Flight Rising Discussion

As was mentioned before, the Serthis had their name changed. 6 years ago.

So any 'precedent' this might have set - was already here.

While FR's reasoning for this was that the mythology didn't line up properly and they wanted to be more consistent 'n all that - there was from what I recall, a few requests from players along the same line as the Wendigo thread.

Again, it's been 6 years since that name change occurred.

On my time in FR since then, I've seen a whooping one thread about changing the Unicorn familiars. There might have been more or other familiars called into question - but I've seen 1.

So the 'slippery slope' seems... not really all that slippery.

Even if you wanted to say something like "well the Naga/Lamia weren't changed for the same reason. They were changed because they were 'inaccurate'"

Then the most obvious response is that the Wendigo was also inaccurate.

It's happened before. It caused no such slippery slope. It caused no such surge of demands. It caused no such problems. Why in the world would this suddenly do so? That, and even if it did, why is that a problem?

If the problem is, that you think that suddenly FR will listen and immediately act on every single request for a change - regardless of seriousness, background, reasoning, etc. Then may I remind you that the Wendigo familiar has existed for what... 3 years? The name change requests might have started then as well but only really seemed to gain 'popularity' around a year ago.

That certainly doesn't seem particularly 'immediate'. It's almost like FR staff will take these suggestions and requests on a case-by-case basis - as they ALWAYS have.

If the slope was as slippery as some claim it to be - or the staff swayed by these 'keyboard warriors' or 'snowflakes' or 'thin-skinned' users then it wouldn't have taken 3 years to change the Wendigo.

It's also worth mentioning that yes, if suddenly there is an influx of 'please change this name' - as long as the reasoning is sound and affected people are involved in the conversation - then I have no problem with names being changed. Again, I imagine these things will be taken on a case-by-case basis and I support the staff actively listening to it's userbase. Acting on what the userbase has to say isn't the same thing as listening - obviously - but actively insulting people who might speak up is one of the most obvious red flags out there.

Edit: It's even more... funny, almost... that the thread I linked above about the Serthis name change has the same type of people coming in. Saying "Look how staff are catering to armchair activists" and "i hope this doesn't mean that Staff will cave to everyone now"

Yet, 6 years... I just... oof

[quote name="Eleni" date="2019-07-09 07:56:45" ] [quote name="Rocwylde" date="2019-07-09 06:48:00" ] (...) but that is just what happens when pop culture grabs a hold of something, it will mutate the belief into whatever it sees fit. [/quote] [quote name="Pool" date="2019-07-09 07:01:14" ] The issue with the wendigo was [i]not[/i] the fact that it was borrowed from another culture at all, rather the fact that the name/imagery was borrowed without a deep understanding and respect for the original legend. [/quote] Can I request that everyone stop using the term "Vampire" then? The term originated from my culture, the Serbian word "vampir" (I'd write the cyrillic spelling, but FR wont display the characters). The term stared to get used by various other cultures a while back and since it became part of mainstream culture it is used to describe something completely different to the original legend https://theculturetrip.com/europe/serbia/articles/serbia-birthplace-vampires/ The original Serbian vampires were creatures of pure evil, the word vampir used to be synonymous with vukodlak (warewolf) and were more like zombies. They were considered horrifying creatures and much like the Wendigo, not a thing to be taken lightly. The orginal version of the vampire is [i]still[/i] a part of culture in villages in Serbia. Mainstream culture has sparkly Twillight vampires and good guy vampires. Elements of certain cultures and legends get integrated into other cultures all the time, it's how culture works. Roman gods were copy-pasted Greek gods, every legendary creature that exists in many different cultures has a point of origin. People travelled and talked about the legends they heard and believed were true. Others passed it on. People pitch in with their own creative interpretations that don't always match the idea or feeling behind the original legend, and this is still happening in the 21st century, and will probably continue to happen in the future. This is why different cultures see certain mystical creatures very differently (western dragons were considred beings of evil, associated with Satan, while dragons in the east were mostly good and considered wise). Cultures have the right to have their own interpretation of legends that originated in different places. If they don't - well, refer to my first sentance. Can I forbid everyone from using the word "vampire" to refer to their interpretations of them because they're different from the original and what vampires were supposed to represent, to the point that they now sparkle? In the native american culture the Wendigo still keeps the same meaning, in other cultures it's a creature with ram horns. [/quote] Then make a suggestions thread detailing how this negatively affects you and adds onto your daily struggle as a minority, since it does enough for you to use it in this argument.

[quote name="@Eleni" date="2019-07-09 07:56:45" ] Can I request that everyone stop using the term "Vampire" then? [/quote] Yes you most certainly can! If it impacts you poorly in your daily life, or your beliefs, or your connection to your culture, then please make a post requesting it to be changed. Here are the two items with the name included for your argument: [item=vampire eel][item=vampire bat]

I don’t really understand it because it’s a mythological creature from a culture, not an actual representative of it. Like someone already said that would be like changing the Kitsune or Tengu because it’s disrespectful to ppl of Japanese eternity

That said I don’t mind the actual name change, it’s a good name
I just feel weird about the reasoning

Unicorns are not from a closed culture with history of being appropriated, abused and nearly being obliterated by an oppressive Eurocentric colonial superpower.

Neither are Skoll and Hati. The Norse religion isn't a closed one unless you're a white supremacist. :)))

[quote name="Apolli" date="2019-07-09 08:07:43" ] Then make a suggestions thread detailing how this negatively affects you and adds onto your daily struggle as a minority, since it does enough for you to use it in this argument. [/quote] But that's just the thing, if they do make a suggestions thread about this, does FR have to now listen to them since they set this precedent? It'd be insensitive to do otherwise, as it'd show that FR considers certain religions and cultures to be more important than others. I don't see the whole "If you want something changed, make a thread about it!" argument because that's exactly why people are calling this a slippery slope. Since FR has shown that taking a name or idea from prexisting mythology should be changed when someone complains about it, that means that they must do that for everytiem something like this crops up, correct?