After a lot of thought, I’ve decided to do a deep dive into this, and I don’t care how absolutely odd I look by doing this. But if I have to use charts and essays to prove my point, so be it. Let’s dive right in, shall we?
Now, I will go point by point on my handy-dandy chart I made with MS paint because I was too lazy to grab my drawing tablet.
(1) Depicts the Thalassian Elf, whose eyes change based on the magic they use. Blue is where they start, representing arcane. Blue is also where they can revert back to from fel-green. Fel-green indicates the use of fel crystals or heavy fel magic. It’s reversible, as we’ve see. Finally, golden, the new eye color, which indicates the new status of the sunwell, which is arcane and light. If a Thalassian Elf is away from the Sunwell and doesn’t visit it, the eyes will revert to fel green (if fel magic/crystals are used) or arcane blue (don’t ask me how ‘high elves’ work, I’m no expert, I’m assuming they just have/utilize mana or something.)
Keep in mind, none of the above is modified per elf except EYE COLOR. This will be an important piece of information I will bring up later.
(2) Here we see the transition to a felblood elf. As stated in the chart, it isn’t reversible. You get a felblood elf by drinking demon’s blood for several days, which warps you for good. Your appearance DOES change, and there is no way you can ever return to being an ‘uncorrupted’ Thalassian Elf.
(3) With any form of undead elf, regardless of which path (simple undead, San’layn, or Dark Ranger/Banshee), this is not revertible. It is a permanent change.
(4) Void elves go through a ritual to become void infused. This is also not reversible. It changes the elf’s appearance and/or magical dynamics. Now, Blizzard added varying non-void shades of skin color to void elves, along with variant eye colors. This shows that void elves, at least, have varying levels of appearance change. They, however, still have that racial and can shift to being that ball of void energy. Their appearance could be modified (tentacle hair) but also possibly not. Regardless, they cannot revert to being an uncorrupted Thalassian elf.
(5) Light corruption in Thalassian elves does NOT exist. People are trying to use the golden eyes in (1) to justify a completely new type of elf never before seen in the game before–whereas (2), (3), & (4) already VERY MUCH exist in lore. Whatever this thing is, it does not. Which leads me to my next point. This is another point that will come up later.
(6) Here we get into light corruption of Draenei, leading to Lightforged Draenei. Notice something? Perhaps the fact that their appearance is perma-changed, and they can’t revert back to being blue da-ba-dee-da-ba-die? They also have glowing light tattoos and other light-related things. They went through a ritual to be perma-changed. These folks actually exist! And on the Alliance. Yet… strangely… people want to take their direct theme, the light, and their ritual, and apply it to Thalassian elves, again to create an entity that does not exist in lore, whereas (2) & (3) do exist and already have their own lore.
(7) Eredar politely asked to be included in this chart as well, so I included them. They’re in the same situation as (2). You go, you cherry-goats.
Now to summarize the points I made. You see from (1) that eye color doesn’t change anything about the elf aside from an indicator to the type of corruption they are dealing with. There are no perma-changes when jumping from one to the other, and you can, with effort, jump from one to the other without issue.
The Thalassian elf is arcane-based above all. “Blue” will be what the elf will revert to should they rely on mana and not the Sunwell. It’s how we have High Elves, or something. As per BLOOD ELF Culture, arcane tattoos make the most sense for customization. Please also consider their racial, which is 100% NOT light based. It is arcane based. This also means that things like scarring, and maybe jewelry that has a better design (ex: The choker the blood elf is wearing in the BC cinematic) would make the most sense to highlight the theme of Blood Elves.
When we look into light customization/corruption, we would be using (6) as an example. Except… the customization available to LFD is because they went through a ritual that cannot be reversed. Light is embedded into them, much like how arcane is embedded into Thalassian Elves. Void Elves on the Alliance have that for void. Light customization such as glowing tattoos or hair would therefore make no sense. There is no precedent, magic doesn’t modify in that way, there was no ritual to light-corrupt Thalassian elves in lore, and quite frankly, there shouldn’t be when we have other viable forms of corruption that fit elves the most.
THEREFORE, given the origin of Blood Elves and use of fel crystals to survive, the customization that would make the most sense would not be anything light-based. It would be (2), the felblood elf. Those exist in lore, and a key missing component is how they would desire/join the Horde and their brethren. We know Outland is still active from the Thrall cinematic, so they could be out there. Or it could be something as simple as: “A group of blood elves decided to tap even more into the power of fel and Illidari training is not a thing, so they got ahold of demons blood and BOOM consequences”.
"But Falls, where do San’layn relate in all of this?"
I’m glad you asked! San’layn are another path of corruption reflected in blood elves. How? Look to both Mists of Pandaria and BfA, Blood Elves HAVE utilized Blood Magic. It’s a viable path, not as strong as fel, but waaaay stronger than ‘light corrupted’ notions because San’layn actually exist.
However, this all just shows that San’layn would fit very well as their own Allied Race, and Felblood would make for great Blood Elf customization due to their theme. It could honestly go either way, and we could get Felblood or San’layn/Dark Ranger customization on Blood Elves themselves, but either path of corruption does fit the Blood Elf.
Not only that, but when it comes down to it? Blood Elves are a core race and have been in the game for far, far longer. So yes, they do deserve more ‘themes’ (MAGIC, GOTH IS NOT A BLOODY THEME, UNDEAD OR FEL IS) that currently exist in lore and have been asked for. I don’t care how we get these existing Thalassian Elves as playable, though I’d prefer San’layn as an Allied Race.
Light Corrupted elves do not exist, whereas other avenues of corruption do. Eye color = reversible and not pure corruption. Void Elves = / = reserving ‘the gothic style’, and it’s nonsense that people claim that while in the same breath begging for more high elf stuff on void elves. Go ahead and make those arguments (on another thread please, people know by now I don’t care about ‘regular’ stuff on void elves and don’t have a strong opinion either way aside from the desire from a hair STYLE exchange w/o tentacles), but do NOT tell me ‘oh well Horde can’t have corrupted elves because we have void elves hur hur’ since void elves are NOT fel, and they are NOT undead. Goth. is. not. a. theme. It’s not.
Case and closed.
Edit: I added this is a link to the first post as well because I’m so finished with this argument. From this point forward, people can refer to this post on why ‘lightforged options’ on blood elves make no sense.
That’s a joke for anyone that doesn’t know.
If only I could turn things like that into an actual useable skill for a career. Well, I could. But my desire to do it only works for things I’m passionate about, and I guess that landed on ‘bloody (emphasis on bloody) fantasy elves’.
Even if I don’t practice enough!
you’ve always done what was right on things whether people supported San’layn or not, being a good person comes first for you and it shows.