I’m sorry miss, it’s time for you to leave.
And onto the fact that Illidan had to be the one to teach them how to use fel magic, which only happened in Outland
Unpopular opinion, huh? Warlocks shouldn’t use fel in most RP because time and time again we’re shown how supremely rare and difficult it’s been to either find a tutor for, or control at all. Stick to dark magic like good old fantasy.
You’re right. People are just venting without considering how -not unpopular- their opinion is.
You are all prepared
Yeah, that’s a popular misconception. The teachings Kael’thas sent back were how to drain mana from -creatures- not -objects-, which in turn is what the High Elves who were exiled objected to. (Fun fact, this means that post Scourge and Pre-Exile, all High Elves were actually Blood Elves)
The Fel crystals, as well as the majority of Blood elves not knowing what they were (Even Rommath didn’t know), were not there for food, they were there to keep the floating buildings stable. Silvermoon wasn’t -physically- built, it relies on Magic to fundamentally remain upright.
WIth regards the Belves belonging in the Horde, I think that comes down to what your understanding of the Horde (And Blood Elves) are.
If you just think the Horde is about spikes, leather and beating your breast in a ‘savage’ way whilst grunting and growling, then not only a) are you wrong, but b) there are certain nightclubs that cater to those desires, so I am told.
The Horde is a far more complex structure than just “Big Ugly brutes”, and is actually some sort of Meritocratic Federation. Yes the Warchief is in ultimate charge, but its individual races retain internal autonomy in their own affairs. It is a Meritocracy, Leaders must prove their worth, they do not simply get ‘given’ it by accident of birth. (I think the closest there is Baine, but I think he is Chieftain of Chieftains due to saving his people from the Grimtotem, not just because Cairne was his dad.)
The Blood Elves -were- an aristocracy, and much more in keeping with the Alliance motif, however with the death of Kael’thas, they too have adopted a system of rulership much more akin to the Horde ethos. Sure, Lor’themar was appointed Regent Lord, but does anyone seriously think he would still be in that position if he hadn’t since earned it? I mean he has no royal mandate anymore. They’re the same as the Horde, a meritocratic nation, that prizes strength and power. Strength comes in many forms, not just being able to bench press a Kodo. A society that prizes strength and power could be referring to Blood Elves, or it could be Orcs.
They -both- have the same ethos; The strong prosper, the weak go to the wall.
We of course know the reason many people say ‘they don’t belong in the Horde’ is because they are ‘Pretty’
Seriously?
Have these people never watched a TV show or film where the blackest of villains looks like an angel?
Blood Elves don’t look ‘Pretty’, they look -cruel-. We’re talking about a very long lived race, that can, should it choose, rip your essence out and consume it, with blazing eyes that -glow-, and an addict’s stare, that tends to sneer and be contemptuous, and you just -know- they think you are lesser than them, even if they don’t say it. They have a sleek predatory look to them that many may find appealing, but to them you are dust and dirt, and will be dust again, whilst they will serenely and cruelly continue their lives of absolute self interest, whether at the expense of others or not.
That’s not ‘Pretty’, that’s not ‘nice’. Just because the Sunwell is working again doesn’t mean any of the above is not true.
They might not be hulking beserkers (Though they have a few) but they have the cruel drive of a chainsaw through anything in their way, a desperation to win at -any- cost, and an absolute refusal to compromise.
And people don’t think that such a mentality -belongs- in the Horde?
Agreed Brigs. Blood Elves are actually pretty metal, and people do get far too caught up in the bright aesthetics; as Silvermoon shows, it’s meant to have a serene, beautiful exterior whereas the more untoward elements are hidden behind closed doors.
Behind the airs and graces, elves as a whole very easily fall back into the savagery of their origins. That goes from the Night Elves (more obviously so) all the way to the Blood Elves.
Just to be clear my objection was never to belf being in the horde proper, I actually agree with what you say. My objection was those belf who seem to think to be in the horde is to necessarily be culturally “orc like” and thus behave like orcs, talk like orcs and have conversations about stuff like chewing pieces of their opponents and revelling in butchery etc.
Like, you might get a few, sure. Zul’jins torture attests to the fact that thalassian elves can be cruel in more carnal ways. But the belf never joined because they were deep down eager to roar at their enemies and scream in their faces and maybe take a bite of them. It was politically advantageous for both sides. The fact the horde has such cultural diversity is actually what makes it interesting imo because you get to play around with how each side accommodates the other (when its done well I mean, and not just orcs ragging on elves just cause, and vice versa).
On the alliance the cultural deviation is far less as their general ideology is what links them together. I mean, it shouldn’t be so homogeneous, what with nelf and such,but the way blizzard have played nelf over the expos has made them very culturally homogeneous to the alliance compared to their WC3 inception. Maybe this will change soon.
Oh yeah, in which case I completely agree, and mistook your original take on it, so my apologies.
Yeah, people playing Blood Elves should be trying to explore what -does- make them fit, and not trying to be Orc’dorei or Sin’orcs or whatever.
