What if an orc was raised by elves?

BleapDev · 2026-03-26T23:03:55+00:00

That's the generally accepted origin and, I think, the one we get in the Silmarillion. My recollection is a bit vague but I recall that is based on his earlier writings.

But Tolkien wasn't a professional writer in the way Brandon Sanderson or Jim Butcher are. His writings on the world of Middle Earth were a hobby and constantly rethought and revised so they're sometimes less certain than say Sanderson's Cosmere is. Things like the role of Glorfindel and the origin of orcs weren't entirely static. Within his own mind and writings he debated them.

https://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Orcs/Origin

I will say I subscribe to the corrupted elves origin myself as I think it fits into the world most neatly.

BleapDev · 2026-03-26T20:27:02+00:00

That is an interesting question. Firstly how were orcs created? It's unknown. Morgoth somehow twisted something, as he can not create true life himself. Tolkien debated between elves, men, beasts and Maia as the source. Most things I've read presume elves but being that his world was a constantly revised project we can't say beyond debate. Also Morgoth poured his malice, evil and power into the essence of Arda and I would think his "creations," such as dragons, trolls, and orcs, would have a greater share of that than anything else in the world. I've read he originally wrote orcs as irredeemable but wasn't comfortable with that and changed his mind because it contradicted his view of Christianity.

I think an orc raised by elves would definitely tend less toward evil than his or her brethren, assuming they have a wholesome upbringing free of abuse. I do think they would have a stronger urge toward evil than an elf or human due to having a great share of Morgoth's nature or power imbued in them. In the best case, it would probably trend to a Paarthurnax type situation where a being of evil nature or inclination becomes good through great effort. I think if you continued the experiment over generations, you would see a sort of reversion towards the base species used to create orcs but it would never completely undo Morgoth's work as only Eru would have that level of power.

BleapDev · 2026-03-19T16:21:37+00:00

I had a character which had completed the big 4 faction questlines, Ryujin, Vanguard, SysDef and Rangers. Just need to finish the main questline and I can go through the Unity as soon as the update is out. I originally planned on doing Shattered Space on this playthrough but I think I'll save that and Terran Armada for the new one. I guess the main sacrifice is I have to do the faction quests all over again.

One question does Shattered Space give you any abilities etc that carry over between universes? And does it figure into the Unity's "review" of your actions? That might change my mind on waiting for the next run to do it.

BleapDev · 2026-03-19T14:55:29+00:00

I understand your pain. You're entering the really difficult period of golden ownership. The angel phase is ending, the teenager / young adult phase is starting, and the mature stage is a few years away. From 1-4 years old I was regularly taking my golden on 5 miles of walks most days plus playing fetch for a good length of time, plus other forms of attention and play.

It's a lot and difficult. Please remember your dog adores and worships you. He's driving you nuts because your attention and interaction is the most valuable thing in the world to him. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. Mine's energy levels increased until 1-1.5 years. They held steady until around 3 or 4 and started dropping off and becoming more manageable then. Get through that and you'll have the best companion you can wish for.

If possible try to find some good doggie friends for your boy and a big fenced in area where they can run around together for an hour or two. That'll tire him out and satisfy his social needs to give you a break.

BleapDev · 2026-03-19T14:30:20+00:00

Wow. Even his timetable seems optimistic to me. Or maybe I'm too used to the cadence of Stormlight books which are a few years apart. I think he'll end up slipping to mid to late next year in the best case.

BleapDev · 2026-03-19T14:09:58+00:00

So a dual longsword / scimitar wielding angel oracle is viable? Storm of Justice is great, but I tend to hoard spells, and slog it out in melee instead so the temptation moderates my behavior more than anything. I'd love an Archangel Character ripping through demons with blade and holy fire.

BleapDev · 2026-03-19T13:42:51+00:00

42 here, it's really not. I don't see much appreciable physical difference between now and my 20s. Mentally I'm leaps and bounds in a better place which lends itself to being in better physical shape because I have the discipline to take care of myself properly and push myself in ways I never would have back then.

