World of Warcraft is a sub-culture all it's own, and big things are afoot in that far-flung land.
Regular contributor , Host of The Land of Pod and Drukhari Kabal Leader, Emma Marshall tells us more...
Regular contributor , Host of The Land of Pod and Drukhari Kabal Leader, Emma Marshall tells us more...
In the world of World of Warcraft, one of the characters has done something Very Bad and everyone is upset. But there's no reason they should be surprised.
Lady Sylvanas has turned out to be Evil and everyone is shocked. Shocked. I mean everyone who doesn't know about Lady Sylvanas or how character progression works.
But let's start at the beginning for the nubs.
Lady Sylvanas has turned out to be Evil and everyone is shocked. Shocked. I mean everyone who doesn't know about Lady Sylvanas or how character progression works.
But let's start at the beginning for the nubs.
There's two factions in WoW, Horde and Alliance.
The Horde are not the “bad guys” in WoW, but the neither are the Alliance. They're both two sides of the same coin. It's just the Alliance side is shinier because they're snobs and also if we're being honest, they likely have very high hygiene standards (But us Horde are undead and cows and orcs, so....y'know, a bath is not high on our To Do List).
The leader of the Horde is given the title of Warchief. Most recently, that title has belonged to Lady Sylvanas. A little while ago, she did a very bad thing and everyone is shocked. But they shouldn't be.
The Horde are not the “bad guys” in WoW, but the neither are the Alliance. They're both two sides of the same coin. It's just the Alliance side is shinier because they're snobs and also if we're being honest, they likely have very high hygiene standards (But us Horde are undead and cows and orcs, so....y'know, a bath is not high on our To Do List).
The leader of the Horde is given the title of Warchief. Most recently, that title has belonged to Lady Sylvanas. A little while ago, she did a very bad thing and everyone is shocked. But they shouldn't be.
We shouldn’t judge someone by their appearance, but c’mon, she looks pretty evil
Here’s what’s causing all the discussion.
If you’re not ready to watch it, spoilers ahoy!
(Spoilers ahead)
(Spoilers ahead)
If the recent cinematic is the first time you've looked into her story, I can almost understand why you'd be shocked, SHOCKED, that a woman whose titles include “Banshee Queen” and “Queen of the Forsaken” turns out to be making decisions that are definitively not Good. I mean, sure, she had her soul ripped out of her body by the enemy and then was enthralled to him for a very long time. Yes, that changes a person, but it's no reason to go torching World Trees just because someone told you to have some hope.
Even though that looks like the most metal Christmas tree in the world now!
(End Spoilers)
But see, I kind of understand why she did it.
At no point am I saying what Sylvanas did was the good thing to do, or the right thing to do. But it was the thing that Sylvanas would do.
When she became enthralled to the Lich King, Sylvanas stopped being an elf. She became Forsaken. The Forsaken are a shunned community, knit together with the same decaying thread of undeath. They don't get to go back to the way things are.
Sylvanas is proof that you can forge something new from the decay of mind, body and soul. But her life is suffering. She also has no hope of release from that suffering because even when she dies, she knows she will endure eternal torment. For what? She didn't ASK to be made a banshee. She was the one who worked to gain control and freedom for the Forsaken, she helped to defeat the Lich King and she gets forever (which is a very long time) being tortured as a thank you.
Sylvanas has ever been ruthless. That has been her character since vanilla WoW. That's how she managed to get to where she is now. That's why I've loved her for so long. For her to have had any other reaction, any sorrow or regret that was not quickly followed by some Old Testament style fire and brimstone rage, would have been good, but it wouldn't have been Sylvanas. Perhaps in the old days, she would have been less cruel, but she's grown as a character. Character progression doesn't always mean going towards the Light.
Some hoped that when Lady Sylvanas became Warchief, that the weight of responsibility would help her regain the need for honour in battle.
Well, hope fails.
At no point am I saying what Sylvanas did was the good thing to do, or the right thing to do. But it was the thing that Sylvanas would do.
When she became enthralled to the Lich King, Sylvanas stopped being an elf. She became Forsaken. The Forsaken are a shunned community, knit together with the same decaying thread of undeath. They don't get to go back to the way things are.
Sylvanas is proof that you can forge something new from the decay of mind, body and soul. But her life is suffering. She also has no hope of release from that suffering because even when she dies, she knows she will endure eternal torment. For what? She didn't ASK to be made a banshee. She was the one who worked to gain control and freedom for the Forsaken, she helped to defeat the Lich King and she gets forever (which is a very long time) being tortured as a thank you.
Sylvanas has ever been ruthless. That has been her character since vanilla WoW. That's how she managed to get to where she is now. That's why I've loved her for so long. For her to have had any other reaction, any sorrow or regret that was not quickly followed by some Old Testament style fire and brimstone rage, would have been good, but it wouldn't have been Sylvanas. Perhaps in the old days, she would have been less cruel, but she's grown as a character. Character progression doesn't always mean going towards the Light.
Some hoped that when Lady Sylvanas became Warchief, that the weight of responsibility would help her regain the need for honour in battle.
Well, hope fails.
Written by Emma Marshall
To hear more of Emma's take on geekery, sci-fi, fantasy news, views and reviews, check out The Land of Pod podcast - click, subscribe, enjoy the travel through the Land of Pod.. and occasionally Meat Space!
You awaken in a dark room, holding a shield as a strange creature peers at you from the shadows. They beckon to you, it's time to go on an adequately geeky adventure, Player 2.
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