Anduin's MANHOOD

[Flower-kelthuzad]

@Zarkanar-emerald-dream

We can agree that we need strong male leaders and it would be nice if Anduin would become one. It seems like all the strong male leaders have been sidelined and replaced with strong female characters.

All of the strong female characters are allowed to show emotions, why aren’t the male leaders allowed to show emotions and still be considered “strong”?

[Sinbãd-whisperwind]

i don’t necessarily agree with them all, but condescending rude comments with no backing just to make others feel stupid from that monk have been… Entertaining

[Paeldryth-hyjal (Paeldryth)]

It is kind of weird how society in general doesn’t view angry men as being emotional.

[Sinbãd-whisperwind]

I think these people are misplacing there frustration, It’s not that hes to emotional, as the greats like Grom and Varian showed emotion from time to time, its more that Anduin hasn’t had any awesome feats of strength after coming to terms with his emotions like they did.

[Sinbãd-whisperwind]

Aside from the many times he did it growing up

[Zashan-thrall]

Ya im from nj so this type is common. Go to any gas station in jersey or just any block in philly and youll get someone who looks exactly like andiun asking to bum a cig.

[Sabbia-moonrunner (Sabbia)]

@Sinbãd-whisperwind

First things first, venting through anger or violence has been proven to be a healthy way to vent many times. I don’t know if anyone here has seen the things where people take a sledgehammer and smash something that’s going to be thrown away anyways, or the countless movies and films that have shown people often go to boxing (usually punching bags) to release frustration and stress. Slaughtering nearly endless hordes of void corrupted bugs coming to claim the soul of your world seems like it’s a pretty great way to vent that stress, anger, and frustration, without hurting anyone he cares about. Along with that as a child both Varian and Anduin were weaker then normal, in Varians case, after the death of his father he was sent to Anduin Lothar, who trained him to be the strongest WARRIOR azeroth had ever seen. Anduin on the other hand had to fight “shoulder to shield” in a war after his fathers death, where in the BFA intro cinematic he clearly shows he has the strength and rage potentials of his father when he slams his sword down on the troll causing a shockwave. Seeing more correlation between the two would be great, Anduin clearly has strong connections to the light, even if they are somewhat dormant RN, it would be great to see him grow as a warrior and king.
Second, Anduin being scarred from what the Jailer did to him, and forced him to do with his own hands while he could do nothing but watch, listen, and feel, seems pretty understandable. Anduins reaction when his PTSD occurred was not to shrivel up and cry, it was to draw his sword, so I don’t understand why people are complaining about him being too emotional when talking to a close friend and not stoic enough, when his reaction was to literally DRAW HIS SWORD.
Third, Blizzard is kinda low on strong warriors ATM (Paladins count as warriors, just warriors of the light/void). Whether you like them or not, they have always added to the story, whether Grom was trying to save his people from the corruption of the fel, or Garrosh ruining any image of honor the horde had in his several hypocritical feats of dishonor, even Varians journey from a rage bound slaughterhouse to a warrior that fights for his country, his people, and his world. Turalyon exists, but has few feats of strength other than fighting the legion for thousands of years, he was more of a quick fix replacement for Tyrion. Anduin being son of Goldrinns chosen and the strongest warrior in WoW and namesake of one of the Alliance’s strongest warriors Anduin Lothar makes for a great person to have as the next powerhouse of the Alliance. I love representation of other classes as well, but most of the warriors have been killed off. Jaina in particular is a great character lore wise in my opinion.
Lastly, if you didn’t notice, Shalamayne has lost its glow, the same glow that has changed colors when passed down and then when it was corrupted by the soul of Arthas and domination magic. That being said, the swords’ whole purpose was to keep Varians rage and anger in check so he did not lash out on his friends and family as Anduin did in said cutscene. We also saw that 2 people helped Anduin to free himself of the domination, Sourfang and Varian, the other 2 wielders of Shalamayne, who both died wielding the sword (yes I know Varian dropped it to his side seconds before he died, still counts). Considering the sword was used to patch the 2 broken halves of Varians soul, Jaina obviously gave it some dope soulbinding power. Hopefully this could lead to Anduin being able to get some advice on what he is going through if he does manage to let his anger out on a swarm of void bugs, and happens to split the sword in a fit of FURY. To clarify something as well, Anduin according to lore and not class titles is already a paladin, all a paladin is in lore is someone who wields the power of the light/void and fights in melee combat with plate armor, even in game healing paladins use hammers of light to smash their opponent while healing the group. A priest is just someone who uses the powers of the void/light.
“My son, A terrible darkness has returned to our world. As before, it seeks to annihilate everything we hold dear. I go to face it, knowing I will not return. All my life I have lived by the sword, I’ve seen kingdoms burn and watched brave heroes die in vain. It’s been difficult for me to trust after losing so much, But from you, I have learned patience, tolerance and faith. Anduin I now believe as you do that peace is the noblest aspiration, but to preserve it, you must be willing to fight.”- Varian Wrynn
Thought I should also throw in the best WoW quote there is.
On a side note, I understand since Varian was killed by the fel, most think his soul is GONE, however, time and time again visions of varian have appeared from the sword during Anduins times of need, like during the “what a king must do” situation. This makes me believe there is a good chance Varians soul is inside the blade, it wouldn’t be the first time we have seen someone’s soul be inside a powerful sword (Frostmourne).
To address, “If your Horde leaders were worth their salt you would have already taken advantage of the Alliance’s weakness. How far the mighty Horde have fallen. You let a troll and a zombie be Warchief. What’s next, a Murgle Warchief?”. The alliance is currently not weakened by Anduins absence as they have the most experienced leader in WoWs military history as there Regent King, They also have the powerhouse otherwise known as Jaina Proudmore who proved that her feats of strength alone are enough to rival that of the entire horde, when all it took was a single step off a ship to freeze an entire invasion party sent by the horde, or when she flew her warship through the sky with magic power and assisted in the assault on undercity/lordaeron. Even when a fleet of ships were sieging her city with canons and her reply was to frostbolt the cannonballs out of the air. The best part is she isn’t the only powerhouse on the side of the Alliance, while I hate her character Tyrande has made clear that she is no pushover, and her husband is someone to be feared, although he takes long naps.

