Why So Much Rape in Stormblood

"Why"?

Because the writer wanted to make the audience stop sympathizing with the Garleans.

This is the most straight and honest answer you'll get.

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Originally Posted by CosmicKirby

"Why"?

Because the writer wanted to make the audience stop sympathizing with the Garleans.

This is the most straight and honest answer you'll get.

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More the Garlean army as the recent Raid went out of it's way to make sure we understand their general populace isn't all that bad, but I do agree that the writers did go out of their way this time around to spell out the subtext. It's always been there, but now it's on full display.

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Originally Posted by CosmicKirby

"Why"?

Because the writer wanted to make the audience stop sympathizing with the Garleans.

This is the most straight and honest answer you'll get.

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5 pages with a handful of questionable replies later- ^this^ is really the answer. In fiction its one of the easiest story elements one can use to show someone/something as unquestionably bad.

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Originally Posted by Kimmy_Dee

"Rape happens in the real world"

but hey if all you all love rape in your stories so much lets just have it happen to men too.

we can find out raubhan's tragic backstory where he was raped by an uldah noble.

and meet a cool new character who was forced into sex work against his will.

why not? if rape is such an important part of showing this Grim Dark World we'll just have it happen to the men just as much.

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You probably didn't intend this reaction, but I absolutely would want that. Especially the Raubahn part. Seeing a major character crumble from PTSD and then get blamed for it and abandoned by their own friends would be superbly emotional. I just want to feel something. Plus, it would help the plot get more complex if rape is used a device to cause a defection to the Garleans.

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Originally Posted by Rokke

5 pages with a handful of questionable replies later- ^this^ is really the answer. In fiction its one of the easiest story elements one can use to show someone/something as unquestionably bad.

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Number One would be, (at least for a Western Audience) showing the Villain harm an innocent dog.

INSTANTLY makes the audience know the person is evil.

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Originally Posted by Okamimaru

Sorry that the issues women face everyday in every country on earth is ruining your game experience... must be rough for you... funny you don't say the same thing about the killing, general violence, corruption, greed, and ethnic cleansing we see in the game more than the violence against women you have such a huge problem with....

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It's interesting this was upvoted so much because clearly, the point was not understood. I too found this very cliche. The pretty and dumb girl gets sold and abused so she seeks revenge, and now she's evil and ruthless. I wouldn't be surprised if everyone forgives her because 'Oh, she had a sad past. And she's cute'.

She didn't say she had a problem with it, was merely discussing the character's background and motives.

They can talk about rape all they want in this game (it won't help the cause though, because people irl won't do shit about it, less someone sitting on a chair playing some videogames), but this particular character for me is super cliche.

If it is a "cliche", it's sadly a cliche from the real world (>_<)
There are cases like these everyday, even nowadays. It had to be worse in war times.

Of course I'd love for things to be different. As a female, knowing that this sort of thing happens too often to females makes me sick. But a game reflecting that sad truth isn't bad writing in my opinion; bad writing would be to turn a painful reality into a disney movie where that kind of brutal thing actually never happens or doesn't exist. That's not exactly how war (or even human beings, in all their ugliness) work...

PS: I don't feel sorry for that character and I don't find her cute. It's regrettable that such things happened to her, but I don't feel sorry for her current grown up self simply because she had a bad past.

Eorzea is the world Antoine Dodson warned us of. "They climbing in your windows..."

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Originally Posted by Dualgunner

Eorzea is the world Antoine Dodson warned us of. "They climbing in your windows..."

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Thanks for the good laugh xD

This ain't Disney

The game warns people in advance that is contains mature themes and that is something everybody accepts upon purchasing the product and accepting the terms and conditions. Part of the game's charm for many people is that it doesn't shy away from darker themes - it doesn't hide the horrors that would realistically exist in a world as bleak as Hydaelyn.

There are topics and issues in this game that draw from things I have experienced personally, too. But that doesn't make me think that Square is doing it for laughs, or clichés, or that I suddenly choose to be offended by the writing team. It makes the characters relatable, and it makes me empathise with them, it makes the character's development way more interesting and gets me way more invested in the story. Yes, the writers have missed the mark now and again, nobody is perfect. But it seems the issue is with you, not them.

