deathbydarkelves

[deathbydarkelves]

Because the AI age verification bullshit is my final straw,

I'm in the process of moving all my google docs to Ellipsus. You don't need an account to view them, nothing on your end needs to change. I'm just changing links around.

So, the archive holding all tumblr asks I've received concerning my night elf secession AU has been completely moved over. It's the more casual companion to my big beefy AU master document, which I'm still moving.

The curious are more than welcome :)

[deathbydarkelves]

being attacked by gnomes results in a tussle. being attacked by elves results in a battle. being attacked by goblins results in a brawl.

Messages with the wisdom of a serpent and the strength of a lion

[deathbydarkelves]

[deathbydarkelves]

[deathbydarkelves]

the king just told me my jester subscription is going up by 2 bucks this month… fuck this. im just gonna hire some pirates to kidnap him

[deathbydarkelves]

Made this as a little warmup before working on comms last night. This world needs more lesbian joy so I'm doing my damn part!!

ONE of them is gonna have to deal with that tangled chest wrap afterwards…

[deathbydarkelves]

My painting stamina waned. Ah well, I got the idea down. Here's a Xal'atath.

[deathbydarkelves]

just had a violent thought so I nourished it & supported it until it became a violent action! ❤️

[deathbydarkelves]

[deathbydarkelves]

[deathbydarkelves]

i love when sibling characters are fucked up from the same event but in opposite ways

[deathbydarkelves]

Hey there :) I've got a little question regarding your secession AU if you don't mind :) Regarding the kaldorei that have fallen and have been resurrected during the War of Thorns, what's their status in this AU? Are they being reintegrated, shunned or a complete Kill on Sight for other kaldorei?

I do not mind at all >:)

Undeath itself is, even more so than to other races, a deeply horrifying and blasphemous concept to the vast majority of kaldorei. Death is part of the unending cycle of life, so to them “interfering” with it like that is spitting in nature’s face.

So that said, there were a lot that were raised and then, at the first opportunity… ended themselves. This was not a small number. It really does run that deep. If you’re kaldorei and find yourself traveling through the empty Kalimdor battlefields, it’s common advice to bring a satchel of funerary herbs and incense so should you encounter a wandering spirit, you can give them their rites so they may finally rest.

Of those that remained, some raised kaldorei chose to join the Forsaken, some went into self-imposed exile. And yes, some tried to rejoin their people.

The attitude towards the risen really depends on who you ask. It’s also changed over time. Right after the war, like the first few weeks to months, it was shunning and exiling at best. Kaldorei were raised during the Third War, too, by the Scourge. Most people still remember that, and wish they didn’t. They wanted to just deny it.

Over time groups composed of priestesses, [their equivalents of] paladins, druids, and self-righteous civilians who could hold a blade formed. They went out and hunted down the risen to “mercy kill” them. It’s wicked, disturbing work, but these people truly believed they were doing the right thing. For those that believe the undead are just corpses piloted by some alien force, it’s relatively easy to rationalize in their head. For those that believe the undead are still who they were in life, they either numb themselves or they weep and pray for forgiveness over every body.

Regardless of personal reasons, these groups obviously created pressure for even more risen kaldorei to go into self-imposed exile. For the ten-ish years between Teldrassil (48 ADP) and secession (~59 ADP), for the average risen kaldorei who wanted to try and make the most of this, the Forsaken really did look a lot more welcoming than their own people. It was common knowledge among Horde citizens that if you were out on some lonely road and saw a risen kaldorei silently walking in the general direction of Orgrimmar, you either let them be, or did your best to give them directions despite language barriers. They were people out of options and deserved a little kindness.

(On the more wholesome side, many friendships were formed through encounters like this)

(Undeath also has varying effects on a person's memory depending on a whole slew of variables. Those that only vaguely or straight up did not remember who or what they were before, of course, most often opted for the Forsaken as well. Not all, though...)

After secession actually happens, things change a bit. Tyrande and Maiev encountered a number of raised kaldorei on their hunt for Sylvanas, and in their own time came to realize these ‘monsters’ were undeniably still their people. In fact, perhaps surprisingly to some, Maiev is the greater champion for reintegrating the risen than Tyrande is. Her experiences in reclaiming Darkshore and losing even more of her Wardens left a mark on her, to say the least.

The process is INCREDIBLY slow, but there are some communities where the risen are welcomed. Communities already made of other societal outcasts are the most open-minded, of course, but they’re not the only option. There are some druids willing to do the research necessary to give the risen magical items that give them a semblance of life, or hide the smell of decay, or basically give them plant prosthetics (because it’s not exactly easy or smiled upon sourcing replacement parts…). There are some generous Forsaken who start living in secret places on the edges of kaldorei territory to provide counsel and services to those that seek them out.

Secession occurs because the kaldorei are tired, scared, traumatized, and want to go back to the ways things used to be. But as hard as they try and as much as they want to, they can’t. That world is gone. They’re changed. The undead they slowly bring into their society, something that would’ve been unthinkable just a decade before, are just one symbol of that.

[deathbydarkelves]

just wanted to draw her in a dress

[deathbydarkelves]

[deathbydarkelves]

The Four Sacred Artistic Motives:

-what if this bad thing was good instead

-how about Make-Believe Land can have whatever I want

-would that be fucked up or what

-I think that shit's hot

[deathbydarkelves]

god i love 10+ minute long songs. yes girl take me on a journey