Flight Rising Discussion

i feel like writing a mini-essay that touches base on some of the (opinions? observations?) that users have made about this whole ordeal, so imma do just that

1. Plague can have many aesthetics.
   
   
   100% agree. As can all the other flights. But why are some aesthetics chosen over others? Bones, muted reds/radioactive greens/varying browns, slimes/goops, pustel-like growths, sinew-like strands, and fungus are wholeheartedly embraced as far as I can tell. So what about the other aesthetics, such as scars, blood (albeit in small amounts), weapons, survival focussed clothes, body mutation, the color red, etc. that are rarely used, if not entirely ignored?
   
   
2. Plague is centered around survival, not specifics such as gore, horror, or general villany.
   
   
   Indeed it is. I then would love to see survival-oriented clothes/armor (ignoring the carapaces), weapons that are not just blades, your hole-in-the-wall shady healer outfit, shaman-like items, prosthetics, anything else anyone could think of. But this concept of survival should not limit other concepts, such as the aesthetics listed above that are rarely, if not at all, used.
   
   (Besides, as someone from Fire, we have an entire armor set for us to claim. Can Plague even say the same?)
   
   
3. Plague has it hard, but their aesthetic should not negatively impact the other flights.
   
   
   I understand certain parts about Plague should be kept to a minimum to keep this site PG-13, but I also wholeheartedly believe that other flights should not have a drastic impact/say about what aesthetics/items/etc. Plague should adopt or have. Let the Plaguelings decide.
   
   
4. The apparel is great!
   
   
   The concept it great, and I'm glad, as mentioned above, there's a new aesthetic being embraced for Plague. A bard making their merry way through an infested wasteland? Interesting!
   
   But most of those who enjoy the apparel are, most often than not, from different flights. Not saying that's a bad thing (and not gatekeeping here), but it goes to show that this apparel is pandering to the other flights rather than Plague themselves. We can all agree that we are in our flights because we either like the lore, aesthetic, concepts, etc. So when most, if not all of Plague, is saying that this apparel doesn't fit the flight they're in, then shouldn't it be changed?
   
   And on a more personal note, I feel that the apparel isn't the best, quality wise. For one, it's uncannily similar to Nature's tree warden's garb, looks plastic-y, and is a little too... clean. Idk about this bard, but they don't really embrace the survival aspect in the sense that they're a little worn for wear. Not to mention (and the biggest gripe of all), it's incredibly green, making the apparel appear more nature-like. You could even argue from the aesthetic standpoint that Nature is adopting a new aesthetic, and this apparel piece adopts this "wild Nature clan living in the deep untamed forest whom utilizes any and every resource they come across" aesthetic.
   
   
5. The skins are great, and yeah, a lot of mushrooms, but great!
   
   
   They are great and incredible works. But shouldn't there be more of a selection? Half of the skins are or have mushrooms. There's only a few (or one?) with bones, and others that are zombie oriented and don't really adhere to the 'survival' idea. There were some skins that depicted Plague magic/shamans, or some kind of mutated horror that wasn't over-the-top gorey and breaking the PG-13 rule, so why weren't they chosen?
   
   Yes, the skins are great, but we don't need a handful of mushrooms when there were many other ideas that could have been chosen. Variety is best for every festival, because then all the different kinds of aesthetics, interpreted by players themselves, can be showcased and adopted.
   
   
6. If this works for other people, then let it go.
   
   
   Obviously, not everyone will like everything. Being from Fire, I absolutely despised this years apparel... But clearly something is off if the entirety of Plague is up in arms about the matter. They're rightfully upset, after all, the short end of the stick has been theirs for the better part of years. Isn't Water a bit bothered by the fact that Tidelord and the whole lore surrounding their deity has yet to be released? Then imagine Plague's situation. They still don't have their venue and they keep getting confused for a more gross-like Nature. Ouch. It's like they're being watered down.

that's about as much as i saw and wanted to write about. im not particularly upset or anything, but seeing as Plague was my starting flight and will forever hold a special place in my heart, i really wanted to address some of these topics... at least through a more neutral viewpoint. i would love to see what others have to say about this.

edit: fixed the title :p
edit 2: wording

I think what is confusing to me is why there's a controversy about illness/pathogens, mutations, and such to begin with. I get gore and death and such needing to be dialed back for a PG-13 rating, but why not focus on the things about Plague that are actually rooted in science? I mean, the minute I bought my first Plague dragon, I instantly thought of the bubonic plague and named her Bubonica. And even though certain symptoms of the bubonic plague are kind of disgusting (mainly the buboes), it's a science thing. Why not pander to that?

Maybe it's just me. I've never understood why the human body can gross people out. Like, make more skins about the brain and heart, from a medical perspective. Make more skins named after actual infectious diseases (like the cool Toxoplasmosis skin from a few years back). They don't have to look disgusting. The lack of science-based Plague stuff is why I have never switched to Plague. I wish there were more science-themed stuff for Lightning, too. We never get skins named after physics or chemistry concepts.

The survivor aspect of plague is one of the most important and emphasized themes in their lore, but the most ignored in site and fan made material. I really want to see more of it and this would have been the perfect year to tone down the gore and decay and focus on life in spite of destruction. I’m pretty sad about that missed opportunity. I think it may have brought focus back to plague lore and be positive in context for this year.

