Shouldn't the Alliance have ousted Anduin or force him to abdicate at this point?

[Feanoro]

Wow. You actually want horde players to be punished for playing the game? That is kinda disturbing.

Oh look, word twisting and that meme again. In the spirit of your reply, God knows Hordies like you want me punished for rolling Alliance.

[Soon-TM]

I've come to the conclusion that most Alliance fans talk a lot about not getting enough "narrative focus", but they don't actually want it. It's understandable, the kind of "narrative focus" that writers gifted to the Horde has left the faction in ruins, with its iconic position of Warchief turned into a pitiful meme, and then abolished. Guess what, that's the only sort of "narrative focus" Danuser is capable of.

So prepare to get Anduin hit with the villain bat, and the ensuing civil war with its corresponding siege of Stormwind (not going to happen), or embrace your blandness. I can see why so many of you prefer the latter

[Raisei]

I've come to the conclusion that most Alliance fans talk a lot about not getting enough "narrative focus", but they don't actually want it. It's understandable, the kind of "narrative focus" that writers gifted to the Horde has left the faction in ruins, with its iconic position of Warchief turned into a pitiful meme, and then abolished. Guess what, that's the only sort of "narrative focus" Danuser is capable of.

This might also be because every time the Horde stops being a drooling band of murdering savages the playerbase complains that their "identity" is stolen, because they joined the Horde with the express wish of being the bad guys. As is the case right now. If Blizzard sees how people cry atm about the Council (which they do) you can bet that in 10.0 or 11.0 the next Warchief/Dictator will spawn and lead you to glorious slaughter again.
The only people responsible for the Horde constantly getting the villain bat is the ones that keep crying to be villains, Blizzard has to try to placate the fanbase by reacting to your feedback. If you don't want to be bad anymore I suggest you tyr crying louder then your peers. Good luck with that.

So prepare to get Anduin hit with the villain bat, and the ensuing civil war with its corresponding siege of Stormwind (not going to happen), or embrace your blandness. I can see why so many of you prefer the latter

1) Just because the Alliance does not engage in regular acts of genocide and mass murder we are not "bland". You do not have to be super emo dark to have a compelling story.
2) I for one find Anduins story and character very believable. He was a young boy during Pandaria and was determined to help despite the risk to himself, he stood up to Garrosh friggin Hellscream, something only very few of the pityful Horde leaders dared. During Legion he lost his father and was forced in a role he did not want, but after some soul searching embraced. He wanted to use his new power to make the world better, but found the world (in the form of a certain Banshee) pushing back hard.
What did he do? Did he despair? Did he give up and became just another player in the endless pointless conflict between Horde and Alliance? No, he stuck to his views and values and kept trying, despite all the old hatreds he keeps going. He is not like Sylvanas who has completely given up on everything and just wants to end existence, he hopes and fights for what he believes in. That takes a lot of character strength and it makes his story interesting

But we all know that now I will be bombared with Hordies memeing about their "golden boi" and what other nonesense is floating around the net.

[Mehrunes]

And the real trial of the Celestials wasn't on Garrosh but those who were there. I doubt they were unaware of what was happening.

I am just saying there is no evidence that he stopped Garrosh from being killed as a fact. He could have, but it is also possible Garrosh would have survived anyway.
It was agreed Garrosh would be tried, stopping an assassination attempt to insure proper procedure isn't a bad thing.

Given how Garrosh was about to take a sip of his bat soup just as Anduin ran to his cell yet the guards knew fuck all and the Celestials were nowhere to be seen, you're kinda grasping at straws right now.

Depends on your context, really; in this case context being your chosen faction. Play on the Horde primarily and you'll notice more the beats of the story you like or dislike, without really recognizing the scope of (and occasionally lack of existence of) counterpart dramatics arcs on the Alliance side. Play on the Alliance primarily and you'll notice that the Horde is the point of origin of all drama in the game, its actions being those who move the story alone and making your faction's story, by contrast, a response to the Horde's actions when it isn't mostly stagnant.

Alliance players call this "Horde favoritism" because they feel a distinct lack of impact in the game's story, as they only react to the Horde's movements. Horde players call this "getting dunked on" because in order for the Horde to cause all said drama they need to be volatile, chaotic, and often losing important or well-liked characters to the continual churn of the story. It's crappy for both factions in actuality, albeit for very different reasons.

