I agree with you, though i stand by what I said. Both sides do indeed have a decent claim to the elegant and more rugged look.
So it is for night elves, it is the same argument that got so much resistance from this blood elf loving crowd, which now seem to accept it when it is something they want on the line.
I'm simply pointing out the direction blizzard has taken between the two groups, but actually feel in the span of their lore, both have claims. I can't support the claim for night elven Highborne and more visualisation of that for the playable group because it is part of their lore, while dismissing the same claim for blood elf tattoos and scars because the direction has moved away.
Yet I must point out the direction, while secretly agreeing with you, in the hope you may see the argument for the night elves too that this crowd has long been indifferent to or opposed to. It is the same argument.
But I do stand by my assessment high/void elves are more suited to the look, but only on the basis of where they currently are in their storyline, rather than as a whole, and it is more suited, not "only" suited which is what people like Rhlor and Tanaria mistakenly think I am saying..
Just because void /high elves are more suited, does not mean blood elves shouldn't have them, nor does it mean blood elves aren't suited at all. Being less suited, or it not being common doesn't mean it shouldn't exist.
Do note I am pointing out things based on what blizzard is giving, not what I think it should go.
I am playing the same role this very same crowd played me and my buds when we were making the case for night elves.
Soap box aside, void elves and high elves were not any less loyal, they have a different perspective, void elves are at core blood elves who have recently been driven out, they fought as blood elves initially so even if you reject the claims of high elves, void elves say something different. But I hope you begin to realise the point is not blood elves have never had tattoos nor scars therefore shouldn't have them, it was that blizzard had moved blood elves away from that TFT to TBC initially rougher more hardcore, tattooed hardened group they seemed to be headed, and filed them back to high elves. pursuing a more pristine look, opting for the rougher look to go to void elves when they did that, and on that basis, void elves/high elves were going to get that instead of blood elves.
It's not o say that blood elves have no right to that look, they do, , nor is it to say that they can't change direction or grow broader in scope, they can. The question I asked was should they?
You see the argument on how versatile the elven groups should be or generalised shifts all the time, now because they want tattoos and scars and it's more the high/void elven thing, this blood elf fan crowd are fine about generalisations and opening up to it where previously they wanted their niche exclusive, yet that was the same argument the night elven fans who loved the kaldorei pre-sundering side of things. This Belf fan crowd were arguing vehemently against kaldorei alliance group showing the arcane mastery and majesty side of the night elves, because they felt blood elves grabbed that niche, despite my protests that we shouldn't draw the line on that basis. Blood elves were the Thalassian race and now had their own identity apart from the night elves, , saying night elves shouldn't show the Kaldorei pre-sundering side or their majesty and arcane mastery because blood elves had that was like saying humans shouldn't because blood elves had it (since they were now two different races (and by races I mean faction races.. not together, separate - having a connection, but they have their own development and story, links and commonalities but different groups with their own history pertaining to them when their identity started.. For the blood elves, that starts initially in the exile as high elves, but takes on this new vein after Wc3, for night elves, this starts in their genesis, and encapsulates both the pre-sundering and post sundering eras, whether you're a Darnassian, Suramar night elf (moonguard or those who became nightborne) or Shen'dralar)
Yet in, their desperation to covet all things magical , they resisted that vehemently when it suited them. Now the argument has shifted, and with the opening up of high elves, they have finally surrounded the idea that each elven group is a par t of the whole, because they want beards and tattoos whether void elves/high elves have them or not, which is now recognising each elven group as their own people, with their own lore and customs and story that entitles them to have the things that their culture and the breadth of their race entitle them too. Therefore they now feel it's okay for both void/high elves and blood elves to have beards and tattoos, regardless of whether the lore makes it feel more of void/high elf thing or not.
Simply put: blood elves are their own group, they had tattoos via the sunfury, and some like Lor'themar can choose to keep scars, therefore blood elves should have those options regardless of what is good or bad or right or wrong for void/high elves and regardless of whether void/high elves have them or not
THIS IS EXACTLY what I've been saying about night elves too.
When considering what night elves should have, we should follow their lore, because this is what fans like me do, we don't go.. "oh blood elves have the arcane elven thing and the city thing, therefore we are okay about night elves being forest only.. - no, (specially since blood elves also have a forest thig.. Quel'thalas is one massive forest remember). We see.. oh, forget about blood elves, they're on the other side of the world and have developed their own elven group.
