Jaina's Newfound Hatred of the Horde

[Wondercrab]

I don't really buy the "out of character" argument. Everyone is capable of getting angry. If someone came to my house, wrecked all my stuff, kicked my pets and shot my family, would it be "out of character" for me to be pissed off?

I welcome this development, it should be an interesting arc for Jaina.

In the hands of more talented writers, sure I think it could have some potential. The problem though is that from what we've heard Jaina's not just mad, she's a full-on frothing-at-the-mouth racist.

Jaina's never been shown to be particularly short tempered or angry before, she's characterised by always being the one that keeps her cool while everyone else around her is losing their heads. Would a more organic response not be for her to despair at the situation? You'd think Jaina, a level-headed advocate of peace would be crushed to see the very people she's been trying to help throwing it back in her face like this.
But instead it seems like she's going to flip out and get some kind of bizarre vicious streak that's never been hinted at before. Because that's totally more cool and radical and badass than having depth and emotions.

The big issue with this isn't that it's necessarily implausible or completely unrealistic, but that it relegates Jaina to the same status as every other character in Warcraft. It takes away what made her interesting and unique, turning her into a character that's interchangeable with every other angry brat amongst the Horde and Alliance.
I'd like to cross my fingers and hope this'll just be a momentary lapse of composure, but given Blizzard's track record I seriously doubt it'll be resolved in a satisfying way.

[Fahrenheit]

The problem though is that from what we've heard Jaina's not just mad, she's a full-on frothing-at-the-mouth racist.

Captain Drok: The unthinkable has happened. Our siege on Theramore has failed.
You're the contingency plan. Your mission is to infiltrate Theramore Isle.
Burn their ships, butcher their flight master, sabotage their war machines, and rescue our spy.
Throw them into chaos while we regroup. The eyes of Hellscream are upon you!

Jaina Proudmoore: This abberation destroyed everything… everyone…
The Horde cannot be allowed to recover the Focusing Iris. Eliminate what remains of their forces and I will secure the artifact.
I must attune to the Focusing Iris before transport. Protect me!

Captain Drok: No one can protect you! Kill the Proudmoore bitch, and bring me that bomb!

Jaina Proudmoore: Your people are despicable cowards, Orc! You're nothing more than rabid dogs, and you will be put down!

Captain Drok: Brave words, mage. I'll spit in your face when you beg for mercy.

Jaina Proudmoore: You spit on mercy? Then you will have none! You want carnage? Garrosh will get more blood than he ever bargained for!

Captain Drok: GRRAGGH! I'll bring the Warchief your head!

So because of that one line she's a frothing at the mouth racist?

Right....

[Alsompr]

I kinda like it so far. She's clearly... Upset.

[Frontenac]

In the hands of more talented writers, sure I think it could have some potential. The problem though is that from what we've heard Jaina's not just mad, she's a full-on frothing-at-the-mouth racist.

Jaina's never been shown to be particularly short tempered or angry before, she's characterised by always being the one that keeps her cool while everyone else around her is losing their heads. Would a more organic response not be for her to despair at the situation? You'd think Jaina, a level-headed advocate of peace would be crushed to see the very people she's been trying to help throwing it back in her face like this.

Despair would go against Jaina's character. Jaina is a woman of action, though she was not very well depicted as such in WoW. Jaina took upon herself the leadership of the remnant of Lordaeron and lead them to Kalimdor. Then she lead the human/dwarf/high elf forces against the Legion. She then against all odds founded a city on the eastern coast of Kalimdor. Jaina is not the kind of woman to despair, cuddle in a corner of a dark room and cry. She will act and mourn the dead after.

In a way, Jaina is WoW's Princess Leia...

[Dreknar20]

In the hands of more talented writers, sure I think it could have some potential. The problem though is that from what we've heard Jaina's not just mad, she's a full-on frothing-at-the-mouth racist.

Jaina's never been shown to be particularly short tempered or angry before, she's characterised by always being the one that keeps her cool while everyone else around her is losing their heads. Would a more organic response not be for her to despair at the situation? You'd think Jaina, a level-headed advocate of peace would be crushed to see the very people she's been trying to help throwing it back in her face like this.
But instead it seems like she's going to flip out and get some kind of bizarre vicious streak that's never been hinted at before. Because that's totally more cool and radical and badass than having depth and emotions.