We as the WoL are genocidal maniacs who solve every problem with murdering but sure let's focus on that.

The OP thinks a million dollar company with millions of fans to have the balls to make rape jokes or to laugh at victims by writing it into the story, then she needs to think again.

Or play Club Penguin.

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Originally Posted by BillyKaplan

There's also the youth in Little Ala Mhigo when you go through there for MSQ early on. Very minor character, not sure she was even named, but the presentation left an impression on me, personally.

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But that was already during ARR (around lv 25 MSQ), and not just now in SB

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Originally Posted by PharisHanasaki

It's interesting this was upvoted so much because clearly, the point was not understood. I too found this very cliche. The pretty and dumb girl gets sold and abused so she seeks revenge, and now she's evil and ruthless. I wouldn't be surprised if everyone forgives her because 'Oh, she had a sad past. And she's cute'.

She didn't say she had a problem with it, was merely discussing the character's background and motives.

They can talk about rape all they want in this game (it won't help the cause though, because people irl won't do shit about it, less someone sitting on a chair playing some videogames), but this particular character for me is super cliche.

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Had their argument been, "This is a trope," then most people arguing against it would probably respond with a, "Yeah, so is most stuff in fiction and in this game." However, that wasn't strictly what their complaint was. They posted conveying their sensitivities, asking for people with similiar sensitivities to concur with them and a lot of people disagreed. When the end result is that the story is written how it's going to be written, the only sense one could make from complaining about it in this nature is that it should be different. Telling someone creating something, be it fiction or art or video games, what content they should exclude is stifling. A lot of people like FFXIV because it has a lot of variety of subject matters. When someone focuses on such a minor aspect of the story, to the point that it affects their enjoyment of the game, then it's not the story's fault.

There are plenty of tragedies in this game, focusing on only one violent theme while the other violent themes are so much more abundant seems like you are the one choosing to focus on it.

Personally, I like having shocking events here and there in XIV. It evokes emotion and a break from what can be monotonous character development.

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Originally Posted by Dualgunner

Uhm...wait, who all was raped? Yotsuyu underwent sexual abuse afaik, but nobody else springs to mind.

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I lost count of all the NPCs who have been implied to have been raped in this game. Aside from Yotsuyu being sold to a whore house, there was a npc very early in the MSQ who implied she was gang raped by Garleans, Arenvald is the product of such an encounter, there's an NPC in the SAM quests who was gonna be sold as a sex slave, and NPCs all around imply that the Garleans seem to favor killing Highlander men and raping Highlander women.

That's just the tip of the iceberg, there's lots of it in the main game proper as well

Personally I like the story as is. I understand maybe the story has sensitive topics for people based on different events but I don’t think violence against women is the only thing. Like I alway say if you don’t like the game don’t play. The game is not targeting you because of being a woman the game is not saying anything bad towards you and if you think it is you have a problem. That’s like saying GTA inforces the behaviors shown in that game. Get over it or don’t play.

Because Eorzea is a shitty world and they're letting you know just how shitty it is. See GoT for another example. There's also a lot of death, poverty, hunger, racism, corruption, greed... the list goes on.

I wonder what exactly would be the acceptable alternatives? They killed "insert npc" parents? They enslaved "insert npc" family/children? They stole "insert npc" land/inheritance? What isn't a trope or cliche? What exactly can they put in the place of the occasional sexual assault of a npc? Vaguely offensive musical numbers?

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Originally Posted by JunseiKei

When someone focuses on such a minor aspect of the story, to the point that it affects their enjoyment of the game, then it\\'s not the story\\'s fault.

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But I don't understand. Where did the OP says this impars her experience of the game? Or that this is a sensitive topic that should be avoided in this game? She said this was cliche. And I agree.

I know Japan experienced(and still does) this a lot. Women are abused everywhere. But Yutsuyu became evil because she was married to a rich man, physically and sexually abused, then sold off to pay his husband debts? She did all she did out of revenge but was not prepared for the consecuences? That moment where she cries to make everyone feel sorry for her... Idk.

