I took a break from creating my Powerpoint presentation for Comp II by spending a little time going over my gear for my beautiful Relyimah, my Level 80 Night Elf Druid in World of Warcraft. It looks like the next set of armor I'll be getting will be turning me into Norman the Doorman, the Mister Lincoln Rosebush that sat next to the front door of my childhood home.
Just as a note, the toon in the preview for the armor is a human male, which is very different from my Night Elf. Here's the gear set she's in now (my toon looks like the one on the right), except, I don't do skirts, so I am not wearing the T9 chest piece, I opted for the Cuirass of Calamitous Fate, which matches the rest of the armor, except I don't have to wear a dress. (Thank goodness.)
But with the era of Tier 9 armor coming to an end, it's time to face facts, I'm going to be a rosebush in the battle for Icecrown Citadel. Reminiscing about Norman, I guess it's not a terrible prospect to have my toon look like him, and there are several great reasons why: he was our guardian, he showed us beauty and was an all around great thing to admire.
Norman was our doorman, he grew just outside our front landing on the right hand side of the front door. He was a silent sentinel that KNEW when someone was a good person and when they were horrible. If the person coming to our door was a decent individual, Norman left them alone, BUT, if they were someone who was going to bring us trouble, Norman would literally grab them, his thorns and branches would inevitably grab hold of their clothing and they would get tangled up in him. I'm positive that Norman was sentient and aware of everyone around him. Now that may sound a little crazy, but really, considering that plants are living organisms, you really have to sit back and wonder.
I remember when my ex-brother-in-law first started visiting our house. Norman didn't like him one bit, but neither did our cat, Whiskers. Norman, on first viewing of the man, grabbed him up, and I'll never forget the mystified look on my ex-brother-in-law's face as even as he was entering the house, Norman wouldn't give him up very easily. Let's face it though, Norman didn't like very many people, so my parents always managed to hack Norman back for small stretches of time and he'd grow again, and first thing he would do is return to his duties as our doorman. Only few people got past his inspection, and after he grew out again, his judgment would be known. Norman grabbed up the kids that grew up on the street with us, I'm convinced he was none too pleased with their treatment of me. But, in almost 17 years, Norman stood there, through hot summer days and blustery winter nights and kept watch over us. I can remember many people with scratches on their skin from Norman trying to forcibly evict them from our front porch. When I knew the individuals that visited our house weren't top notch, I'd go outside and cheer Norman on, saying "Good call Norman, I don't like them either."
But then, coming home from a hard day of being bullied at school, I'd walk down the front walkway of the house, and instead of his thorns, he'd offer up a beautiful bloom at face level to enjoy as a reminder that there was beauty in the world. Norman really did know how to cheer me up, because with each blossom that he would offer me, it gave me hope that I could get through whatever would come my way. But Norman didn't cut me any slack, when I wasn't doing things quite right, he'd brandish a branch at me and remind me to straighten up, but he never grabbed me like he did other people. He gave a solemn reminder to be good, nothing more.
So I guess having my toon look like Norman the Doorman won't be so bad, maybe I'll learn to brandish my thorns at bad people and offer up beauty and love to the good ones. Either way, come next month, my gear will change from being a bird to a rosebush thanks to the talented artists at Blizzard.
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