Malfurion and Illidan were orphaned during childhood/teenage years

[viridian-716]

Long time lurker but this made me jump out of my seat.

So I'm re-reading the WotA triology (Well of Eternity Chapter 4) when I read this:

"And in so many ways, Malfurion had already become the opposite of his people. Despite their
tendencies toward flamboyant garments, for instance, Malfurion’s own were very subdued. A cloth tunic,
a simple leather jerkin and pants, knee-high boots…his parents, had they not perished by accident years before, would have surely died of shame."

HOLY MOTHER.... that explains everything about Illidan's behavior probably has mommy issues(probably where the Tyrande obsession come into play too) and PTSD. Would be even worse if it was caused by his recklessness.

Thoughts?

[Zandalariprelate]

Probably they are still dying of shame in the night elf heaven

[MikeBogina]

I think it's just a cheap way to explain why people's parents are never talked about. It's not a plot point like say Superman's parents died to protect him, which helps define him, but just a convenient way to not talk about the. Mom's in general are also a huge absence in Warcraft and our often never talked about or later on when someone asks where they are, it's explained they're dead.

Varian's mom
Tyrande's parents
Garrosh's Mom(we learn of her in AU)
Arthas' mom
Jaina's mom(We're just now learning of her)
Windrunner's parents
Kael's mom
Moria's mom(we just learned of her)

Even some of the new characters, like the Highmountain leader has a dad, no mom? Princess Talanji has a daddy, no mom?

When we meet a new character, a lot of the time they're young and no parents are introduced. Sometimes when an existing character has a child, it's a father, but we don't hear of the mother.

[Deleted]

I always thought Cenarius was their dad and some random harpy their mom.

[Deleted]

I think it's just a cheap way to explain why people's parents are never talked about. It's not a plot point like say Superman's parents died to protect him, which helps define him, but just a convenient way to not talk about the. Mom's in general are also a huge absence in Warcraft and our often never talked about or later on when someone asks where they are, it's explained they're dead.

Varian's mom
Tyrande's parents
Garrosh's Mom(we learn of her in AU)
Arthas' mom
Jaina's mom(We're just now learning of her)
Windrunner's parents
Kael's mom
Moria's mom(we just learned of her)

Even some of the new characters, like the Highmountain leader has a dad, no mom? Princess Talanji has a daddy, no mom?

When we meet a new character, a lot of the time they're young and no parents are introduced. Sometimes when an existing character has a child, it's a father, but we don't hear of the mother.

Exactly my thoughts. Being a mom in WoW is risky, you can die and no one even would know your name. From moms of important characters we know mostly Draka and Aegwynn, but rest of them simply 'mysteriously died'. I can also add: Vanessa Vancleef's mom, Taelia's mom, Darion Mograine's mom. We know also two female characters (Vereesa and Alleria) who had children, but that's all.
I don't know, maybe Blizzard doesn't like moms. Just like it wouldn't be okay for a hero to have a loving and caring mom. Just like loving and caring mom would be something worse than cold childless hero, or hero who had a child but didn't care much (like Aegwynn and Alleria, also Vereesa was hinted to not care about children too much).

It's odd, because a mom can be written in cool way. Remember Molly Weasley from Harry Potter series? She was the best mom ever. Loving, caring and badass when she needed to protect her children.

[MikeBogina]

Exactly my thoughts. Being a mom in WoW is risky, you can die and no one even would know your name. From moms of important characters we know mostly Draka and Aegwynn, but rest of them simply 'mysteriously died'. I can also add: Vanessa Vancleef's mom, Taelia's mom, Darion Mograine's mom. We know also two female characters (Vereesa and Alleria) who had children, but that's all.
I don't know, maybe Blizzard doesn't like moms. Just like it wouldn't be okay for a hero to have a loving and caring mom. Just like loving and caring mom would be something worse than cold childless hero, or hero who had a child but didn't care much (like Aegwynn and Alleria, also Vereesa was hinted to not care about children too much).

It's odd, because a mom can be written in cool way. Remember Molly Weasley from Harry Potter series? She was the best mom ever. Loving, caring and badass when she needed to protect her children.

