Why you decided on your race (lore perspective)

In most games, my choice of character either comes down to big guy or female. In this case i chose big guy as healer cause i thought it would be funny. But it's not. :< I don't really have any reasons regarding lore.. I considered back story but then I don't know enough about the world. Besides, we're all the chosen ones. :p

Originally, my character was an Elezen modeled after my FFXI Elvaan character (including having the same name). Come 2.0, I started to consider changing races; partly because of the free character recustomization, but also because I was just never satisfied with how I designed the character. No matter what I did, I didn't feel like he looked as good as he did in 1.0, which even then wasn't quite as close to his XI appearance as I'd hoped. The #1 thing I would NOT bend on is keeping the name, I wanted to keep my FFXI name (or at least as close to it as possible, in the highly unlikely event someone took the name combination I'd originally had).

As I was looking over the different races, I was fascinated by the naming conventions of the Seeker of the Sun Miqo'te and shared that with some friends (who were also planning to join in 2.0). They had already picked Miqo'te, but made lore-appropriate names for their characters to use on the side. I eventually decided to join them as a Seeker of the Sun Miqo'te and it helped so much that I could easily translate my original username into something perfectly in-character.

I am really curious as to what the Aldgoat tribe is like and I hope that it gets added into XIV at some point in time. Even if that means completely rewriting my character's backstory to fit the new information.

When it comes to RPGs, I usually pick the race and class that offer the greatest versatility. That's why I chose to play a hume red mage in FFXI. Coming to FFXIV 1.0, I naturally gravitated again towards hyur but, for a long time, I was at a loss as to which class to play, as none of them fit the mould of a "jack-of-trades". Lyland Battersea 1.0 ended up being a pugilist with thaumaturge and conjurer abilities.

In any case, I eventually abandoned the game and returned only last October. Lyland Battersea 2.0 returned as a hyur but, this time round, I was dead-set on being an arcanist, because the class provided everything I loved: the ability to do a bit of everything, from tanking, to damage-dealing and healing.

And that's how Lyland ended up in Limsa Lominsa, just as he did in version 1.0. His backstory didn't change very significantly, either. His main job now is summoner, and while I greatly enjoy the job, I do miss the versatility that he had as an arcanist.

If I'd begun playing with A Realm Reborn, I probably would have gone Roegadyn, but by the time I was offered a complete reroll, I'd grown far too attached to my knife-eared giraffe.

Elezen are very easy to fill with hilarious melodrama. I would go so far as to suggest that of the five playable races, the Elezen (especially the Duskwight) are the most intrinsically angst-ridden, with lore rooted in bitter turf wars over pride and prejudice. I know that tons of angst gets tiresome pretty easily, but it has always made me laugh.

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Originally Posted by Enkidoh

It should be noted at 1.0's launch very little information was given lore-wise about Sunseeker culture other than their worship of Azeyma and the fact they were a diurnal clan (hence naming traditions hadn't been sorted out at that stage and thus the reason for Enki's non 'traditional' name).

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I have a non-traditional name for my Miqo'te simply because I didn't find the lore until about two months in. It's a name I've been using online for awhile now. Honestly, I'm female IRL but I ended up playing a male character because I couldn't stand the starting clothing for the Miqo'te female. I don't have a problem playing a guy character, but I did make sure to make him attractive looking. He's a Seeker, so he has the slit-pupilled eyes; I made them very light green. It gives a really cool effect in low light, almost like they're glowing.

He used to have pretty natural colored fur (reddish brown with gold highlights) but I've since changed it to dark blue with white highlights just cause I felt like doing something different for awhile. xD

While i'm not one to usually play a human in most games, example being if there is a choice to play an elven race i will always play them, however, I feel as though the Elezen are given very little justice when it comes to looks, as someone who loves the idea of playing a pretty boy, they didn't have the usual elven attractiveness i was hoping for. Instead they are much more grizzled in apperance which due to their lore makes much more sense, they are clearly set apart from typical elven races. But i decided to shift my gaze to a midlander Hyur who filled the pretty boy aspect perfectly and i can relate easier to my character when they have a more human apperance. While i long for the default standing stance of the Miqo'te and their quirky sitting and another emote actions i'm happy with my choice for now. If it wasnt hyur it'd be Miqo'te for me but the furry legion is large enough already.

I was heavilly influenced by the arcanist concept art being an Elezen.
Knew I wanted to play an Arcanist from the start, and the concept art being an Elezen probably has a lot to do with it.

Played a lot with the character creator and made designs for all of the races just to see how they'd look. But big and bulky isn't my thing so no Roe for me. Highlanders were the next to go. There were so many cats during beta that I din't feel like playing one (male or female) as well. Lala's are cute but... no. Midlaners were nice too, especially the females are cute, but in the end I liked Elezen better. So Elezen it was.

Or maybe I'm just trying to compensate for my short height in real life, who knows.

Chose Highlander b/c she was the coolest looking character the CC randomly generated for me. I am maining WAR so I like the physicality of the highlander female for that.

Also, I am interested in the whole Ala Mhigo/Garlean Occupation/Underground Resistance Movement story that seems to be shaping up and I wanted my girl to have a personal stake in that, so in my headcanon, she's Ala Mhigan on her mother's side. The part of the Main Scenario where you go to Little Ala Mhigo certainly felt extra special to me as a result of my racial choice as well.

Plus highlander females have the *best* emotes. So expressive. lol

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Originally Posted by ShienSarvong

Elezen are very easy to fill with hilarious melodrama. I would go so far as to suggest that of the five playable races, the Elezen (especially the Duskwight) are the most intrinsically angst-ridden, with lore rooted in bitter turf wars over pride and prejudice. I know that tons of angst gets tiresome pretty easily, but it has always made me laugh.

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Funnily enough, I had similar thoughts with my lady.
She's currently stuck as a Midlander (still waiting on those fantasias), but my initial intention was for her to be "cute" so that I wouldn't get sick of playing her, but after finally learning about the Hyur race's lore, and lack of lore, I started pecking around and fell for the Elezan.

Sooo, I did the rename/server move trick with my girl to give her a lore friendly name, built her in the character creator to save, and wrote a wonderfully melodramatic background full of love, racial prejudice, and Coerthas.

And, man, are Elezan fun to write for~

Lore-wise?

Well who wouldn't want to be a kleptomaniac cave-dweller?
Beyond that I suppose that the Wildwood Elezen were a bit too stereotypical when it came to the whole "proud forest guardian" bit. Which left the Duskwights, it also allowed for my idea of recreating a proper Black Mage, with black skin and yellow eyes.