There are so many ways you can explore what makes them belong that don’t involve bellowing and biting. You just have to explore the different side of what ‘Savage’ means. As the bards once said about Indech Mac De Domnu, cruel king of the Fomori from Irish Legend, he was “Fair of Face, but Foul of Feeling”.
That’s the Blood Elves to me, they’re the Alfar of Norse Myth, the Aos Sidhe and Tuatha de Danaan from Celtic legends, They -can- be nice. Doesn’t mean they always -will- be nice. Legolas they ain’t…
But yeah, in that case completely agree with you Gardhal.
Which was also pretty much exactly how the orcs felt when they first encountered the night elves. Possessing an ethereal beauty that shrouds a capacity for great savagery and brutality toward their foes. Which is part of why I love them so much.
Traveler shows us that elves take advantage of their ethereal beauty, which is said to disarm even seasoned fighters if they lower their guard. They have this serene aura of grace to them that lures people to false sense of security. And elves know exactly how to exploit that when you lower your guard, which is why Aram’s father tells him time and time again to always make sure if the elf is a friend or foe (even night elf; some of them are still quite hostile as of the time the novel takes place during MoP despite being in the Alliance) before leaving yourself vulnerable.
I agree. It is entirely possible to embody a sinister, menacing manner without needing to gnash at your opponent, or bite their toes off. I imagine for the trolls they fought for years the thalassians came up with some pretty nasty ways to torture them or otherwise kill them in a creative fashion.
I see it as fierceness borne from different roots. Orcs are fierce because strength is core to them, so you intimidate opponents by showcasing this, battering them about, breaking limbs with bare hands etc. Elves can be fierce because of their sense of nobility and prestige, so you don’t behave cruelly towards opponents because you have a “raaargh I smash because smash is life” rather because in many cases, at least in Azerothian history, elves have always thought themselves above other races, so why not treat them in a subhuman way if they’re an opponent? It’s a very different kind of intimidation and it can be vastly effective, but it isn’t accomplished by smearing your face in the opponent’s entrails because generally speaking, you’re above that sort of thing.
Part of me thinks during the worst parts of the war with the trolls the elves probably took full advantage of troll regeneration for torture purposes.
always make sure if the elf is a friend or foe
Around elves, watch yourselves.
Have you heard of the high elves?
Part of me thinks during the worst parts of the war with the trolls the elves probably took full advantage of troll regeneration for torture purposes.
There are a -horrible- amount of possibilities for torture, that your enemy being able to regenerate open up. This may be one of the reasons Brigante does not allow the Sun Hawks to torture. He -knows- the tricks, because 20 year old him did them, but he was only obeying orders…
I always liked that, technically, the Amani were always the ones in the right. Zul’jin is one of the better WoW villains for that reason. What the elves and humans did to him and his people twisted him in a way that’s often just explained by “uh he was always bad” or “OLD GOD CORRUPTION” when it comes to other villains. Zul’jin, however, makes his actual hatred clear, and his utter disdain for the Horde and Darkspear for having sided with those he considers the true face of evil.
He’s a character who is actually consumed by his hatred, but in a different way to most WoW villains. Highly underrated character who’s not discussed enough imo.
Blood Elves don’t look ‘Pretty’, they look -cruel-. We’re talking about a very long lived race, that can, should it choose, rip your essence out and consume it, with blazing eyes that -glow-, and an addict’s stare, that tends to sneer and be contemptuous, and you just -know- they think you are lesser than them, even if they don’t say it. They have a sleek predatory look to them that many may find appealing, but to them you are dust and dirt, and will be dust again, whilst they will serenely and cruelly continue their lives of absolute self interest, whether at the expense of others or not.
That’s not ‘Pretty’, that’s not ‘nice’. Just because the Sunwell is working again doesn’t mean any of the above is not true.
Then maybe the WoW models should depict that and not pretty
Zul’jin was one of my faves since wc2 and he embedded in me a love of trolls. I mained horde back in TBC and with the Zul’Aman intro cinematic it hit me hard that he is absolutely justified in his stance, and I felt terribly guilty about raiding him.
To have your lands taken from you by invaders, who align with other natives to push you out is bad enough, but you find allies to help you survive. To find these one time allies then come back with said invaders must have totally thrown him over the edge.
I know he technically betrayed the horde for amani interests yada, but still, he did not deserve his in game fate. Screw illidan cheating death, Zul’jin needs that plothole more deservedly.
Dunno which models you’ve been looking at but the belf models I’ve seen always look like they wanna stab someone/something.
Then maybe the WoW models should depict that and not pretty
They’re intended to possess beauty and cruelty, with the former often disguising the latter.
Besides the WoW models are fine. The women look slender and fey - traditional features associated with fantasy elves - and the men are muscular and defined in a way that makes more sense than the human models, for example.
i was looking at my Heralds character earlier (a blood elf hunter). Her cheeks are drawn in and she’s not smiling.
She looks like she’d screw you up actually.