Makes you wonder how many Blizzard writers have good relationships with their mom's xD

You mentioned Vereesa and Alleria, both of which got the side armed treatment to a human man, something that I've hated about Knaak and others for a while now. I like the strong female characters that don't get locked down by a guy, becoming supporting characters and baring children, like Sylvanas(who can't have kids) and Jaina who I'd report to CPS if she had kids, but even them are made more insane. I just feel like Blizzard can't write a single good female character. Maybe Calia can change that in the future :/

[Wiyld]

I think it's just a cheap way to explain why people's parents are never talked about. It's not a plot point like say Superman's parents died to protect him, which helps define him, but just a convenient way to not talk about the. Mom's in general are also a huge absence in Warcraft and our often never talked about or later on when someone asks where they are, it's explained they're dead.

Varian's mom
Tyrande's parents
Garrosh's Mom(we learn of her in AU)
Arthas' mom
Jaina's mom(We're just now learning of her)
Windrunner's parents
Kael's mom
Moria's mom(we just learned of her)

Even some of the new characters, like the Highmountain leader has a dad, no mom? Princess Talanji has a daddy, no mom?

When we meet a new character, a lot of the time they're young and no parents are introduced. Sometimes when an existing character has a child, it's a father, but we don't hear of the mother.

Varians mom was killed because varians dad was a dickhole. After stormwind was destroyed he hired all the most skilled tradesmen to come rebuild it. When they finished it the king told em to piss off and didn't pay them. This is where the defias came from...they were the tradesmen who went underground in defiance of the king.

The queen was killed by the defias.

[Sigxy]

I think it's just a cheap way to explain why people's parents are never talked about. It's not a plot point like say Superman's parents died to protect him, which helps define him, but just a convenient way to not talk about the. Mom's in general are also a huge absence in Warcraft and our often never talked about or later on when someone asks where they are, it's explained they're dead.

Varian's mom
Tyrande's parents
Garrosh's Mom(we learn of her in AU)
Arthas' mom
Jaina's mom(We're just now learning of her)
Windrunner's parents
Kael's mom
Moria's mom(we just learned of her)

Even some of the new characters, like the Highmountain leader has a dad, no mom? Princess Talanji has a daddy, no mom?

When we meet a new character, a lot of the time they're young and no parents are introduced. Sometimes when an existing character has a child, it's a father, but we don't hear of the mother.

...I'm getting Disney flashbacks.

[MikeBogina]

Varians mom was killed because varians dad was a dickhole. After stormwind was destroyed he hired all the most skilled tradesmen to come rebuild it. When they finished it the king told em to piss off and didn't pay them. This is where the defias came from...they were the tradesmen who went underground in defiance of the king.

The queen was killed by the defias.

That would be Anduin's mom, not Varian's. Varian's mom Taria died escaping Stormwind(bullshit explanation in Chronicle 2). Anduin's mom Tiffin died because of rock hitting her during the Stonemason's riot, the Defias was formed later and it's never specified if the stonemason's threw the rock, if it was intentionally aimed at her, or if maybe Onyxia did it in disguise.

However back to Varian's mom, she's never talked about ever, which is some bullshit. Then Chronicle 2(the one i didn't buy) explains she died while escaping Stormwind, but she's the queen so her safety would be prioritized :/

[Florena]

Makes you wonder how many Blizzard writers have good relationships with their mom's xD

You mentioned Vereesa and Alleria, both of which got the side armed treatment to a human man, something that I've hated about Knaak and others for a while now. I like the strong female characters that don't get locked down by a guy, becoming supporting characters and baring children, like Sylvanas(who can't have kids) and Jaina who I'd report to CPS if she had kids, but even them are made more insane. I just feel like Blizzard can't write a single good female character. Maybe Calia can change that in the future :/

Alleria hasn't suffered that fate, she still does things on her own, has her own story going on. And honestly in Legion and the audio drama she's a much more interesting character than Turalyon IMO.

- - - Updated - - -

Varians mom was killed because varians dad was a dickhole. After stormwind was destroyed he hired all the most skilled tradesmen to come rebuild it. When they finished it the king told em to piss off and didn't pay them. This is where the defias came from...they were the tradesmen who went underground in defiance of the king.

The queen was killed by the defias.

Varian's dad, King Llane, was killed by Garona. The Defias getting screwed over falls upon Onyxia, Varian and the house of nobles.

[MikeBogina]

Alleria hasn't suffered that fate, she still does things on her own, has her own story going on. And honestly in Legion and the audio drama she's a much more interesting character than Turalyon IMO.

