Suggestions

Eye type vials during festivals. Not any of the existing ones- something new and different just for the fest!

I would recommend not making this a one time only thing. I would say to either replace the emblems (they've been around for ages, maybe it's time to just make them a rare coli or chest drop) or add another slot for the eyes. Making them one time would just make people upset and cause skyrocketing eye prices.

Even an eye type vial that would drop during the fest along with currency and chests! Just something that shows off some Flight love and gets more people in the coli.

What would this eye type look like? Possibly a smaller, simpler Primal or some sort of "third eye" kind of thing. Something bright and cool that shows up nicely on all breeds.

And eyes are cool and new! Eyes!

mildly irrelevant, but this is in fact the last festival cycle for emblems, they'll be joxbox exclusive now. technically I think they're being replaced by the scenes going forward?

Honestly I would love this so long as they don't retire! Itd be like the NOTN Strange Chests, but with an eye type!

Also the Emblems are retiring after this year, to be replaced by scenes which will be returning. But id love a new slot in Joxar's fest goods, or just a new drop during each fest that are an exclusive non-retiring eye type! I think that'd be a really fun and new way to get them!

If the eye vials dropped like the festival's currency (i.e. from the enemy of that element type/very rarely from neutral enemies and returned every year) i'd be all for this! the emblems are retiring this year and being replaced by scenes, anyhow, and festival eyes sound really fun if done right!

Support!! i love the idea of cycling eye types, and i think it would work really well if implemented in the coliseum
if it were to be like a second primal, maybe the designs could explore different aspects of the flights that aren't really covered by primals? i've long been wanting to see a kind of crying eye for water, and i think a mechanical-looking eye would work well for lightning! let me know if i'm expanding on it too much, but i think this idea is fantastic!

Chiming in to agree with the idea that these shouldn't retire.

As for what they looked like, there have been some absolutely gorgeous 'alternate' primal ideas floating around for a while and something like that.

Earth Festival: Current earth primal is meant to be, I assume, gemstones, minerals and rocks. Perhaps the festival version could be more crystalline, or perhaps look like a geode (crystals around a 'hollow' center)

Plague Festival: Perhaps this could be sort of like a multigaze, but just centered around the face. A sort of 'survival' trait where the dragon evolved extra eyes to help survey what is around them.

Wind Festival: Perhaps it could be something like bamboo coming from the top of the eyes

Water Festival (I never knew that water primal changed the eyes themselves, I just thought it added waves? around the eyes): Perhaps sort of like flowing water with droplets coming from the eyes, or perhaps something like seaweed/kelp/aquatic plants coming from the eyes?

Lightning Festival: Perhaps go a more 'steampunk' route for them, or circuitry type.

Ice Festival (I love ice primal): Perhaps more 'snowbanks' type around the eyes, sort of like earth primal, but snowy?

Shadow Festival: To be honest, not really sure, maybe mushrooms growing above the eyes?

Light Festival: Again, can't really think of anything good for light.

Arcane Festival: Arcane Primal is already pretty, but perhaps a sort of galaxy/nebula type where you get a spiral galaxy around the eye?

Nature Festival: Either more flowery or perhaps more foresty?

Fire FEstival: Perhaps more volcanic looking, magma or ash?

Love all of Jem's suggestions!
Light could be a light stream, like those trails you see if you've got astigmatism (which is sometimes emphasized in animation or photography because its gorgeous) or a shooting star trail

I do love this idea, but I see a problem.

If vials were to replace the emblems, there'd need to be 11 different eye types for it to be a proper replacement, at least in my opinion. There's always been 4 items up for purchase that are exclusive that specific festival. I don't really like the idea of dropping it down to 3. Though I would be totally happy with a vial being added as a 5th item that can be bought with that month's fest currency.

Honestly, the fests need a bit more spice and could really do with some changes. Though I would be really interested in seeing some newer players' thoughts on the fests. I realize most people who are actively playing now haven't been a consistent player for 6 and a half years. But coming back to changes, it looks like the devs might be looking to spice things up anyway with soft retiring the emblems to Joxbox and keeping the scenes around for another year.

So, if not sold along with the regular fest stuff, how should this vial be obtained? I'd put it in with the recolors Joxar sells. Same price as the recolors, 1 prismatic token. I'd also add the vial into the pool of stuff that can be in a spare inventory crate.

What would the eye type look like? While I do like the idea of false primals, I think this would be a perfect place to put something like the suggested paladin designs.

And while we're talking about fests, NotN is a fest and I've been hoping for an eye type to go with it for quite a while, though I don't think I ever spoke about it before. With that, I'd handle it like smirch. The vial can drop from strange chests and that's how you get them. As for designs, button eyes are another longstanding eye suggestion and I'm all for it. NotN would be a great place to put them.

I like this a lot. I agree they shouldn't permanently retire, just trot out when the festivals arrive. This would also make me a lot more enthusiastic about festivals, which have been kind of "meh" for me for the last couple of years, as I would look forward to seeing a new eye type. Jemadar's suggestion for "alternate primals" is good.