| Aug. 5th, 2009 @ 05:47 pm The Alliance, the familiarity of space-squid-goats, and moronic leaders |
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Ah, the Alliance, which is, well, an alliance (imagine that) of the traditionally good races of fantasy. Humans, dwarves, hobbits halflings gnomes, and elves.
Except these elves look more like dark elves, and who are these weird space-squid-goats that have shown up? Thankfully these dark elves have a lack of brooding antiheroes who have rebelled against the existing order and go around with two swords and a panther companion.
Like many, I presume, I initially picked the Alliance because, well, they're familiar. And when you get to the capital cities those cities are also familiar. Humans have a medieval fantasy city, dwarves live in a mountain, elves live in the treetops (well, just one gigantic treetop, but a treetop nonetheless), and the gnomes managed to blow up their underground steampunk fantasy-techno-city.
Then of course there are the space-squid-goats, who live in the crashed remains of their gigantic spaceship, but, well, they're from space. Anything goes when you're an alien space-squid-goat from outer space. Including, it seems, having tentacles on your face. They're really called Draenei, but space-squid-goats sounds funnier and people know how to say "space-squid-goat."
So, where was I? Ah, yes, familiarity. The space-squid-goats are, in a slight way, also familiar. With their features - horns, tails, hooves, glowing eyes - they look remarkably like devils. Or demons, or something. But they're nice. In fact, possibly too nice. It'd be nice if they stopped praying to the Holy Light one of these weeks and went and got blootered in the local pub, you know? I suppose it's hard to do that when you know your god really is watching you. Anyway, they perhaps make us think of reformed rogue demons who are now being nice. With all the rebel vampires, werewolves, zombies, and brooding dark elves with two swords and panther companions in popular culture, the idea of reformed bad guys being nice is pretty familiar by now.
Of course, the space-squid-goats aren't actually reformed demons, and they live in a giant crashed spaceship so the analogy rather breaks down.
Look at that, I've written over 300 words and am still nowhere near any sort of point. Shame. I just wrote down the word "Alliance" and wrote what immediately came to mind.
As well as the space-squid-goats, there is one other thing that immediately comes to mind when you think of the Alliance, and that is King Varian Wrynn. Ah, how we love to hate you, King Varian Wrynn. You're a really annoying moron, you know that?
OK, perhaps the man has a perfectly understandable hate for the Horde (as long as you read the World of Warcraft comic, otherwise it comes from nowhere), but declaring a renewed war on the Horde while the Alliance and Horde should both intead be concentrating on the Lich King is perhaps one of the stupidest strategic decisions ever made. If he hadn't declared the renewed war, then perhaps Garrosh Hellscream would be slightly less antagonistic (but this is unlikely), and perhaps the Broken Front wouldn't have happened (after all, there wouldn't have been an official war giving the Horde soldiers an excuse).
If you've been in WoW for a while, then one other NPC should come to mind as well - Arch druid Fandral Staghelm. Seriously, this guy makes me ashamed to be a night elf druid. He's a condescending arrogant prick and belittles you every time a quest requires you to see him. And he's my archdruid? WTB new archdruid plz, PST with best offer.
These days, with faster levelling, the lure of Outlands at level 58, and no real need to go to Silithus in the 55-60 range, I imagine many new Alliance players never even see the guy anymore. With the possible exception of low level night elves, who see him once and decide never to go back.
I suppose that's another tick for familiarity - the condescending arrogant elves who think they know better than everyone. |
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