PS: In WoW lore Anduin is similar to Illidan in that most cosmic powers or forces seek him as he is prophesied to lead the greatest army azeroth has ever known against the worse enemy to ever seek Azeroth’s power, he has also showed a better connection to the light than almost anyone else, while at times also being able to wield the void.

[Sinbãd-whisperwind]

cool, basicly just says, people can vent anger in healthy ways, violence isn’t always bad, Anduin has a lot of potential

[Flower-kelthuzad]

@Paeldryth-hyjal

It is kind of weird how society in general doesn’t view angry men as being emotional.

It’s because anger is the only emotion that is socially acceptable for men to express, so it’s considered the default and not viewed as being “emotional”.

It’s silly to think that men are some kinda alien creatures and not human beings capable of feeling and expressing a full range of the human experience like the rest of us. I do not understand why so many men are arguing against something (expressing emotions like a normal human being) that does not benefit them in any way.

[Sinbãd-whisperwind]

Oh it also said that I dont understand how Anduin drawing his sword on a friend when his PTSD emotions hit him makes him a weak beta cry baby

[Zarkanar-emerald-dream]

Because the females are the leaders. We are absent male leaders. It’s the females taking care of everything while all male leaders sulk, mope and whine.

[Flower-kelthuzad]

Nozdormu, Kalecgos, Khadgar, etc

There are 3 major lore character male leaders off the top off my head from Dragonflight alone

Open your eyes buddy, they are right there

[Zarkanar-emerald-dream]

Not true. You can show happiness, joy and excitement. In fact one of the things that make people like you is by being excited or happy when you see someone.

[Flower-kelthuzad]

@Zarkanar-emerald-dream

Not true. You can show happiness, joy and excitement. In fact one of the things that make people like you is by being excited or happy when you see someone.

I’m totally sure that if you saw another man who was happy, excited, and full of joy to see his male friend you would definitely think that was fine and socially acceptable, right?

[Zarkanar-emerald-dream]

Kalecgos proves my point. Whenever I see a cutscene of him he is all caught up in his feelings.

Khadgar has been side linded for at least two expansions now.

[Sinbãd-whisperwind]

Aswell for those who dont know, Anduins swords original purpose was to mend the two half of Varian’s soul that was ripped in half by onyxia, becuase he was having rage PTSD.

[Flower-kelthuzad]

@Zarkanar-emerald-dream

Kalecgos proves my point. Whenever I see a cutscene of him he is all caught up in his feelings.

Khadgar has been side linded for at least two expansions now.

“Caught up in his feelings”? His whole family is dead, wtf man it would be extremely weird of him not to be sad about that

Men are not emotionless robots who don’t care when their family dies, what kinda awful writing are you guys asking for lol

Khadgar is literally in Dragonflight, what are you talking about???

[Elisiana-emerald-dream]

@Sinbãd-whisperwind

every time someone says anything like Anduin could grow a little hair down there (not saying i think he needs to LOL)

Understood. I will say, I would side-eye a comment like that, too. I don’t think it’s too much to suggest he needs more life experience (aka, “growing hair”). And I wholeheartedly agree with your comments elsewhere indicating that him crying is not an indication of weakness. It’s interesting to contrast him with Varian. Varian absolutely considered his anger and rage as a weakness. I think Anduin is on a better path, quite honestly.

[Eyeseeu-dalaran]

I want to make out with Anduin

[Sinbãd-whisperwind]

Yes, I agree, but he also had to learn to control his anger and use it, which is something I think Anduin could really use about now, and is why I keep emphasizing his sword.