#UGH so cool stop making elves and make more mordesh

[nelfs]

like 7 years ago I wrote this whole long post in a response to an ask where someone asked me what real-world cultural group I thought the Draenei were based on. and I did a bunch of research and really put thought into it but then I deleted it almost immediately because this is tumblr and I thought someone would feel offended by it. and i didnt and still do not want to deal with those sorts of things online.

but I kind of wish I hadnt deleted it, because there were a lot of interesting thoughts in there about the religious and ethnic bases that draenei lore calls upon. and even their aesthetics and cuisine seem to suggest a myriad of different influences. to this day i havent seen a more unique fantasy race.. except maybe in Wildstar, which barely lasted, but was chock-full of fresh ideas. i feel like so much fantasy media calls back to the same exact Tolkien-esque tropes and it becomes hard to break out of that. which is why the Draenei are so unique and so much fun.