The fascinating tale of poor, innocent Alliance only ever reacting to what the Horde is doing and that if not for the Horde they'd be merrily picking flowers or whatever is, has always been and will forever continue to be nothing more than a myth that is as disjointed from the story (of, I dunno, Sylvanas selling the idea of war to Saurfang by mentioning unprovoked Alliance aggression in Stormheim to him) as it can get.

I play both factions and I actually agree with your last sentence. But that's also why I don't think there is Horde favoritism. There is garbage on both sides but I feel it becomes Alliance favoritism purely because the fan base will justify every terrible thing the Alliance does. So many players think the Alliance is incapable of doing anything evil even when things like the Purge of Dalaran happens.

It's not just the fanbase, it's the story itself. Alliance wrongdoing is consistently brushed under the carpet by the writers. The previous faction war is consistently pinned on Garrosh for example, despite Varian being the one to declare it a whole goddamn expansion prior to Garrosh becoming the Warchief. That part is never mentioned by anyone in the story, even on the Horde side. Which begs the question, if Blizzard wants the Alliance to be this flawless paragon of all that is good that never does anything questionable to the Horde, why the hell do they write things that contradict this that they then have to deliberately ignore in order to preserve said premise?

[Enosh]

So prepare to get Anduin hit with the villain bat, and the ensuing civil war with its corresponding siege of Stormwind (not going to happen), or embrace your blandness. I can see why so many of you prefer the latter

like I always said, where do i sign up for two expansions of kicking the horde ass all over azeroth, blowing up a city and then a long story of alliance leaders banding together to oust evil Anduin from Stormwind on whom everything will be blamed while Horde plays around with robo w.o.l.f.
oh and alliance gets to keep everything it got during the past two expansion while Thralls talks some bullshit about ending the alliance that no one cares about
show me the doted line, I'll put my name down immediately

I do find it hilarious that people try to present SoO as anything other than an Horde story with the alliance for some reason tagging along
robo, fucking, cat

[Darththeo]

Given how Garrosh was about to take a sip of his bat soup just as Anduin ran to his cell yet the guards knew fuck all and the Celestials were nowhere to be seen, you're kinda grasping at straws right now.

I love how you focused on the weaker part of that argument. Care to address the whole point?

[Stormdash]

Welcome to WoW story, where people still pretend Blizzard have no Horde favoritism.

I love that a post that points out that every recent storyline ends, to some extent or the other, with the Alliance choosing to allow the Horde to continue existing at all, is in your eyes proof of how biased the author is... in favor of the Horde. What?

[Aucald]

I love that a post that points out that every recent storyline ends, to some extent or the other, with the Alliance choosing to allow the Horde to continue existing at all, is in your eyes proof of how biased the author is... in favor of the Horde. What?

Which isn't really a burning question or issue from an external vantage point, because the answer is (and effectively must be) "the Horde continues to exist." I wouldn't call this Horde bias myself, but it is indicative of the fact that even in victory the Alliance has no control over the narrative and can make no decision that alters the status quo. The Horde *can* alter the status quo, however, and often does - but since it also cannot win in any real sense, all the damage the Horde does is essentially internalized, usually in the form of the current Warchief's sacrificial death.

[Mehrunes]

It feels like favoritism when you don't have the accompanying Horde experience - because it feels like all the events are about the Horde and its actions. Even the Purge of Dalaran is initiated by a Horde plot (moving the Divine Bell through Dalaran), and it's actions, while perpetrated by the Alliance, have more far-reaching circumstances for the Horde than the Alliance (e.g. driving the Blood Elves back into the arms of the Horde once more). I'd agree it's not favoritism in its truest form, as the Horde doesn't really benefit from this relationship in any real way - rather it suffers under the yoke of being the primary source of drama, but that's not something you would see either from an Alliance perspective.

Let's pay no attention to how Purge of Dalaran was followup to the story of the chase for the Divine Bell which resulted in Alliance beating the Horde to it, laying a trap for its player and holing the Bell up in Darnassus. Obviously the Horde couldn't have reacted to that and its decision to go after the Bell and smuggle it through Dalaran is completely disjointed from that story.