Night elves have night elven arcane history, night elven great cities and civilizations in addition to a great druid tradition, we want to see the night elven version of these for night elves, regardless of whether blood elves have them or not. Great elven cities or cities are not the exclusive property of blood elves, nor is arcane magic, it is part of night elf lore too, and a major one too, even if the Darnasssians don't have much of it going on currently, and we'd like to see a proper version of this show up, regardless of whether blood elves have it or not, because blood elves are a different group of their own, even if they are elves.
And reading @
The Banshee, @
MyWholeLifeIsThunder , @
Tanaria , @
Rhlore and yourself, this is exactly what you are saying now you want or okay about blood elves getting beards and scars even if some fans feel they fit or are better suited to high/void elves, it doesn't matter, blood elves have a right to it, it's been proven it's a part of blood elf lore anyway, they should get them regardless of whether void/high elves do.
Same argument. The elven groups aren't one part of a whole, the way fans view them are as their own individual groups. Those who like night elves, want everything about them to happen, those who love void elves are passionate about them and want to see the elegance and majesty of the Thalassian Quel'dorei as well as the roguish, wayfarer wanderer side too, because it's part of the lore and because they love the race, they love all those aspects. Now some people only care one part of the race.. fair enough
Their are blood elf fans that only care for the arcane side
High elf fans that only care for the pre WC3 side of the high elves
Night elf fans that only care for the tree hugging side. or the Female amazonian warrior priest side
That's fine, you can have your favourite side, but these races have more to them than just the part you may like the most, and their are fans who want to see that reflected.. and should
So can we agree:
1. Blood elves should have tattoos, scars, rougher beards too
2. Void/high elves should have their version of tattoos, rougher beards, void effects
3. Night elves should have their star/arcane aspects, their full proper city that powerfully reflects the pre-sundering side of their race that is part of them and reflects their arcane origin.
4. Nightborne should have their glowy hands and feet, their conjured armour and their option for night elf ears too, because that was part of the NPC look they had going as part of their thing.
And none of this means they shouldn't have new things coming their way as they develop them.
- I love that night elves have the night warrior - but I'd hate for no arcane progress or druidic development to happen because of this
- Love that blood elves have the light development, but would hate if the Farstrider forest side or the majestic arcane side just stagnates.
- Love that nightborne have a new adventure with the horde, but would hate if the druidic valewalker side of the Arcan'dor just died (what about the Botanists, Farodin? - a huge part of what the Nightborne are supposed to be about now), or if they abandoned pursuing giving us more arcane options like a proper spellbalde for warriors and rogues like we saw.
Now do you see where I'm coming from? Each elven group is their own group, the story of the kaldorei , while it touches the Thalassians, is its own story, it has druidic and arcane bits it has every right to have shown and seen properly in that group regardless of what blood elves, Nightborne or void elves have.
By the same token, so are the blood elves, they're in Quel'thalas now, not the high/void elves - and whether they re-unite, share or never get together again, the blood elves are their own racial faction entitled ot beards and scars and tattoos, because they have their history with the sunfury, Illidan (this brought the tattoos), scars becuase they went through a hard period of a number of years in their struggles without the sunwell and magic to fix everything - so some would undoubtedly, like Lor'themar, keep their scars, and beards (would recovering addicts like restored Wretched care to be all neatly trimmed?) For totally different reasons than High/void elves, blood elves have a right to these things to be seen and reflected because it is part of their lore.
There are some people like @
matrix123mko that want that fel element of the blood elves to be much bigger, he likes that, and it's part of blood elf lore, do we just eliminate all traces of the fel because some of us don't like that story ? most blood elvs may be healed form it, but some relish that power, there is a niche for that, and it should be there to reflect this side of the blood elves.
And in very similar fashion, their are enough night elves that would always follow Illidan's philosophy, and take up the fel to hunt demons and embody that side of the night elves that isn't part of the mainstream, but has been a very powerful and very well fleshed out and represented aspect of them.. regardless of whether the blood elves are sharing in the Illidari lore or not. The night elves have a part of that story that's very much part of their lore and should continue to have it represented.
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Seriously, I was not part of that, and I don't remember wading into that discussion. Ravenmoon talked to me about it, but I don't remember coming on the forums to agree or disagree.