An irregularity with Giott

Healer role quest spoiler ahead.

So Giott takes off their helm at the end of the role quest, and it's a very feminine Lalafell, the quest log refers to Giott as "she", but "she" is in fact using a male Lala character model. Is Giott referred as female in other languages? Is this a localization error or just a male lala identifying as female?

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Originally Posted by alimdia

Healer role quest spoiler ahead.

So Giott takes off their helm at the end of the role quest, and it's a very feminine Lalafell, the quest log refers to Giott as "she", but "she" is in fact using a male Lala character model. Is Giott referred as female in other languages? Is this a localization error or just a male lala identifying as female?

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It's the NPC Dwarven armor, it makes all Dwarves/Lalafells look the same.

I think it's a deliberate expectation-subversion a la what some people (wrongly) assumed what was going on with Nael. The journal entries go out of their way to avoid using a single he/him pronoun and reserve the she/her pronouns until she takes her helm off. When French switches pronouns, it puts the first "she" in italics.

There's also a little bit of playing with the medium! When Giott takes off their helmet at the end of the quest and turns out to be female, the player character isn't surprised, even if the player is expected to be. The player character would have probably determined their gender almost immediately upon hearing Giott's voice, but the player doesn't actually hear a voice. Since Giott is a masculine name and they act in a traditionally masculine manner, it's to deliberately trick the player into assuming their hilarious companion is a male.

Aye, it doesn't help that Giott was the name of the Dwarven king in Final Fantasy IV. I guess Luca (Giott's daughter) didn't fit in with the Dwarven naming conventions they were using in XIV.

My theory is that they are mixing a bit of dwarven lore from other media. In Terry Pratchett books while female dwarves exist, most people can't tell them apart because they dress male, grow beards and generally refer to all dwarves as male regardless of actual gender. I'm wondering if this isn't a trope they've adopted for the "dwarves" of the first as well. Since all dwarves on the First seem to be required to wear weird helmets that give them facial hair and hide their actual faces it seems to give credence to the idea.

Quite possibly it's to avoid giving it away early with gender-specific emotes.

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Originally Posted by Ferth

My theory is that they are mixing a bit of dwarven lore from other media. In Terry Pratchett books while female dwarves exist, most people can't tell them apart because they dress male, grow beards and generally refer to all dwarves as male regardless of actual gender. I'm wondering if this isn't a trope they've adopted for the "dwarves" of the first as well. Since all dwarves on the First seem to be required to wear weird helmets that give them facial hair and hide their actual faces it seems to give credence to the idea.

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Final Fantasy Dwarves have been like that since the first game (the XIV ones are nearly a direct take of the IV ones) and predate the first appearance of Dwarves in Discworld.

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Originally Posted by alimdia

So Giott takes off their helm at the end of the role quest, and it's a very feminine Lalafell, the quest log refers to Giott as "she", but "she" is in fact using a male Lala character model.

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On top of the other stuff, it bears pointing out: there is, in a very real way, no such thing as a "male" or "female" lalafell model.

Both genders of lalafells use essentially the same animation skeleton and base model - their base idle animation, their movement animations, and their attack animations are all completely identical. There is only real differentiation in identity with some of their emotes and miscellaneous animations (such as their inn sleeping animation), as well as their customization options. (One of the greatest tells for this is in female lalafell feet - whereas every other lady in the game uses baseline shoes with slightly raised heels (and thus animates with the assumption of raised heels and ankles, leading to the occasional animation/modeling challenge), female lalafells use flats just like lalafell men. This actually created a few modeling challenges with some shoes that have been added to the game over the years!) And moreover, you could, from a technical standpoint, quite easily make a "female" lalafell use "male" animations and vice versa.

I have not fully completed the healer line yet (though I was spoiled on Giott early on), but I would not be surprised if they have her use one or two "male" animations (though they were perhaps not something I caught by level 76), both to obfuscate her gender for the reveal (since veteran FF players will assume Giott is male) and also to perhaps drive home how "mannish" an Eorzean would find her in comparison to the lalafells they know.