And the fact that Purge of Dalaran has no repercussions on the Alliance side is the point. Because there never are any repercussions for the shit Alliance does. And focusing on that story on the Alliance side after the fact would require a story that forces the Alliance to examine it and what it means for them as a faction, which is a story that Blizzard's hacks are evidently unwilling to write. For crying out loud, the "far-reaching circumstances for the Horde" culminated in Blood Elves' own leader joining the "let's excuse any and all Alliance's wrongdoing" camp.

The Alliance can certainly do evil things - but it can only do them in response to the Horde's actions. This removes a sense agency from the Alliance as a whole, and that is what Alliance players see primarily.

What Horde actions was Rogers reacting to when she ordered her people to shoot at Horde shipwrecks? What Horde actions was Varian reacting to when he declared war on Horde (and it's not the Wrathgate because he explicitly accepted Horde's explanation of it being performed by rebels)? What Horde action were Dwarves reacting to when they crawled over to three different Horde zones to dig for Titan junk? So on and so forth.

Oh look, word twisting and that meme again. In the spirit of your reply, God knows Hordies like you want me punished for rolling Alliance.

We are only following Blizzard's example though.

I love how you focused on the weaker part of that argument. Care to address the whole point?

What "whole point"? The part about you doubting Celestials were unaware? Addressed. That there is "no evidence" that Anduin stopped Garrosh from being killed when Garrosh basically had poison developed by Sylvanas halfway to his mouth when Anduin rushed in? Addressed. "It's possible Garrosh would have survived poison developed by Sylvanas that was basically in his mouth already when Anduin rushed in"? Addressed. "It was agreed Garrosh would be tried, stopping an assassination attempt to insure proper procedure isn't a bad thing."? Non-sequitur. I'm sorry, is the last sentence you want me to address some more? Is a non-sequitur the stronger part of your argument?

[Darththeo]

What "whole point"? The part about you doubting Celestials were unaware? Addressed. That there is "no evidence" that Anduin stopped Garrosh from being killed when Garrosh basically had poison developed by Sylvanas halfway to his mouth when Anduin rushed in? Addressed. "It's possible Garrosh would have survived poison developed by Sylvanas that was basically in his mouth already when Anduin rushed in"? Addressed. "It was agreed Garrosh would be tried, stopping an assassination attempt to insure proper procedure isn't a bad thing."? Non-sequitur. I'm sorry, is the last sentence you want me to address some more? Is a non-sequitur the stronger part of your argument?

That isn't a non-sequitor because it is part of the fucking original point that Anduin was bad because he stopped Garrosh being killed (which is speculation) there so no evidence he was going to be killed. Just because he was about to consume poison doesn't mean he was going to die.

You don't get to complain about "grasping at straws" when you are arguing headcanon.

[Aucald]

Let's pay no attention to how Purge of Dalaran was followup to the story of the chase for the Divine Bell which resulted in Alliance beating the Horde to it, laying a trap for its player and holing the Bell up in Darnassus. Obviously the Horde couldn't have reacted to that and its decision to go after the Bell and smuggle it through Dalaran is completely disjointed from that story.

As the quest-chain demonstrates, both the Alliance and the Horde learn of the destructive power of the Sha via the Korune Mogu - and the Alliance wants to claim the Bell to destroy it, deeming it too dangerous and not wanting the Horde to take possession of it and weaponize it (as they briefly do). The story itself is painted in tones of Alliance reaction to Horde aggression, preventing them from claiming powerful weapons in wartime.

And the fact that Purge of Dalaran has no repercussions on the Alliance side is the point. Because there never are any repercussions for the shit Alliance does. And focusing on that story on the Alliance side after the fact would require a story that forces the Alliance to examine it and what it means for them as a faction, which is a story that Blizzard's hacks are evidently unwilling to write. For crying out loud, the "far-reaching circumstances for the Horde" culminated in Blood Elves' own leader joining the "let's excuse any and all Alliance's wrongdoing" camp.

The Alliance does briefly claim Dalaran, but even that had no real effect on the story going forward because Dalaran has no substantial further role in the story of MoP after the Purge. Not quite so for the Horde. We're talking about narrative impact here, not blame for actions in the narrative. I already said that the Alliance can and has done wrong in the past, but it's ability to do wrong is still circumscribed by its more passive role compared to the Horde's active one.

