've shown her sister (you know, Sylvanas? The national hero who died defending their city? Yeah that one) more support in her people's time of need than the Alliance ever did...

You know, I think one of Jez's big problems so far is people judging her based on what some ancestors of her friends did before she was ever born. All she did was show up. Her people joined the Horde because their other option was to go extinct. All this crap that the elves and the orcs and the Forsaken did in their distant pasts? She doesn't give a damn. She's allied with these people because they're the only ones who ever gave her the option of allying, as opposed to trying to kill her.

Ahem. Anyway. I am not fond of Vereesa Windrunner. And given that it's a hunter(/enhance shaman) belt, I think we all know Sylvie's the better shot anyway. And it pissed me off for a long time to be wearing gear with her name on it. What sense does it make to name a piece of cross-faction badge gear after a character who openly hates one faction, anyway?

Doesn't matter now. It's gone! And I'd much rather wear a belt named after a dude I killed than some bitch the game won't let me kill.

So what is in a name, or in an armor slot? Have you ever had a piece of gear that just would not get upgraded to save its (or your) life? A single blue that you just couldn't get rid of, or an off-spec piece that you could never find an appropriate alternative to? Feel free to discuss among yourselves.

11 comments:

Klinderas said...

My boots. They won't. GO. AWAY.

/furious!

Kelly said...

I don't have enough 'phat lewts' to have anything super special, but...considering I'm on a PvP server, one trinket that I hold dear to my heart (for PvP and RP) is my [Mark of Thrallmar.] My very first PvP badge, and my first real offensive into the Outlands.
Also, DAMN, that thing is HANDY AS HELL.

Brajana said...

See, how I justify something like that is: it's her belt, sure, but she didn't give it to me... I TOOK it!

One day Vereesa's getting dressed and she's like "Where the F*** is my Silver Chain Belt?! Freakin' Horde!"

I can imagine myself peeling it off of her cold, dead body.

Just like when I get So-and-so's Head as a quest item, you know?

As for gear I can't get rid of... I had Rusted-Link Spiked Gauntlets for a loong time, they were the 1 thing preventing me from my Epic achievement. But I just couldn't bare to sacrifice all that hit!

Arrens said...

I'm in complete agreement with Brajana. If that damnable elf doesn't want to give me her booty (loot! Get your mind outta the gutter!), then I'm taking it. And as a rogue, it's perfectly justifiable for me to steal it.

That said, I do have old tier gear I keep around for laughs and RP purposes, even if I never use them and they just take up way too much slots in my bank.

Eidtalheg said...

Signet of Bridenbrad. Apparently he dropped it when he ascended bodily into hea- er, wherever it is the Naaru took him <_<

Rilgon Arcsinh said...

Sphere of Red Dragon's Blood. I got that the first week of Wrath, and JUST NOW got rid of it, replacing it with DMC: Greatness.

/rage

Captain Jazira said...

the gear that would not go away...humm...

the two things I've had forever that I haven't been able to get rid of till recently... like within the last month or so... has been the Bloodlust Broach and Abacus of Violent Odds... BLBroach was the first thing I ever picked up with badges of any kind, and I'm kinda used to having it on my bar. And dear old abbi-cus...I'm sorry it just amuses me, the name. Trinkets and I never really got along or have I been lucky to snag good ones. I replaced the abicus with a drop from Lotheb... and I'm 9 badges of herosim away from a mirror of truth...that in truth I'm sure Ali will never look at anyway.

other than those... I am plagued by a lack of pants. I've always had trouble finding them, winning rolls, or getting them to drop...off of mobs *shakes fist at Steam Vaults*. So yes Pants and Trinkets are my weak spots when it comes to gear.

I also collect ranged weapons *eyes lack of space in bank* and have outfits to match most of them...

LFS said...

I am still wearing my trollwoven spaulders. I have been wearing them since I hit 80.

Must get ones from OS...

Sarai said...

My troll hunter had his Sunfury Bow of the Phoenix forEVER! Why? Simple- he is a troll. Trolls sneak thru the jungle and ambush stuff. His main pet is a kitty that is also a stealthy hunter. So why in the name of all the troll gods would he have a big, noisy, smelly gun? Not to mention the troll's racial, which is BOW specialization. When he finally got the bow from 10-man Naxx, you can bet I was dancing.

Kazghar said...

I can't remember the name of the gun at the moment, but it was the epic BoE gun you could buy off the auction house back in BC, and EVERYONE AND THEIR GRANDMOTHER HAD ONE!!! I didn't get rid of that for months. I cleared through all the way up to SSC with that piece of junk.

Whitebeard said...

@Kazghar "Don Santos' Famous Hunting Rifle"?

As for me, during BC, I had Fool's Bane from Illhoof in kara for well over a month, I watched the other rogues in the guild mysteriously appear with new mainhands, possibly during my offline times. Then one day while I was alt-healing SSC with no rogue around, Talon of Azshara dropped. I swear, I heard a heavenly chorus as the guild master told me to relog real fast.