Hi there Blizz.
Thanks fer the work sofar on Mist of Pandaria, I count meself amongst one of the millions of folk who're totally psyched for it. Havin' played Warcraft3 intensivly I had always hoped for the Pandaren Empire to make an appearance, and yer timing to finally do so is impeccable. Hell, if you hadn't done so, I'd have probably ended up makin' a custom Warcraft3 campaign for 'em meself. (Or rather play with the idea and postpone it indefinitely, knowin' meself. But I digress.)
About this thread. I know it's unusual for a player to put forth an idea like this, but I'm just putting it out there. Okami, a game for the Playstation2 and Wii, is a personal favorite console game of mine, one that's really close to me. In it, you play the sungoddess Amaterasu, in the form of a white wolf, and save Nippon (the Japan of myths) from all sorts of dark threats. The distinctive art style, the music, endearing characters and amazing storyline make this game a true experience, and any fan of the game will tell you the same. It's been compared to Shadow of the Collosus in terms of how you can get lost in the experience. More than a game, it tells a story through word, sound and image. TLDR; It's bloody great.
The Nippon in this game bares many striking similarities to Pandaria. And while I realize you're going with a primarily Chinese theme, and Nippon is definitely Japanese, the overal arching 'eastern' theme still rings true. (Disclaimer: I am a simple dumb european, derp.)
If any of you have played Okami, or if you think this sounds interesting enough to reference (lord knows Blizzard loves their ingame references!), then may I suggest putting an Okami reference in Pandaria?
I aint no hunter, but I'd love to see a Spirit Wolf (with particle emitter ribbons from the flanks, just like Amaterasu) roam Pandaria, named after our favorite sungoddess avatar. Perhaps have her only spawn during sunrise, after which she runs across the continent, leaving a trail of briefly blooming flowers in her wake? (Again, just like Ammy) You already have the briefly-blooming-flowers effect. Path of Cenarius TGC collectible, if I remember correctly.
I could go on and suggest she'd be named something like "Am'terash <Mate of Goldrinn>". Or similar. And that she'd use a Solarbeam ability similar to the abilities the Druids of the Flame use? Maybe a disorientating blind effect called "Celestial Ink". I dunno, go nuts!
Heck, perhaps I've just predicted something you guys already have put in. With Pandaria, the timing and location couldnt be more perfect to reference this great little gem of a game.
Thanks fer readin' and keep up the great work!
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For those interested, the game in question can be read about on Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ōkami
Yes, with a lil' ditty thingamajiggle on the O.
Finally, this next link will show you Amaterasu, running across the fields, leaving that trail of flowers in her wake. Something that could be referenced brilliantly with methods already programmed into WoW, using the Path of Cenarius / Mylune's Call effect.