Draenei skin, or seeing Azeroth through all five senses
by Mike Schramm 
Oct 4th 2007 at 9:04AM
I love the question that juliamarcela over on Livejournal asks: What does Draenei skin feel like? Obviously Tauren are hairy cows, and almost all the other races are more or less Human (even if the color is a little different). But the Draenei are completely alien. Sure, they're probably not scaly or slimy, but it probably feels different than most skin we know. I like julia's suggestion, too: like shark skin.And I think I like that question so much because it brings Azeroth alive for our senses. What do mana potions really taste like? What does Shadowmoon Valley smell like? The prairie in Nagrand is probably a little firmer under your feet than the lands of Azeroth (considering it's just rock down there), but Swamp of Sorrows is probably a muddy mess to get through. And what does it feel like when you actually pass through the Dark Portal-- do you get to watch that scene from Stargate as you fly through the stars?
I'm known to DM a D&D game on occasion, and I can tell you that there's no better way to bring a fictional setting to life than to imagine it through all of your five senses. From Draenei skin to what surely is a hot sulfur smell drifting through the Burning Steppes, I find it extremely interesting to think of what being in Azeroth would really be like.
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Fan stuff, Virtual selves, Odds and ends
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Deraber Oct 4th 2007 9:49AM
actually, probably scaly. Blizzard described the Draenei as having Long, Scaly Tails, back in the days before they were announced as the alliance race in BC
roflcat Oct 4th 2007 9:17AM
WoW, this is really deep. I want to know how my Wolpertinger's fur feels. I bet its like a handful of sunshine. :)
AKWildhammer Oct 4th 2007 9:24AM
I wonder what going out of your body to become a spirit and the other way around feels like.
Ryan Oct 4th 2007 9:34AM
I always like the question 'what does shadow damage feel like'. I'm always reminded of the blue-gloves from Firefly.
Caribbean Oct 4th 2007 9:40AM
Shadow damage probably feels like you are being bombarded with a really bad flu.
Light damage probably feels like a bad sunburn.
Buuty Oct 4th 2007 9:44AM
Draenei skin - like a baby Rhino
Shadow damage - Bad heartburn?
Nature damage (Moonfire, etc.) - Sudden and instant Hangover feeling
I thought mana potion would taste like Robitussin
Gilius Oct 4th 2007 10:00AM
If Draenei have shark skin, Draenei luvvin' must be a noisy affair
Joel Oct 4th 2007 10:17AM
A weird little known fact is that Troll skin has fine hair all over it like a rabbit... http://www.wow-europe.com/en/info/story/trolls/jungletrolls.html
zhagog Oct 4th 2007 11:03AM
Actually, in addition to the Tauren, Trolls are furry also!
See the Troll Compendium section on the WoW site for the Jungle Trolls (which the Horde trolls are).
Quote:
Description: The jungle trolls' bodies are covered in short, soft fur that causes the trolls to appear purple or gray. Jungle trolls are also unusually lithe relative to other trolls.
gundamxzero Oct 4th 2007 10:59AM
I think this is the point where people lose reality and look too much into a game. A GAME!
Chilblain Oct 4th 2007 11:14AM
I have a female Draenei, and all I know is how badly I want to squeeze her tail! I'll bet it feels like one of those gel things you put in shoes.
Gimmlette Oct 4th 2007 11:21AM
I've often wondered about the smell in the AH on days when you can't see the auctioneer for all the people and pets.
As I have a habit of falling into various bodies of water thereby dragging my bear in with me, guildies tease me about the "wet bear" smell that must accompany me after such an adventure. I think healing potions taste like Cheracol-D, for those who remember that cough syrup.
If you fly above a Fel Reaver, is that diesel fumes it spews or something else?
Yes, it is "just a game" @9, but it's fun to speculate on the smells and tastes.
Kaylek Oct 4th 2007 11:26AM
Sounds like someone's writing an erotic draenei fanfic.
forthepie Oct 4th 2007 11:37AM
I always imagined Draenei skin to be similar to the opera lady in The Fifth Element.
enkafiles Oct 4th 2007 11:58AM
@14... which we can also only imagine ^^
But yeah. I always figured Draenei skin is very smooth,
but warm - maybe just slightly cooler than human skin?
Aaron Oct 4th 2007 12:09PM
Neato topic, i can imagine the cold clean smell of the air in Dun Morogh, and the slight shimmer of a mushroom in the Zangar, the sounds of working machinary and slight chime of cyrstals in the Exodar...However, I would not want to imagine all the piles of dung in Nagrand :P
Nyx Oct 4th 2007 12:07PM
One thing that I liked that my husband told me is that Blasted Lands are actually still very hot and humid - so as you're riding through this tormented piece of earth, you can imagine the air being humid, heavy with ozone, hot as hell, still stinking and rotten like the swamp it was...
Sometimes I do get into imagining what various zones must feel like - just like imagining what a place in a book is like. No one's ever tried to visualize Mordor, or Melnibonè, or Valdemar, or Lanhkmar? You've never imagined what your own five senses would make of a fantasy world? I'm sorry for you.
Baluki Oct 4th 2007 12:16PM
"And what does it feel like when you actually pass through the Dark Portal-- do you get to watch that scene from Stargate as you fly through the stars?"
I think it's probably more like the title sequence to Doctor Who. :)
Scruffy Oct 4th 2007 12:24PM
@13
We can only hope
Vestras Oct 4th 2007 12:47PM
I thin shark skin is an accurate description, Tight tiny scales so fine that they seem smooth.
I would really like to take a walk through the Exodar, feel the light of a Narru on my face, and stand on the edge of Blades Edge and Scream into the twisting nether.
i imagine mana pots taste something like mead while health pots are more like Vault or redbull with less carbination.
last place in WoW i would ever go is Molten Core. I could not stand the smell of that much sulfer.