As you all well know, a few customisation options have been confirmed for introduction towards ‘Shadowlands’.
Now, although Wildhammer Dwarves have been around for a while and known friends to the Alliance (Very easy to accept without too much much objection or issues with story); there’s other customisation options that haven’t - and aren’t well associated deep within the foundations of the lore. This thread is to address such matters, NOT to object against them but find means to justify FOR them.
Now personally, a way I’d find fitting to roll these customisations out would to be introducing some odd dialog here & there to show acknowledgement, but to integrate them – I feel applying a technique from the past would be most fitting: A Questline – Now hear me out, earlier in Battle for Azeroth we had a customisation for Night-Elves for Black Pearl Eyes through the questline ‘The Night Warrior’ Scenario; I feel applying a questline for customisation options on two additional races would be appropriate to make them more accepting (By lore terms) for those that embrace the storyline.
I’m going to rip the bandaid off and address the one that seems to be causing the most matter of argument first: The Dark Elves (Dark Skinned Blood Elves), now for diversity sake I’d deem this an acceptable introduction but for lore terms I agree - It’s preposterous, as by many lore accounts High Elves / Blood Elves have been described as a ‘Fair-Skinned’ people.
Now one could argue the ‘Fel Elves’ (Those infused deeply with Fel to the point it scarred their skin to a blackened hue) could be used for the matters, however they mutated in many other departments too (Including the basic corruption that most usually comes with Fel) and were … well, wiped out — However, another justication could be that a branched faction of Elves were aligned with Kael’Thas who started to drink in the deep powers of Fel discovered his & his masters plans - Not only for their home but the entirety of Azeroth; and backed out (Although being halfway through transition maintained a portion of their change). One could also perhaps paint it, they were heroes by letting out an ‘Anominous Tip’ to Lor’Themar which led to his claim over the kingdom with his bestfriend Halduron.
Another justification for it is to simply state half-way through their journey to the Eastern Kingdoms during the events of the Sundering after being banished by Malfurion that a large group of them settled offshore from the Eastern Kingdoms and although revering their magical heritage still chose to embrace the Night & Elune (A halfway point between their evolution between Nighelf / Highborne to Highelf / Blood Elf) - and within range to had secretly tapped into the Sunwells powers at its prime, and suffering the consequences too when it was ultimately destroyed (Justifying both Fel-Green, and Holy-Gold eyes).
Now another race-customisation I found to be causing a fuss amongst ranks is Blonde Night Elves. Personally I giggled at such, but I can step back and understand from a lore-perspective too. This one is much more simple to justify; as you know the Sunstrider Dynasty which originated from the Highborne (Who are now a part of the Night Elves ranks since Cataclysm) Dath’Remar Sunstrider, he (For a Highborne) was described to have an appearance that was strange compared to the rest of his kind, for his auburn hair bore streaks of gold.
As those whom follow the lore, and may have read ‘Chronicles Volume 1’ you’ll know that Dath’Remar Sunstrider and a hand-full of his Highborne family / friends + followers were exiled; one could argue that a pocket few amongst those exiled Highborne although exiled did not travel amongst them, and went their separate ways in their exile (Not going through the evolutionary process towards High-Elves, but still maintaining unique features in comparison to the rest of their kind) - As they the Highborne have rejoined the Nightelves thanks to the efforts of Archmage Mordent Evenshade; they too could now be in the Nightelves ranks (I personally think it would be cool for players to roleplay themselves as relatives of Dath’Remar).
I meant Dark Elves as a descriptive term, not the naming of such.