What Horde actions was Rogers reacting to when she ordered her people to shoot at Horde shipwrecks? What Horde actions was Varian reacting to when he declared war on Horde (and it's not the Wrathgate because he explicitly accepted Horde's explanation of it being performed by rebels)? What Horde action were Dwarves reacting to when they crawled over to three different Horde zones to dig for Titan junk? So on and so forth.

The Wrathgate incident is still what brought the Alliance to the Undercity and precipitated Varian's actions - again, we're talking narrative here. Varian declared war, sure; as a result of the events that brought him and the Alliance there. If the Wrathgate incident hadn't occurred none of first Battle for the Undercity would've occurred. Stormheim (which is what I believe you're referring to) is a reaction to the perceived betrayal of the Horde at the Broken Shore. The rest of your examples i.e. the Dwarves are super minor story beats, and in addition they aren't really part of the narrative the Alliance player can experience to begin with, serving only as Horde story beats.

[Mehrunes]

That isn't a non-sequitor because it is part of the fucking original point that Anduin was bad because he stopped Garrosh being killed (which is speculation) there so no evidence he was going to be killed. Just because he was about to consume poison doesn't mean he was going to die.

You don't get to complain about "grasping at straws" when you are arguing headcanon.

You being apparently unable to infer something as basic as how the ingestion of a highly advanced poison leads to death is a you problem. One that doesn't make me "argue headcanon" just because I refuse to partake in something this illogical. So don't use words you don't understand. Especially since said poison was developed by the Forsaken alchemists with a penchant to deadly poisons. And was explicitly shown to kill a rat in seconds, which was a rather obvious (except to you, it seems) storytelling device used to convey the idea that Anduin saved his life.

And I'm sorry, but last time I checked I'm not @Ardenaso. My "fucking original point" had nothing to do with Anduin being bad or not. I merely pointed out how Anduin saved his life. You know, as a reply to your point on how Anduin didn't, because "the Celestials were going to spare him". So why are you now pretending your own "fucking original point" had anything to do with Anduin insuring proper court procedure (which wasn't even remotely his motivation, you authority of lore) or the whole poison bit?

[Ardenaso]

Well, after the Fourth War Anduin appointed Turalyon as High Commander of the Alliance forces.

That's nice. Though I'm expecting him too to question his decision making and leadership as well

[Candy Cough]

-Shoehorned into bad guys with Garrosh, many Orc characters dead
-WoD was an entire expansion of guilt free orc murder, alliance expansion
-Vol'Jin did nothing and died
-No significant Horde presence in Legion, a few token blood elves in Argus
-Didn't win at Teldrassil, Sylvanas burned the tree instead of conquering
-Saurfang turned into a pussy, didn't kill Malfurion and became suicidal dumbass
-Thrall neutered
-Siege of Orgrimmar AGAIN. Horde once again forced to be either bad guys are alliance boot lickers
-Rastakhan portrayed as a clown and was a side character in his own kingdom then killed
-Warchief position abolised because Thrall is a coward
-Lost Arathi and Darkshore warfronts
-Derek and Calia poised to take over Forsaken faction, Undead controlled by Alliance aligned characters
-Forsaken lost more established characters to the villain bat. Who's the big shot now? Voss?
-Gallywix forced out for no reason
-Horde player forced to give sylvanas a fucking old god dagger

Please let me know if I've missed anything. The Alliance won BFA by miles. Horde gained nothing, not close to breaking even either.

The alliance couldnt even lose gelbin while we lost 5 leaders!!! Lmao

[Darththeo]

You being apparently unable to infer something as basic as how the ingestion of a highly advanced poison leads to death is a you problem. One that doesn't make me "argue headcanon" just because I refuse to partake in something this illogical. So don't use words you don't understand. Especially since said poison was developed by the Forsaken alchemists with a penchant to deadly poisons. And was explicitly shown to kill a rat in seconds, which was a rather obvious (except to you, it seems) storytelling device used to convey the idea that Anduin saved his life.

