HoL : Alcoholism waiting to happen

So this weekend was a no raid weekend, due to this silly holiday that means people want to do things like spend time with 'family' or evaluate their 'spirituality'. Pfffft. Whatever, I don't trust a rabbit that leaves BOILED CHICKEN FETUSES in playful colors.

That left me pretty bored, I have to say. So I found things to do. I did my dailies (good lickle paladin, I'm two days away from Exalted with Hodir) and then decided I was going to tank something.

My very favorite PocketPriestess, a healer I may have sorta/kinda recruited for our guild, asks me if I'll tank Heroic Halls of Lightning. I have NEVER successfully done that instance, mind. Failed Loken so many times, the very thought of it makes me cry like a little girl.

But she wants to go. She's not too well geared, but I'm getting pretty decent... and... well... fine. Why not. I'm sure our DPS could use the rep and badges, too. With great reluctance, I form the group. I mean, it's just HoL, it isn't like it's going to smear me, right? I can do this. I are tank. I tank all night long, and still have stamina left over, baby!

So... we pick up our DPS. And the 700DPSrogue is the first to say "I'll go". *wince* Then the DK tank with an iffy DPS set. And then a decent warrior.

Alright. Well. This will be interesting. We set foot into the instance, make our first few trash pulls, and I start feeling more confident. This isn't so bad. Why was I crying? What was with that cold sweat? I'm a champ. I'm a pro. I'm a... oh shit, damn it DPS... DO NOT PULL THE BOSS. Stay behind me. BAD DPS. BAD. No cookie.

Wipe it up, run back, and try this again. I am a champ. I am a PRO. I am ssoooooo great. Loken doesn't scare me! Kill the trash, keep the aggro, rotation, work on keeping my GCD's used and getting used to not having hasted out gear... oh fuck. I pulled the boss.

DAMN IT, TANK. No cookie. DO NOT PULL THE BOSS WITH TRASH. BAD.

Wipe it up, run back.

Kill first boss. Finish clearing trash. Celebrate.

Wipe on slag.

Run back.

KILL slag this time, losing our healer and a DPS in the process. Res them. Keep going.

Make a bad pull, accidentally have two mobs on us. Die horribly.

Wipe it up, run back.

Kill more trash. Find second boss.

Die on second boss, because I wasn't sure how to tank him. Wipe it up, run back, bad tank.

Tank him right, but lose half the group anyway. Res people. Move into the hall, get feared into multiple mobs.

Wipe it up. Run back. Cry a little, and begin to drink.

And then, Ionar.

Ohhhh Ionar. You are a right bastard.

Long story short, Ionar makes me cry like a little girl. Rogue keeps standing with the mlee when he gets the debuff. I get the debuff, and can't move away, and we are ALL MELEE. Healer heals through this like a champ, but just can't heal through a lack of observation. Lightning spiders wipe us a few times. Absent minded (also kind of drunk) tank begins to giggle hysterically at every wipe.

Seven wipes, and I do a readycheck. "All in favor of running away with our tails tucked between our legs, click not ready"

I. Hate. Halls of Lightning.

... still don't have the heroic acheivement, and I doubt I ever well.

Still, the next day I got back on the horse. I tanked a heroic Nexus with GREAT success.

I really am enjoying tanking. It's still so new and interesting to me, that I like it better than healing... because I don't know it as well, and I learn. Healing, there just isn't that much left for me to work on. I'm going to start weaving in Hand of Salvation, but at this point, it's getting to be too easy for me.

Got my tier chest for my prot set. It was ouch at eighty badges. Still, that was the piece I really needed to throw away- a blue DK chestpiece was not a good chestpiece for me to use. Parry rating can suck it, I love mah shield block!

Oh, I also tanked Tempest Keep. Heh. THAT was... fun... sort of... I was the only tank. We wiped on the Phoenix boss until a DK tank came and helped me. Then it WAS fun. ^_^

There was MAD rp this weekend, but I won't go into details. Suffice to say, I rped a lot more than I tanked or did dailies. :)