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Originally Posted by PharisHanasaki

But I don't understand. Where did the OP says this impars her experience of the game? Or that this is a sensitive topic that should be avoided in this game? She said this was cliche. And I agree.

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She said in the opening post that it ruins the “escapist fantasy” of FFXIV, implying that it’s impacting her immersion. Like others have said, the fact that rape is present, especially in a country currently at war, only serves to make the game more immersive. Because what war isn’t without terrible war crimes? Certainly not a “real” one.

OP also mentioned that rape should be something discussed with tact and care, and not just “tacked on to a woman’s storyline to make her seem more tragic,” which also somewhat implies it should be avoided being discussed in this game’s writing at all, since the OP also attacked SB’s writing.

Well, I can understand it to some extent. If you lost your arm to a chainsaw and saw people getting they extremities cut off by a chainsaw in game you'd feel anxious and/or be constantly reminded of the real event.

Men are also raped irl, but I see nothing like that in here. Kids are raped too if we want to be realistic. Should we depict that too to make it even more immersive?

'This male NPC was abused by his family. Sold into slavery, and raped and abused so he's now an evil commander of the Empire'. Still seems weak to me.

I really, really hope Yutsuyu won't be forgiven for a silly reason. Zenos was a great character. Yutsuyu was simply annoying throughout the road.

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Originally Posted by PharisHanasaki

Men are also raped irl, but I see nothing like that in here. Kids are raped too if we want to be realistic. Should we depict that too to make it even more immersive?

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I said it before earlier in the thread, but the answer to that is absolutely yes. If they're already going there, they shouldn't keep it as a woman-exclusive trope for that precise reason, that it's a false depiction of reality. And like before, you using that example as though to make us look ridiculous is ridiculous in and of itself. Raubahn would actually be an interesting case if they went there. Show corruption within any of the Grand Companies or the Garlean army that went there. Lord knows Ul'dah's rotten to the core that it'd make sense there.

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'This male NPC was abused by his family. Sold into slavery, and raped and abused so he's now an evil commander of the Empire'. Still seems weak to me.

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And while it's your right to find faults with the trope itself, I dislike it when people praise or bash a trope based on genders. It's a weak trope to you, fine, it's a different matter. But sadly because it's seen so little, that sort of thing would actually be groundbreaking if they went there and applied it to a man, admitting that men can be victims of such abuse as well. As it stands, if we don't hear about it from the women themselves, we hear about it from a man related to them while they're still the victims, as is the case with Arenvald and his mother.

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I really, really hope Yutsuyu won't be forgiven for a silly reason.

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I'm guessing she has amnesia going by the end of 4.1 and that will be the groundwork for her redemption as she's effectively a different person, but still has to deal with the evils she did while she had her memories.

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Originally Posted by BillyKaplan

But sadly because it's seen so little, that sort of thing would actually be groundbreaking if they went there and applied it to a man, admitting that men can be victims of such abuse as well.

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I have to agree with you. We often see the disastrous affects that rape has on female victims in the media, but not so with men. FFXIV could really make an impact if it went ahead with portraying such a story with a male victim. Raubahn may make sense for this- he's a traditional masculine male, and male victims often feel very emasculated when they go through that sort of trauma. I don't know, I just think it may help people see and understand what some men have been through, and do go through, rather than just being an edgy prison joke.

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Originally Posted by PharisHanasaki

Well, I can understand it to some extent. If you lost your arm to a chainsaw and saw people getting they extremities cut off by a chainsaw in game you'd feel anxious and/or be constantly reminded of the real event.

Men are also raped irl, but I see nothing like that in here. Kids are raped too if we want to be realistic. Should we depict that too to make it even more immersive?

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let's start with the fact that there are NO depictions of rape in game just characters talking about tragic events... and if you want to bring in male rape and child molestation in an attempt at making it more real then we may already have it in its real form... the sad fact is that most men will never tell anyone if they are sexually assaulted because male victims are treated totally different than females... children often don't open up about it til adulthood unless coaxed to explain certain behavior...

