Grey Crane

[Wain]

I noticed that one of the older patch files (the first, 16016) actually had a slightly different crane skin hidden in it, a grey one.

The skin is hidden in the "alternate" section of the patch file. I'm not 100% certain what this section is for, but given that most of the skins are related to skeletal/undead/corpse creatures, and the supplied skins tend to look non-skeletal, I suspect they're used for the Chinese market. So their undead don't look so skeletal etc. But that's purely a guess and it may be there for entirely different reasons.

In this case, the skin is just called CraneWhite, like our normal white crane. But it's quite a bit darker and has black eyes.

Here it is compared to the normal white:




Assuming I'm correct that the "alternate" folder is there as a cultural thing, I still have no idea why they'd need to make the white crane grey!

[Kalliope]

Huh....it's not just the brightness; the eye's grey too! Even more curious.

[Quiv]

I wouldnt be surprised. The differences between the porcupines in Jade Forest and Bristlespine are subtle too.

[Zhinru]

Weird idea, maybe it's because of white colours being associated with death in the east? Or some specific connotation of a white crane, since there's a lot of white stuff in WoW.

EDIT: Apparently "White Crane" is some kind of Chinese LGBT magazine. So yeeeeeah. Either it's a very far-fetched paranoia of the Chinese government, or it's just a coincidence.

[GormanGhaste]

Perhaps an alternate skin for Sha-Haunted Cranes?

[Teigan]

Hm, its nice looking. And it wouldn't have that washed out glow that pure white pets get in some areas. A black crest would look even better on it.

[Danielfboone]

I think it looks better with the red. Having a black crest would make it too dull looking.

[Chimera]

If the section the crane is in is for the chinese community (they seem to have an iron grip on a bunch of things dont they o.o;; i know they have an iron grip on certain internet sites, i think Facebook might be one in at least some areas, maybe twitter.. i dont know anything specific personally), then its probably a quick darkening (it literally looks like they turned down the brightness as mentioned. The eyes as it was mentioned are darker, the inner-mouth is black now, the black in the wing tip feathers has lost its detailing) to make them happy, or at least, accepting.

To quote wikipedia:

White, corresponding with metal, represents gold and symbolizes brightness, purity, and fulfillment.
White is also the color of mourning. It is associated with death and is used predominantly in funerals in Chinese culture. Ancient Chinese people wore white clothes and hats only when they mourned for the dead. Sometimes silver takes its place, as silver is often offered to the deceased in the form of joss paper.