And I'm sorry, but last time I checked I'm not @Ardenaso. My "fucking original point" had nothing to do with Anduin being bad or not. I merely pointed out how Anduin saved his life. You know, as a reply to your point on how Anduin didn't, because "the Celestials were going to spare him". So why are you now pretending your own "fucking original point" had anything to do with Anduin insuring proper court procedure (which wasn't even remotely his motivation, you authority of lore) or the whole poison bit?

Wraithion was working to free Garrosh.
Celestials acted like Garrosh walking free was the only outcome to the trial.
etc ..

Arguing that Garrosh was going to die if Anduin did nothing is headcanon ... we don't know for sure he was going to die. You know what has been shown to neutralize Forsaken poison? Dragon fire, Magic, etc ... it isn't SUPER POWERFUL POISON THAT WILL KILL REGARDLESS RAH SMASH. And we know Wraithion and his agents were lurking around the trial. The Celestials are wild gods and their full power is not fully known.

So the argument "Garrosh was going to die" if Anduin did nothing is in fact headcanon. We do not know that as a fact.

Also, I didn't say it was YOUR point ... I said "The" point ... not yours. And again, non-sequitor implies it doesn't follow in the conversation or is out of nowhere. It doesn't matter. Also, you didn't address my argument, you dismissed it without evidence.

[Vasaru]

Welcome to WoW story, where people still pretend Blizzard have no Horde favoritism.

I'd recommend making a swift exit. I suffered with this shit for 10+ years until I'd finally seen enough to get it through my thick skull that they're biased. How many Alliance characters were made neutral? How many times does the Alliance have to suffer massive defeats and near genocides and then somehow continue to make peace after with the repeat offenders? How many pyrrhic "We lost 99% of our army but this one gnome pulled a bomb out his ass" victories do we need? Let's just add in an ineffectual, traitorous king. Why not.

Stop playing. Stop paying. The story is shit, and no amount of complaining will fix it. That is the only lesson learned from 15 years of WoW.

Not just neutral but turned Horde or even evil? I'm sick and tired of it.

[Wildberry]

Welcome to WoW story, where people still pretend Blizzard have no Horde favoritism.

I mean, yeah sure, the story is garbage, but imagine actually falling for the hOrDe FaVorItIsM meme.

How many Alliance characters were made neutral?

How many Horde characters were hit with the villain bat? Believe me, none of us actually want to work alongside neutral Alliance heroes. More often than not we just have to, because of our decimated cast. At this point, we're working alongside neutral Alliance heroes to kill our own people frequently. How are you guys the ones on the losing end of this equation?

How many times does the Alliance have to suffer massive defeats and near genocides and then somehow continue to make peace after with the repeat offenders?

About as many times as Horde players have to deal with the Alliance being presented as a threat, fighting (and winning a war) until we lose because of a magical rebellion at the last minute to teach us what our own faction is really about.

How many pyrrhic "We lost 99% of our army but this one gnome pulled a bomb out his ass" victories do we need?

Remember that time Garrosh sunk a good chunk of the Alliance's navy and it was just never followed up on again?

Let's just add in an ineffectual, traitorous king. Why not.

Right, it's much better to have a core theme of your faction trashed and replaced with a completely new style of leadership that doesn't actually represent your faction at all. You have one ineffectual, traitorous leader. We've got a whole council of them.

[Feanoro]

We are only following Blizzard's example though.

About time you admitted it, thanks.

@Aucald, thanks for stating it rather neatly, even if you clearly don't agree with the premise that bias is present. Even if it's not bias, Alliance is clearly only along for the ride and to provide a focus for the Horde's daily Two Minute Hate.

[Mehrunes]

As the quest-chain demonstrates, both the Alliance and the Horde learn of the destructive power of the Sha via the Korune Mogu - and the Alliance wants to claim the Bell to destroy it, deeming it too dangerous and not wanting the Horde to take possession of it and weaponize it (as they briefly do). The story itself is painted in tones of Alliance reaction to Horde aggression, preventing them from claiming powerful weapons in wartime.

I'm not sure how you got "Alliance reaction to Horde aggression" from Alliance preventing the Horde from claiming a weapon (in a way started by the Alliance no less), but whatever. Because that is not information available for the Horde. So it couldn't have factored into their decision of pursuing the Bell further. For all they knew the Alliance was going to use the Bell and they had to prevent it.