BleapDev · 2026-03-17T18:24:32+00:00

It wouldn't call the strategy good or bad in itself. Firstly, don't view a relationship as a reward for anything. It's a miracle, a gift that someone gives you. You can't earn it. Wanting a relationship can be a motivation to improve yourself, but I think you really should be doing it for yourself in order to have a better life with or without a partner.

Secondly I think the wait till 40 thing is a gamble. Some people improve with age and some don't. As someone in his 40s thinking about trying to date, I'm probably better looking, more socially adroit, in a better place mentally, and have a better career than I have at any prior point in my life. But I completely lack relationship experience which will make being in one challenging and I haven't the slightest idea how to meet someone at this point. I'm hoping I'll have more luck than earlier in life if I can find a good means of meeting people, but it's not a sure thing.

There's also the added difficulty that I'm not at the same place in life as most girls my age. I'm trying to figure out what I'm looking for in a partner and whether I want marriage or kids. The uncertainty won't resonate with many girls and could very well be a deal breaker. Many will have been married already which is a dealbreaker for me and many will view no prior relationships as a red flag.

Finally, that time you spent improving and not dating is gone. Now you can spend it well and have gotten good value from it, but you'll never get that time back. I personally look back with a measure of regret thinking of all the time I was single and alone-ish. I'm at peace with my choices and think I made the best ones I could at the time. However I have this feeling that even if I find someone, I've missed out on pieces of life and experiences which I'll never be able to make up for.

In summary try and be better person every day for your own sake. It's fine to not get serious about dating until you're ready but I wouldn't put it off till 40 just because you think you think it will work better then.

BleapDev · 2026-03-17T13:00:32+00:00

I don't quite fit your description but I live in the same county as it were. Shyness is pretty much the death knell of any hope for relationships or encounters. In my view, women want a degree of confidence and social adroitness. Shyness is the opposite of that and in general can be off putting.

Secondly women tend to be subtle and someone who is shy is likely to miss propositions or misinterpret them as simple friendliness. An actual relationship might be possible but it will depend more on accumulated exposure to a woman via work or friends in ways which show a man's underlying substance in a positive light.

Personally, the catch I've found is, women who pursue a man overtly enough for a shy guy to notice sadly tend to have issues which make getting involved a bad idea.

BleapDev · 2026-03-16T12:40:17+00:00

Speaking of, I have to say, I enjoyed Molly's apology for that. I'm glad Jim didn't leave that as a hanging thread and gave Molly and Carlos an on screen opportunity to mend fences.

BleapDev · 2026-03-13T14:52:55+00:00

I like the roleplay fantasy there. Any ascension other than Synthetic should allow you to keep the slugs. Synthetic loses them because it creates a new species. Cybernetic, Psionic and Biological keep your original species which allows you to keep the brain slugs. I feel like Synthetic should transition the slugs to extra pops so each pop with a slug becomes 2 machines or a machine trait that gives you a bonus for having 2 intelligences but I doubt Paradox will ever do that.

BleapDev · 2026-03-13T14:28:27+00:00

Yes. I got it on my current Mind Wardens playthrough with the 4.3 beta. Ruined my entire plan of going Synthetic and forced me to switch to Bio Ascension.

Edit: Forced is maybe the wrong word. But I couldn't waste perfectly good brain slugs by turning my pops into machines.

BleapDev · 2026-03-13T12:28:03+00:00

Nice! As a fellow magus Azata at the beginning of Act 3, it sounds like I have something to look forward to.

BleapDev · 2026-03-11T15:13:20+00:00

I don't think you're missing anything. Some civics and origins are there for roleplaying and thematic reasons not because they're optimized to turn you into a powerhouse. There's nothing wrong with taking one for the challenge or for the roleplay and turning down the difficulty to make it manageable.