Yeah, she's also getting much of her knew lore that you're referring to from the more progressive blizzard. Before Legion, last thing we learned of her, was that she actually had a child with Turalyon... which was her biggest development for years until Legion.

She still fell into the cliche of "exotic beautiful non human falls for human male", she just lucked out that she wasn't in the lore for all these years and is getting better treatment than her sister Vereesa who is one of the worst cases of it in Warcraft.

[Florena]

Yeah, she's also getting much of her knew lore that you're referring to from the more progressive blizzard. Before Legion, last thing we learned of her, was that she actually had a child with Turalyon... which was her biggest development for years until Legion.

She still fell into the cliche of "exotic beautiful non human falls for human male", she just lucked out that she wasn't in the lore for all these years and is getting better treatment than her sister Vereesa who is one of the worst cases of it in Warcraft.

To be fair there really wasn't that much 'lore' back in the pre WC 3 days anyway. The novels expanded things a bit, but I don't think they're entirely canon anyway because they do not mention Arator at all, so at least a bit of that is surely retconned.

[Mace]

I think it's just a cheap way to explain why people's parents are never talked about. It's not a plot point like say Superman's parents died to protect him, which helps define him, but just a convenient way to not talk about the. Mom's in general are also a huge absence in Warcraft and our often never talked about or later on when someone asks where they are, it's explained they're dead.

Varian's mom
Tyrande's parents
Garrosh's Mom(we learn of her in AU)
Arthas' mom
Jaina's mom(We're just now learning of her)
Windrunner's parents
Kael's mom
Moria's mom(we just learned of her)

Even some of the new characters, like the Highmountain leader has a dad, no mom? Princess Talanji has a daddy, no mom?

When we meet a new character, a lot of the time they're young and no parents are introduced. Sometimes when an existing character has a child, it's a father, but we don't hear of the mother.

Sadly it's most people today, so a lot of players can identify with the characters as they are either orphans have only one active parent in their life etc - i mean if they have a parent, why isn't it any harder to write two than 1? And blizzard have shown they are quite capable and good at ignorring characters, that are alive or dead/undead.

I think it also has more dramatic appeal and it is an easy way to explain why some get so messed up, but then, it is also a reality, and it also shows particularly how strong some of those characters, that inspite of having the handicap of not having both or even any parent in their life, the love of others around them or the share tenacity and courage in their being, helped them persevere in some of the most difficult circumstances, and were invaluable in helping their people in a time in the darkness.

[Arrashi]

Sadly it's most people today, so a lot of players can identify with the characters as they are either orphans have only one active parent in their life etc - i mean if they have a parent, why isn't it any harder to write two than 1? And blizzard have shown they are quite capable and good at ignorring characters, that are alive or dead/undead.

I think it also has more dramatic appeal and it is an easy way to explain why some get so messed up, but then, it is also a reality, and it also shows particularly how strong some of those characters, that inspite of having the handicap of not having both or even any parent in their life, the love of others around them or the share tenacity and courage in their being, helped them persevere in some of the most difficult circumstances, and were invaluable in helping their people in a time in the darkness.

Where the hell those people live ? In active warzones ?

[Maljinwo]

Most Warcraft characters are also Pokemon protagonists

[Mace]

Where the hell those people live ? In active warzones ?

I guess I'm speaking from experience, and what I'm surrounded with, 2 active parents is rare, too many people i know only have a mum or dad, or none active in their lives

[Dagoth Ur]

Man, imagine if Malfurion had a dad too. We would run out of planets to save in a week or two.

[Arrashi]

I guess I'm speaking from experience, and what I'm surrounded with, 2 active parents is rare, too many people i know only have a mum or dad, or none active in their lives

Sounds like vietnam or something. I mean dear god, i barely know someone who doesn't have both parents alive (excluding people who are 50 or older).

[viridian-716]

I think it also has more dramatic appeal and it is an easy way to explain why some get so messed up, but then, it is also a reality, and it also shows particularly how strong some of those characters, that inspite of having the handicap of not having both or even any parent in their life, the love of others around them or the share tenacity and courage in their being, helped them persevere in some of the most difficult circumstances, and were invaluable in helping their people in a time in the darkness.

My point exactly. Blizz could have really built on this for Malfurion character development. Its interesting that pre-Sundering it was Malfurion that was counter-cultured to the NELF society to the point where he would have brought shame to their family name. Then post-Sundering his craft and believes were fully embraced while Illidan fell hard.