The Alliance does briefly claim Dalaran, but even that had no real effect on the story going forward because Dalaran has no substantial further role in the story of MoP after the Purge. Not quite so for the Horde. We're talking about narrative impact here, not blame for actions in the narrative. I already said that the Alliance can and has done wrong in the past, but it's ability to do wrong is still circumscribed by its more passive role compared to the Horde's active one.

You mean to tell me that the Alliance faction in 5.2 has no substantial role in the story of MoP? You mean to tell me that the goddamn leader of Dalaran, one of the most active Alliance leaders in 5.4, has no further role in the story of MoP? The tale of Alliance's passivity never ceases to amaze me in the claims that result from it.

I mean, sure, if one is to cover their eyes, ears and any other sensory organ the narrative of poor oppressed ever passive Alliance starts to appear real, but that one has to engage in such exercises to get those results is kinda a significant aspect of my point.

The Wrathgate incident is still what brought the Alliance to the Undercity and precipitated Varian's actions - again, we're talking narrative here. Varian declared war, sure; as a result of the events that brought him and the Alliance there. If the Wrathgate incident hadn't occurred none of first Battle for the Undercity would've occurred. Stormheim (which is what I believe you're referring to) is a reaction to the perceived betrayal of the Horde at the Broken Shore. The rest of your examples i.e. the Dwarves are super minor story beats, and in addition they aren't really part of the narrative the Alliance player can experience to begin with, serving only as Horde story beats.

No, it's Horde losing control of Undercity to the rebels acknowledged by Varian that brought the Alliance to the Undercity. Varian says so out loud. He wanted to use this situation as an opportunity to conquer the city before the Horde could take it back. And looping back to the whole bit of Varian acknowledging the rebels as separate from the Horde, even if you ignore the above the tale of him reacting to Horde falls flat on its face. Because he was reacting to something performed by people that were no longer Horde. And he accepted them as no longer Horde. To push the incessantly false narrative of Alliance reacting to what the Horde does is to ignore Varian's own views on the matter.

Which isn't even really that surprising. Ignoring the Alliance's own quests goes hand in hand with posters screaming about HORDE BIAS coming to devour us all.

Also, not only is the fact that Alliance's wrongdoing is repeatedly downplayed by the story a part of my position, but the Alliance can very much experience Stormpike incursion. It's almost as if there was an entire battleground related to it or something. And there is no perceived betrayal at the Broken Shore. Even in-lore Alliance had a boatload of information available to them to show how that conclusion is moronic, starting with how the Legion's spaceships that forced the Horde's retreat are perfectly visible from Alliance's side of the battle. Them willfully ignoring all of that in order to justify their bias and warmongering doesn't make them passive flower children. It makes them looking for an excuse for a fight. Especially since they had to outright break Anduin's own orders in order to commit that attack.

About time you admitted it, thanks.

Not sure why it needed admission in the first place. To act based on self-preservation is quite obvious. If we didn't follow Blizzard's example here they would send their death squads after us as well, because in the world of HORDE BIAS you're either with Blizzard on that or you're against them. And I don't want Ion to slit my throat because I sympathized with a faction Blizzard deemed sinful and as such hates more than anything else in the world.

[Aucald]

I'm not sure how you got "Alliance reaction to Horde aggression" from Alliance preventing the Horde from claiming a weapon (in a way started by the Alliance no less), but whatever. Because that is not information available for the Horde. So it couldn't have factored into their decision of pursuing the Bell further. For all they knew the Alliance was going to use the Bell and they had to prevent it.

Pretty simple - the Horde is the main belligerent of the war in MoP, and Garrosh has both a history and a stated desire to claim and use weapons of mass destruction. The Horde also knew about the Bell, which is why they stole from Darnassus and then Garrosh tried to use it to empower his own soldiers until Anduin stopped him using the Harmonic Mallet to destroy the Bell. Horde acts. Alliance reacts.

You mean to tell me that the Alliance faction in 5.2 has no substantial role in the story of MoP? You mean to tell me that the goddamn leader of Dalaran, one of the most active Alliance leaders in 5.4, has no further role in the story of MoP? The tale of Alliance's passivity never ceases to amaze me in the claims that result from it.