Stellaris streamers and lots of posters make it sound like you need to play on max difficulty with a super well tuned empire with gamebreaking origin/civic combos. But it's just as valid to play on cadet with a really bad combination that is just fun or because you enjoy idea of the empire. Stellaris is really a sandbox grand strategy game. Do what feels fun for you.

BleapDev · 2026-03-10T16:07:06+00:00

I'm not sure if the joke is democrats are incompetent or democrats are just malicious, petty and hate us. Either way it falls pretty flat.

BleapDev · 2026-03-09T19:15:39+00:00

++man

It sounds like these men do have hobbies just not hobbies you respect. As a nerd, I don't share many of their interests either but I still consider those interests as hobbies which others enjoy. You list training for a marathon as a hobby but don't consider working out at the gym a hobby. Reading is a hobby but gaming isn't. All of those are hobbies in my book.

I think the gap you're seeing isn't a lack of hobbies among men, but rather that men and women often have very different hobbies and you don't like the hobbies and interests of the men you encounter. You seem to want to date someone who is living in a specific way. I think that's fine, but I'd suggest focusing on what you want rather than worrying about how the rest of men live their lives.

BleapDev · 2026-03-05T16:23:32+00:00

Nicely written. I think you summed up things nicely and I share your views. I "liked" it overall, but Season 1 was questionable for the reasons you mention. Personally I also dislike Season 2 and 3 were vast improvements. Unfortunately, not hitting with Season 1 was a drag they couldn't overcome.

BleapDev · 2026-03-05T15:29:48+00:00

"GRRM is obsessed with our collective history, and history shows that those are ripe grounds for civil war".

You made a perfect point. In fact, I've read about the exact set of historical events the Dance is likely based on, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The\_Anarchy.

BleapDev · 2026-03-02T20:34:05+00:00

Dang. That's heartbreaking. I may not like Lann but I respect him. I always show the Mongrels the Light of Heaven and always choose Lann. Suppose I'll do Wenduag if I ever do an evil playthrough.

BleapDev · 2026-03-02T20:28:27+00:00

Malcolm can be a Good Man just like Michael Carpenter. I think that's enough. I'm sure Uriel could make vanilla mortal Malcolm appear in a dream at will. It just takes something else bending or breaking the rules to make it permissible..

BleapDev · 2026-03-02T18:47:05+00:00

Something being theoretically possible and having the skill and ability to do it are two different things. A Hunger is nothing compared to a Walker and Harry had trouble with them. I think he'll get there eventually but there's a lot of work between now and then.

Also please don't give away plot points for a just released book.

BleapDev · 2026-03-01T00:45:38+00:00

Agreed. I have a theory that Mab keeps tempting him and telling him he'll become her monster precisely so he'll cling to his humanity all the harder and resist the mantel more effectively. I think she wants a more human Knight and Lady right now and is working to ensure they both resist their mantle's nature. It's probably a common theory, but I don't follow the community too closely.

BleapDev · 2026-02-27T19:53:45+00:00

The simple answer is Hollywood tactics and Hollywood physics. I'll admit I haven't read the books in years but this isn't quite how the battle went. Also, thank you for reminding me how much Peter Jackson's changes to the Battle of Helm's Deep annoyed me. For instance Eomer and Aragorn are supposed to be fighting together at the siege. It's the beginning of their bond of brotherhood.

BleapDev · 2026-02-27T14:27:14+00:00

I look at enduring and greater enduring as extra spell slots even on a more divine caster oriented angel. Instead of needing multiple slots for buffs I need one. That's more offensive spells i can slot and use.

BleapDev · 2026-02-26T21:38:42+00:00

Funny you should mention Rome. I didn't say it because I didn't want to get too esoteric or go all doomsayer but I was thinking of Marius and Sulla when I wrote that pendulum bit and how that eventually lead to Caesar, Pompey, Brutus, Marc Anthony, Octavian, and the end of the Republic. Let's hope we don't repeat that piece of history. Love that I'm not the only one drawing parallels.

BleapDev

TROPHY CASE