Many capsuleers have their own share of mortal enemies, yes.
But I was wondering if any of you who already have a special sense of hatred against a certain nation or an organization might find some of said factions designs of their vessels pleasing.
Of course, Minmatar friends, I understand you have you pride in your “rust we trust” aesthetics and find the Amarrian white-gold connotated with oppression, but even I, grown familiar with the aureous ivory of the imperial navy, find the rusty designs of your ships as symbol of proud veterancy and functionality.
In my case, my “guilty pleasure” aesthetics lies on the ships of the serpentis corporation. The corporation is an evil entity approving of meritocratic exploitation, partnership with Angel Cartel and use of slave labor and human test subjects, but I find their symbolic dark green colours to be quite pleasing to the eye. Even more favourable to me is their Amaranthine Mantle Skin, although originated from the vile debaucheries of their Guardian’s Gala celebrations, it truly shows their sense of hedonistic decadence just by the colour schemes alone.
Octavech Raholan
Former Holder turned Freedom Fighter.
Proud Apostate and a Traitor.
And if I have a ‘guilty pleasure’ it’s threefold: I love using my Dagon (now no longer at risk of being the first one to die!) to shut down enemy Command Ships. I don’t get the chance terribly often, but when I do… mmmm, it’s fun. And I like the look of my Legion. In the logi configuration, even covert, it’s just got really beautiful lines.
But the real guilty pleasure… the Zarmazd. Oh my stars and garters, what that ship does is sexy. If it boosted as well, it would top my list. And all three are either wholly or partly the work of the Empire.
Trig ships are very aesthetic but I hate how weapon placement on the hull is. Especially when a trig ship faces its target and only one of the side beams activate, breaking symmetry. Ugh…
I also like EDENCOM ships a lot but their design better fits what high-end, ship-size drones should look like.
I suppose my ‘guilty pleasure’ in this realm is that I still like the general design of Amarr ships.
I fly many kinds of ships these days, with an overall emphasis on being practical. The Amarr Empire is without any doubt my enemy and I know it feels the same way about me. But that being said, I still like the aesthetics of many of the Amarr ships. Mine all have the religious imagery both internal and external removed (or constructed without it in the first place), but the general form of many of the ships is still somewhat pleasing to the eye.
The Empire itself is one of the ugliest constructs in the cluster, but many of the ship designs that have come out of it are quite good-looking.
Being from the State I get little guilt-pangs any time I fly any other nation’s ships, even if that’s most of what I fly and has been for years. I particularly love Amarrian ships under the old “Cold Iron” stealth coating. The Typhoon’s been growing on me, too, but that’s mostly because I happen to have the “Triglavian Twilight” pattern.
At the risk of angering my puritan Amarr betters, I must concede that I find the Ashummu to be beautiful. I’m not sure why. Something about the pointed prow, the forward swooping underbelly bit, and the tapered points on the dorsal posterior gets a great balance of sleek and menace.
Don’t get me wrong, in combat, the thing is a hot mess. The offensive capabilities don’t synergize well as a lone wolf. It’s similarly mediocre as a support vessel, as everything it does is done better by other classes. Still, one can dream.
Take care Arsia, lest your Matari brethren see through the sheep’s wool you’ve inexplicably donned atop your flaxen soul. There may be hope for you yet.
I assure you, nobody is surprised and few are likely to even be upset.
In Electus Matari, at least, many individuals see ships merely as tools. I likewise assure you, even the pilots who avoid Amarr ships would list the looks of their ships among the reasons why they oppose the Empire.
I turned my back on the Empire, left the Faith, actively joined a notable Republic loyal paramilitary alliance, and have given my all to it. There are many legitimate issues many Matari have with me. There are many they will always have. What ship designs I find pretty is not one of them.
Nor is it reason for you to hold out ‘hope’ for me. Not only have I made my choice, but I’ve no doubt it was the right choice.
Please don’t worry, Ms. Elkin. Those of us who knew you well suffer from no such misunderstanding.
You were a zealous paladin in your time, but your faith was brittle. Under strain, you broke. The jagged shards remain a hazard to believers to this day.
The end.
(I also somewhat like the aesthetics of the Tornado, especially dressed in purple and gold, and in numbers. “Windrunner” Tornadoes are so much fun.)
I do admit I am partial to the Guardian. Not only is it a good-looking ship, it also does its job extremely well and is a joy to fly. I tend to dress it up in Edencom colors, and of course the interior on our home-built ships is quite different from those of the Empire, but, still.
I have always made a point not to limit myself to any particular ship line, and I feel no guilt in using and appreciating them all for their own particular strengths.
That said, it wasn’t until I was in regular contact with my old colleagues in PY-RE that I really began to like the Phantasm. I still get a slight anxious prickle on the back of my neck when I see one, but it really is a gorgeous design. In its own way.
Oh, yes, the Sisters of Eve ships are nice. And, ms. Cora, I did indeed notice the new Kor-Azor research station in New Eden.
As a sidenote, ms. Cora, I’ve been reading your responses on these forums and I do very much admire your own Kor-Azor sense of diplomacy and saintly restraint!
With regards to Elkin’s treason, well I fully agree with you ms. Cora. Moreover, she has to convince herself that she has been able to look at all the information available in the universe, process it and interpret it correctly, and make a rational choice based on that, giving precedence to her own perfect judgement rather than that of the billions before her in the millennia before her.
… Apologies for not sticking to the topic. So, for the guilty pleasure: I’m not a miner, but I do have a soft spot for the Prospect with its original nice skin from ORE… I wouldn’t swap it for an Amarr industrial livery!
Whenever I do fly the ships of my Amarrian ancestries, a lineage I renounced, I always take especial pleasure on removing and defacing the religious installation of their heinous faith.
The highlight of such internal renovation lies during the dismantlement of the worship chambers.
I once smashed the head part of a sculpture of a certain saint and replaced it by pinning a Khumaak upon its now severed neck.
It did cause my Matari crewmates quite a laugh.
Octavech Raholan
Former Holder turned Freedom Fighter.
Proud Apostate and a Traitor.