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Originally Posted by Okamimaru

let's start with the fact that there are NO depictions of rape in game just characters talking about tragic events... and if you want to bring in male rape and child molestation in an attempt at making it more real then we may already have it in its real form... the sad fact is that most men will never tell anyone if they are sexually assaulted because male victims are treated totally different than females... children often don't open up about it til adulthood unless coaxed to explain certain behavior...

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There simply isn't a support system for male victims, they're usually mocked or told they should enjoy it if the abuser was a woman. Sadly, with children, grooming is why they tend not to speak up about it.

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Originally Posted by ThunderGodThor

There simply isn't a support system for male victims, they're usually mocked or told they should enjoy it if the abuser was a woman. Sadly, with children, grooming is why they tend not to speak up about it.

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Exactly... and seeing as how there isn't even a support system for female victims in the ff14 world you could expect nothing for men... the focus when it comes to children in this war is the loss of family... any other trauma would be addressed after finding a home for them..

He didn't even say his mother was raped, he said the soldier went for her, maybe they got together and broke up? maybe they had a fling but in doing so had a child she didnt want with a man of his blood, who knows, the thoughts were put upon the reader to guess without implying which it was. For the OP, it was rape, for me it was love gone wrong. I should we address what happened in Vietnam?

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Originally Posted by Okamimaru

let's start with the fact that there are NO depictions of rape in game just characters talking about tragic events... and if you want to bring in male rape and child molestation in an attempt at making it more real then we may already have it in its real form... the sad fact is that most men will never tell anyone if they are sexually assaulted because male victims are treated totally different than females... children often don't open up about it til adulthood unless coaxed to explain certain behavior...

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You got it like I was the one bringing realism and immersion. People are saying they find the depictions of rape in game to help make it more immersive.

And please excuse me for using wrong words? English is not my first language.

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Originally Posted by Pinkie_Pie

He didn't even say his mother was raped, he said the soldier went for her, maybe they got together and broke up? maybe they had a fling but in doing so had a child she didnt want with a man of his blood, who knows, the thoughts were put upon the reader to guess without implying which it was. For the OP, it was rape, for me it was love gone wrong. I should we address what happened in Vietnam?

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Thing is here that context is important. In the lore it's pretty clear that many Ala Mhigans were raped in the sacking of their country by Garlemald and that many in Fordola's generation are the product of it. You can chose to believe it's a case of love gone wrong, but given the other instances and the what his mother did to him it's pretty clear to me that his birth was of a more insidious nature.

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http://mirkemenagerie.tumblr.com/pos...til-stormblood
http://mirkemenagerie.tumblr.com/pos...til-stormblood
http://mirkemenagerie.tumblr.com/pos...til-stormblood

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This person collects lore to help the RP community, including transcribing every bit of dialogue they find. These are the posts pertaining to Ala Mhigo, including straight NPC dialogue, and let's just say it's not pretty. (All of this was compiled pre-SB as well.)

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Glaumunt: “When Ala Mhigo fell, they put my family in a camp. Bein’ a lad, I was made to do hard labor, while my mother an’ sister were made to do far worse… They hid their sufferin’ from me as best they could, but I knew, an’ the thought of it drove me mad. We had to escape. An’ so I hatched a plan to get us out o’ the city. We were pickin’ our way around a gorge not far outside the walls when they caught up with us… An’ rather than allow ‘emselves to be taken again, my mother an’ sister leaped over the edge before my very eyes. Heartbroken as I was, I didn’t put up a fight when the imperials clapped me in chains an’ dragged me back.”

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Originally Posted by Pinkie_Pie

He didn't even say his mother was raped, he said the soldier went for her, maybe they got together and broke up? maybe they had a fling but in doing so had a child she didnt want with a man of his blood, who knows, the thoughts were put upon the reader to guess without implying which it was. For the OP, it was rape, for me it was love gone wrong. I should we address what happened in Vietnam?

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If you speak to npcs in the waking sands throughout 2.0 they tell you a garlean forced himself on Arenvald's mother.