The big issue with this isn't that it's necessarily implausible or completely unrealistic, but that it relegates Jaina to the same status as every other character in Warcraft. It takes away what made her interesting and unique, turning her into a character that's interchangeable with every other angry brat amongst the Horde and Alliance.
I'd like to cross my fingers and hope this'll just be a momentary lapse of composure, but given Blizzard's track record I seriously doubt it'll be resolved in a satisfying way.

Here is the thing though, for Jaina to change, something has to effect her in a very great way
Having her home and people assulted and under attack is a pretty traumtic experince

You also have to look at Jaina's past
Jaina was unique in that she did not fall into line about, "if your a human, you must hate orcs"
When she was young she was wary of orcs, I beleive she lost a family member due to the Second War
But when Jaina actually saw orcs for the first time in her life, she did not see them as monsters, but as people

Another thing about Jaina is that she always put her people's needs over her own
The war that her dad started was the perfect example of that
Siding against her father caused her immense personal pain
Yet she did it for her people, to spare them the suffering from a vengeful Horde
She was alwyas pushing for peace no matter the cost

But the thing about Warcraft lore recently, is that the Alliance and Horde simply did not want peace, or are not ready for it
There was too much old hatrds, dis-trust, and mutal hate between the Horde and Alliance that Jaina and Thrall could solve

And since Jaina had sacrificed so much in the name of peace, having her home destroyed is the perfect catalyst for her change
Because it rasies the question in her mind, that all her effort and sacrifce has pretty much amounted to nothing

DOn't get me wrong, Im sad that Jainais changing from the thoughtful women she was, but its easy to understand how she reaches this point

[Alwek]

I'm glad she is going this path, would be weird if she stayed "neutral" after all this.

[Frontenac]

Jaina Proudmoore: This abberation destroyed everything… everyone…
The Horde cannot be allowed to recover the Focusing Iris. Eliminate what remains of their forces and I will secure the artifact.
I must attune to the Focusing Iris before transport. Protect me!

Captain Drok: No one can protect you! Kill the Proudmoore bitch, and bring me that bomb!

So it seems the Focusing Iris is the bomb used by the Horde to destroy Theramore. The Horde wants to recover it to use it again. How did Garrosh put his hands on it?

[Kelimbror]

DOn't get me wrong, Im sad that Jainais changing from the thoughtful women she was, but its easy to understand how she reaches this point

No kidding...though it would seem a lot of people in this thread don't understand how such a tragic and violent event could change your being. You are basically saying she should keep trying to hold the orc's hands, even though after everything that has happened she has to see that her actions to this point have not mattered at all.

Look at the movie Law Abiding Citizen..we hail that guy as a hero for going nuts and murdering people, but we think it makes no sense that Jaina would flip out and go hard on for Orc blood? Thank heavens they finally realized a character can have a gigantic shift in their attitudes and actions based on the events that transpire.

If the story writing continued this way, maybe this lore would get good again.

[Deleted]

Well she doesn't exactly hate the Horde. She hates Garrosh - The Horde led by Garrosh. You can't be neutral, diplomatic and peaceful with such an warbringing warchief and now he's gone too far with destroying Theramore. Would be weird if she stayed all peaceful after this. "Oh the Horde destroyed my home town, my beloved citizens and soldiers. Well let's try to talk with Garrosh and ask him why he did it."

[Darth-Piekus]

One moment. Wasn't the Focusing Iris on the hands of the Aspects and then given to Jaina to keep it? How come Garrosh got it? Or did Jaina was saying that they are here for the Iris and we must get it somewhere else?

[Dreknar20]

No kidding...though it would seem a lot of people in this thread don't understand how such a tragic and violent event could change your being. You are basically saying she should keep trying to hold the orc's hands, even though after everything that has happened she has to see that her actions to this point have not mattered at all.

Look at the movie Law Abiding Citizen..we hail that guy as a hero for going nuts and murdering people, but we think it makes no sense that Jaina would flip out and go hard on for Orc blood? Thank heavens they finally realized a character can have a gigantic shift in their attitudes and actions based on the events that transpire.

If the story writing continued this way, maybe this lore would get good again.

Yeah, plus it really intersted me in what Jaina was thinking and what actions she was taking in this whole Alliance/Horde war that Garrosh and Varian had wanted

Because her pushing for peace in a war that has already started, is to me kinda a lost cause
This whole war started because of mutal distrust and old hatrds between the factions
the War will only breed even more hate and distrust

[Samsara]

Shes pissed and I like it
Its funny how hordies cry around "remember camp taurajo" as if it were some pearl harbor or something, when alliance had southshore and thal'darah grove bombed to oblivion by the horde.
After all thats happened im happy to see that prominent alliance characters are visibly pissed and wanting revenge.

