it’s this part cut for A Whole EssayOkay….. one of the reasons I like Dark Mirror so much is
it’s this part cut for A Whole EssayOkay….. one of the reasons I like Dark Mirror so much is not just because it mind controlled me into liking a stinky grumpy farmer man and thinking his relationship with Sylvanas is interesting, but it actually sort of touches on the optics of how Sylvanas starts the Forsaken, and her attitude toward them.Even in the beginning when she is basically singularly powered by her desire to kill Arthas, she doesn’t just build a shambling army, she actually does build a kingdom out of trash mobs. She could have just tried to lead a strong unit of undead rangers and potentially ally with a larger race. She didn’t have to mess with the humans. Surely that was largely a tactical decision- a large, organized population is stronger than a small unit or a large mob. And part of it was certainly to further slight Arthas by stealing more of his units. But certainly a small part of it was a feeling of genuine kinship and empathy with other undead, even in the beginning, even if she told herself it was all for her mission.Her hand wave when Nathanos addresses the fact he just ripped a person apart is a genuine signal of apathy and disregard. As an undead she knows he literally couldn’t help it, and that it’s in their nature, as a general she knows it’s inconsequential to their purpose, and as a leader she knows it’s important to make clear what should really matters to those she leads, and she knows that concern over what you’ve done as a mindless zombie. And she didn’t have to be concerned with Forsaken not feeling shame, for feeling not only pride in their race as a whole but as individuals, but she is. The truest outcasts of Azeroth. As far as I know, that particular characteristic is a constant throughout her character’s history, and I think it’s that specific characteristic that is most telling about what kind of leader she is, at her best. That’s a genuinely admirable trait, and one that comes from something besides cold calculation and tactics… why it would be an utter tragedy if this expansion is leading up to her being an enemy of the Horde, a Horde that includes the Forsaken. She stood and watched Stephon until he disappeared over the hillside. “He just needs someone to believe in him,” she said. “As we all do, every now and again.” The wistfulness in her voice made [Nathanos] wonder what Sylvanas had been like when she was young. This bit sort of confused me when I first read it. This character bit doesn’t really have to do with the exchange happening between Nathanos and Sylvanas. Nathanos already has her trust and admires her, both in life and in death. It doesn’t really have much to do specifically with Stephon’s character or the fact that they kill him later. I think this is really just offering the reader an insight into a core part of Sylvanas’s character- that part of her, among the ruthlessness and cruelty and everything else, is genuinely compelled to empower those less powerful than herself. IT’S SHEDDING LIGHT ON WHY SHE LEADS THE FORSAKEN ;-; -- source link
#sylvanas#long post#nathanos#dark mirror#warcraft#forsaken#carry on