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Originally Posted by ThunderGodThor

I have to agree with you. We often see the disastrous affects that rape has on female victims in the media, but not so with men.

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The only video game that I know of that even tried to approach that issue from the male perspective was Dragon Age 2 with Fenris who was a slave and heavily implied to have been sexually abused. Never outright stated, but it could definitely be assumed.

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Originally Posted by Rokke

If you speak to npcs in the waking sands throughout 2.0 they tell you a garlean forced himself on Arenvald's mother.

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Ah. Nevermind, never saw that dialogue.

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Originally Posted by Enla

Thing is here that context is important. In the lore it's pretty clear that many Ala Mhigans were raped in the sacking of their country by Garlemald and that many in Fordola's generation are the product of it. You can chose to believe it's a case of love gone wrong, but given the other instances and the what his mother did to him it's pretty clear to me that his birth was of a more insidious nature.


This person collects lore to help the RP community, including transcribing every bit of dialogue they find. These are the posts pertaining to Ala Mhigo, including straight NPC dialogue, and let's just say it's not pretty. (All of this was compiled pre-SB as well.)

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War. War never changes.

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Originally Posted by CosmicKirby

"Why"?

Because the writer wanted to make the audience stop sympathizing with the Garleans.

This is the most straight and honest answer you'll get.

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This is it though.

I never wrapped my head around the people who could gloss over Garlean atrocities from facts like "they have amazing technology that could make everyone's live better!" to "The aesthetic is amazing!"

When these kinds of revolting crimes against humanity were always there. Apparently forced takeovers, enslavement, and genocide aren't that bad if it means we get microwaves. :/

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Originally Posted by Kimmy_Dee

"Rape happens in the real world"

yeah, no shit. i've been sexually abused. a lot of people i know have as well. maybe a woman who has been sexually abused doesn't want something like that treated as some cliche plot device you tack onto any woman's backstory to make her more tragic. maybe i want something so awful and that affects me and many others to be handled with some degree of tact and care.

but hey if all you all love rape in your stories so much lets just have it happen to men too.

we can find out raubhan's tragic backstory where he was raped by an uldah noble.

and meet a cool new character who was forced into sex work against his will.

why not? if rape is such an important part of showing this Grim Dark World we'll just have it happen to the men just as much.

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You honestly might want to see a professional, as it cannot be healthy if you're letting the experience define you like this.

The story paints it as one of many reasons for us to hate the antagonists, along with murder, slavery, poverty and all that other good stuff. I'm sorry you don't want to see this, but that's what age ratings/PEGI/the ESRB are for and the way the game has been in terms of tone since ARR. Funny story; while getting my lore book signed by Koji at Fanfest he actually said to me (probably jokingly) that all new hires to the localization team are forced to read/watch GoT if they haven't already, so of course there's inspiration there.

Also, as someone who has been sexually abused in the past, I would think you'd know better than to make light of male rape when men can be, and very much are, victims of both domestic and sexual abuse (even though it is definitely skewed in one direction). Men often have just as much, if not more difficulty in dealing with it due to the additional social pressure because of gender roles and the idea of being ridiculed for being raped by a woman.

Using this as an argument to convince people to not put implied rape in a game is absurd, and awfully sexist. If anything, I agree with you. At least then we could say it's being gender equal!

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Originally Posted by ThunderGodThor

I have to agree with you. We often see the disastrous affects that rape has on female victims in the media, but not so with men. FFXIV could really make an impact if it went ahead with portraying such a story with a male victim. Raubahn may make sense for this- he's a traditional masculine male, and male victims often feel very emasculated when they go through that sort of trauma. I don't know, I just think it may help people see and understand what some men have been through, and do go through, rather than just being an edgy prison joke.

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https://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net...20170722103742


At that point Raubahn just needs a bigger sword and a robotic arm.

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Originally Posted by CosmicKirby

https://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net...20170722103742


At that point Raubahn just needs a bigger sword and a robotic arm.

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It's good to know I'm not the only one that's been waiting for his magitech arm so he could complete his journey to Berserk reference status.