[jooohn]

Oh yes! The passion! I love that passionate fury. Garrosh's encounter could be one of the most amazing fights we've seen. I hope Jaina plays a large role in the final raid such as the dragon aspects with the Dragon Soul! I love it when a protagonist has that fire in her heart!

[stuartj1992]

I think her boyfriend dumping her for an ugly fat green chic with a face that only a mother could love...

Only she's not actually fat, and she's not green. Aggra is a Mag'har, and she's got brown skin, not green like Thrall.

I agree with the ugly bit though. Orc females are not the bonniest.

[littleking]

biggest boner when she started yelling XD

[Dreknar20]

Shes pissed and I like it
Its funny how hordies cry around "remember camp taurajo" as if it were some pearl harbor or something, when alliance had southshore and thal'darah grove bombed to oblivion by the horde.
After all thats happened im happy to see that prominent alliance characters are visibly pissed and wanting revenge.

didnt you always have Varian to look up to as the person raging for orc blood?

---------- Post added 2012-06-01 at 05:54 PM ----------

One moment. Wasn't the Focusing Iris on the hands of the Aspects and then given to Jaina to keep it? How come Garrosh got it? Or did Jaina was saying that they are here for the Iris and we must get it somewhere else?

Jaina was given the Focusing Iris? Was this in one of the novels?

If it is..... isnt the first few quests on the Horde involing you to weaken and hamper Thermore's defenses?
So one of the quests might involve stealing it or something

[Frontenac]

didnt you always have Varian to look up to as the person raging for orc blood?

You must admit that even Varian was more bark than bite during Cataclysm.

[Kelimbror]

Yeah, plus it really intersted me in what Jaina was thinking and what actions she was taking in this whole Alliance/Horde war that Garrosh and Varian had wanted

Because her pushing for peace in a war that has already started, is to me kinda a lost cause
This whole war started because of mutal distrust and old hatrds between the factions
the War will only breed even more hate and distrust

I mean seriously. Look at everyone she's tried to influence with her hippy peace pipe attitude...they are all evil, dead, or evil and dead. The only one that she had so much interaction with that hasn't gone that route is Thrall. And he completely abandoned her in a drug fueled 'I am One with the Elements pouting session'. And in that case, it wasn't even Jaina who saved him, but some random chick.

Add that to having to watch people you have known your whole life, that you are responsible for, be slaughtered in your home. To be honest, she's not angry enough. I have a feeling that Jaina is going to cross a huge line in this story arc. She won't do anything that isn't justified, but what if her vengeance results in a bystanders death? It would be fitting that someone who has preached the value of peace for so long and finally snaps, proving to themself that they were right all along.

You heard it here first.

Jaina kills Thrall.

*headsplosion*


edit: (on accident obviously)

[Nuvuk]

I guess if it must be it must be but I liked that their was someone willing to stand between the 2 bulls Wrynn and Garrosh to keep them from killing each other. Of course Im sure Jaina respects Thrall more than Garrosh though.

[Wondercrab]

DOn't get me wrong, Im sad that Jainais changing from the thoughtful women she was, but its easy to understand how she reaches this point

That's kind of what I'm getting at, the motivation isn't necessarily unbelievable (it's not organic either, but what the hey), but the choice of going down this route as a storyline for Jaina is problematic. It runs the very real risk, which I fully expect Blizzard to run headlong into, of turning her into every other character in terms of her political viewpoint.

One of the biggest issues the WoW storyline faces overall is that the war angle is incredibly flimsy, and motivated by shallow, stupid characters that are driven by old grudges and personal hang-ups that make them difficult to take seriously as real, likeable people. It's been proved numerous times that the Alliance and Horde are far better off when they work together, but precious few characters in the game world have the mental capacity to appreciate that. It's the issue they face when trying to inject drama into a war between two factions where neither has the moral highground; either it comes across as silly and trivial, or both sides have to be turned into villains (something they focused on in Cataclysm) in order to make it work.

It feels as though Jaina's going to become another victim of the awkwardly handled war storyline, with the same motivations as Varian or Garrosh, trying to bolster her appeal via generic badassery rather than realism and strength of character.