Jaina != Dalaran, and her role in MoP following the Purge of Dalaran is largely her acting on her own. I don't recall massive amounts of Kirin Tor forces being utilized by the Alliance anywhere else, either.

I mean, sure, if one is to cover their eyes, ears and any other sensory organ the narrative of poor oppressed ever passive Alliance starts to appear real, but that one has to engage in such exercises to get those results is kinda a significant aspect of my point.

You're just engaging in hyperbole now, and also avoiding the actual point of the argument - which isn't the courtroom semantics of who is or isn't culpable for certain actions and instead which beats in the story get the primary focus.

No, it's Horde losing control of Undercity to the rebels acknowledged by Varian that brought the Alliance to the Undercity. Varian says so out loud. He wanted to use this situation as an opportunity to conquer the city before the Horde could take it back. And looping back to the whole bit of Varian acknowledging the rebels as separate from the Horde, even if you ignore the above the tale of him reacting to Horde falls flat on its face. Because he was reacting to something performed by people that were no longer Horde. And he accepted them as no longer Horde. To push the incessantly false narrative of Alliance reacting to what the Horde does is to ignore Varian's own views on the matter.

The funniest thing about this diatribe is that while it is largely true, it also also immaterial insofar as the story is concerned. Do you know why so few people actually know that Varian was the figure who declared war in WotLK? Because the narrative doesn't care about it, it's almost an afterthought. What's being dwelled on is the actions of the Forsaken (or at least Putress' mutinous sect), and those of Sylvanas, who Varian explicitly calls out in his call for war. Just taking a look at said call for war tells you all you need to know about why it is being called for:

King Varian Wrynn says: I was away for too long. My absence cost us the lives of some of our greatest heroes. Trash like you and this evil witch were allowed to roam free -- unchecked.
King Varian Wrynn says: The time has come to make things right. To disband your treacherous kingdom of murderers and thieves. Putress was the first strike. Many more will come.
King Varian Wrynn says: I've waited a long time for this, Thrall. For every time I was thrown into one of your damned arenas... for every time I killed a green-skinned aberration like you... I could only think of one thing.
King Varian Wrynn says: What our world could be without you and your twisted Horde... It ends now, Warchief.
King Varian Wrynn says: ATTACK! FOR STORMWIND! FOR BOLVAR! FOR THE ALLIANCE!

So to belie your points above, Varian definitively sees Putress as part of the Forsaken and the Horde - and he feels Sylvanas (and Thrall) are complicit in what happened at the Wrathgate. He pointedly invokes "For Bolvar" to rally the Alliance to war, quite literally making the death of Bolvar at the Wrathgate part of his call. So yes, Varian is indeed the one to call for war - but the narrative is very clearly showing that the reason he's doing it is because of the Wrathgate, especially insofar as the people of the Alliance are concerned. Still a reaction.

Also, not only is the fact that Alliance's wrongdoing is repeatedly downplayed by the story a part of my position, but the Alliance can very much experience Stormpike incursion. It's almost as if there was an entire battleground related to it or something. And there is no perceived betrayal at the Broken Shore. Even in-lore Alliance had a boatload of information available to them to show how that conclusion is moronic, starting with how the Legion's spaceships that forced the Horde's retreat are perfectly visible from Alliance's side of the battle. Them willfully ignoring all of that in order to justify their bias and warmongering doesn't make them passive flower children. It makes them looking for an excuse for a fight. Especially since they had to outright break Anduin's own orders in order to commit that attack.

I was referring to the Dwarves present in Mulgore and the Barrens. Alterac Valley is another matter altogether, as it is actually mutual belligerents both occupying lands that don't belong to them. Neither the Stormpikes nor the Frostwolves have the right there, and it does stand an exception to the general rule. We both know that Genn blames Sylvanas for Varian's death, and the fact that the Alliance wasn't aware of the Horde's plight at the Broken Shore is directly addressed in "Before the Storm" as well, so you're just incorrect insofar as that goes. They're not willfully ignoring anything, the narrative is at pains to show they weren't aware of it, which is why Anduin asks Sylvanas about it directly in "Before the Storm" when they briefly meet.