[quote name="JayBird375" date="2020-10-25 16:25:39" ] The survivor aspect of plague is one of the most important and emphasized themes in their lore, but the most ignored in site and fan made material. I really want to see more of it and this would have been the perfect year to tone down the gore and decay and focus on life in spite of destruction. I’m pretty sad about that missed opportunity. I think it may have brought focus back to plague lore and be positive in context for this year. [/quote] I agree with this

[quote name="Hypercoaster" date="2020-10-25 15:41:14" ] I think what is confusing to me is why there's a controversy about illness/pathogens, mutations, and such to begin with. I get gore and death and such needing to be dialed back for a PG-13 rating, but why not focus on the things about Plague that are actually rooted in science? I mean, the minute I bought my first Plague dragon, I instantly thought of the bubonic plague and named her Bubonica. And even though certain symptoms of the bubonic plague are kind of disgusting (mainly the buboes), it's a science thing. Why not pander to that? Maybe it's just me. I've never understood why the human body can gross people out. Like, make more skins about the brain and heart, from a medical perspective. Make more skins named after actual infectious diseases (like the cool Toxoplasmosis skin from a few years back). They don't have to look disgusting. The lack of science-based Plague stuff is why I have never switched to Plague. I wish there were more science-themed stuff for Lightning, too. We never get skins named after physics or chemistry concepts. [/quote] I absolutely love the science idea, especially for Lightning as well. There is a lot of potential that can be taken from it. Though, seeing from recent events in life, I don't think staff will be quick to name something after a disease. [quote name="EiraoLaska" date="2020-10-25 15:44:51" ] I've spoken a lot about our festival today. Took a breather, went for a walk, and unsubbed from some threads. Realized I was getting way too upset and angry. I do feel better about things now that I've calmed down. I love the majority of what we got this year. The scene vastly surpassed my expectations and showed a great side of Plague we've never gotten before. The familiar is awesome looking, if a tad orange. I don't personally mind the mushroom focused skins this year as long as that doesn't become a pattern. The male imp skin has me seriously considering breaking my G1 rule so I can have a dragon with it. It's really just the saturated green/nature vibe of the apparel that irks me. On it's own, it's not that big of a deal, but combined with everything else that Plague has to go through, for many players it's the final straw breaking the camels back. We talk about wanting just a bit of the blood/gore side of our flight not because we want to shove our flight into that one narrow aesthetic, but because it's a facet of our flight aesthetic that we're not allowed to use/see very often. No one's calling for extreme gore or bloodbaths. [/quote] Oh man, the familiar and scene are perfect! Loved how both came out. As for the aesthetic, I'm not necessarily calling for obscene amounts of gore, or of anything else rather. I just feel that more can be explored. [quote name="JayBird375" date="2020-10-25 16:25:39" ] The survivor aspect of plague is one of the most important and emphasized themes in their lore, but the most ignored in site and fan made material. I really want to see more of it and this would have been the perfect year to tone down the gore and decay and focus on life in spite of destruction. I’m pretty sad about that missed opportunity. I think it may have brought focus back to plague lore and be positive in context for this year. [/quote] Same here. I would love an apparel set for Plague that is just of tattered clothes that are made of scraps and gods know what else thrown together. And if only there were more weapons! Like scythes, clubs, or daggers/spears/lances. If staff is aiming to break away from the more "gore-y" side of things, then the survival aspect would be the best way to go.

Well put Kinged.

i agree with these ideas! i think more aesthetic expansion is genuinely a good thing. onsite items, especially fest apparel, will become more and more repetitive if they try to fit into a very narrowly-designed aesthetic for a flight. and especially as a lightning member - more on-site science stuff sounds amazing!!!

that being said, this outcry isn't something new for this year's RoR. i've been here for six years and every single time, without fail, there are plague members angry at the fest items and FR staff for something or another. i'm mainly just tired seeing the same drama crop up again and again and again.

No, but really, there are way too many mushroom plague skins/accents. I get that it's because they're decomposers and represent decay that way, but I never think of fungi when someone mentions plague. I think of a post-apocalyptic type of ruthlessness in the fight for survival. I feel like mushrooms should be a much tinier symbol in the overall aesthetic of plague.

I think there'd be less outcry during ROR if the staff actually acknowledged Plague flight's complaints. Told us that they were heading in a new direction, or just even gave a simple statement like we hear you. It's disheartening to get ignored when people are rightfully upset that Plague gets the short end of the stick.
The things that really made me realize Plague was going in a direction that wasn't how it started.
-BOTE story. Lumped in with nature(all 10 other flights got their own story and protag) as well as the 'bad guys' of the story. It really rubbed me the wrong way that our flight was portrayed as unsympathetic and evil.
-Mire is 'Plague venue'. It is literally a healthy swamp. Every other flight (except maybe light) has a venue clearly depicting their flight. What's worse is that the Mire isn't even the best place to grind for fest currency!
-Zombie skins. Our deity hates zombies. It is literally in official canon that she hates them, yet we're actively encouraged to celebrate them during our festival. I like zombies, and think they can be kinda fun, but this is just not our aesthetic at all. It's Light's.

I think honestly, the apparel this was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back for a lot of players. I don't agree that our apparel has been un-plaguey for a while, that's untrue. The mushroom skins are amazing, but there is 5/14 that is a lot. I just wish there was more variety. And people are right, every flight gets a flop fest. I feel like this one was ours. I'm gonna enjoy it as much as I can, and absolutely HOARD those scenes because they are everything I was hoping for.

I did a calculation, plague has averaged .71 mushroom skins per year, and now we've got 5.