"See? Already done. You all really need to rethink this one flagon at a time policy, let me tell ye!"

I've only done the first quest and I'm already in love with her. Dwarven lasses are the best.

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Originally Posted by StarDrake

(One of the greatest tells for this is in female lalafell feet - whereas every other lady in the game uses baseline shoes with slightly raised heels (and thus animates with the assumption of raised heels and ankles, leading to the occasional animation/modeling challenge), female lalafells use flats just like lalafell men.

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The only obvious secondary sexual characteristic for lalafells is.. their eyelashes.

Thank you for the clarifications.

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Originally Posted by StarDrake

On top of the other stuff, it bears pointing out: there is, in a very real way, no such thing as a "male" or "female" lalafell model.

Both genders of lalafells use essentially the same animation skeleton and base model - their base idle animation, their movement animations, and their attack animations are all completely identical. There is only real differentiation in identity with some of their emotes and miscellaneous animations (such as their inn sleeping animation), as well as their customization options. (One of the greatest tells for this is in female lalafell feet - whereas every other lady in the game uses baseline shoes with slightly raised heels (and thus animates with the assumption of raised heels and ankles, leading to the occasional animation/modeling challenge), female lalafells use flats just like lalafell men. This actually created a few modeling challenges with some shoes that have been added to the game over the years!) And moreover, you could, from a technical standpoint, quite easily make a "female" lalafell use "male" animations and vice versa.

I have not fully completed the healer line yet (though I was spoiled on Giott early on), but I would not be surprised if they have her use one or two "male" animations (though they were perhaps not something I caught by level 76), both to obfuscate her gender for the reveal (since veteran FF players will assume Giott is male) and also to perhaps drive home how "mannish" an Eorzean would find her in comparison to the lalafells they know.

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This is wrong, there are more differences between male and female Lalas and the system does differentiate between them, otherwise males would be able to wear female clothes or use their emotes/battle stance. Besides, in Giott's case you can actually check on Garlandtools to see all the settings used for the NPC, and they used the male Lala model for her. Yes they reused many things between males and females, but doesn't mean the game doesn't differentiate between them, and so far they have never used a male lala model for a female lala. My question was whether this was intentional or an error, but based on what was said in this thread it seems to be intentional, to conceal or subvert.

It really makes me wonder about the beards. Are any of the dwarf beards real? None of the unmasked dwarves, even the males, seem to have them.

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Originally Posted by Jennah

It really makes me wonder about the beards. Are any of the dwarf beards real? None of the unmasked dwarves, even the males, seem to have them.

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According to the crafting logs, they're made from dwarven cotton and in some cases halgai manes (i.e. snurble hair).

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Originally Posted by Zohar_Lahar

According to the crafting logs, they're made from dwarven cotton and in some cases halgai manes (i.e. snurble hair).

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What do ye mean, are they real?! Are yer damn metal arms and armor real?! Do they keep ye from bein' stabbed through the stomach like the soft-bellied armadillo yer tryin' not tae be?!

Our beards are a taem honaerd tradition! How dare ye imply that they're made from snurbles?! I'll have ye know that me helm's been in me family since the time of me great-great-great-great Grandma'am, Fiutt, and don't ye daer ferget it!

(No, the beards are not real.)

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Originally Posted by CaesarCV

When Giott takes off their helmet at the end of the quest and turns out to be female, the player character isn't surprised, even if the player is expected to be.

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This is actually up to interpretation, I think! The WoL does a little "surprised gasp" at that moment, though whether that's because of a gender reveal, or just because she's surprised to see Giott without her helmet, is up to you.

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Originally Posted by alimdia

Thank you for the clarifications.



This is wrong, there are more differences between male and female Lalas and the system does differentiate between them, otherwise males would be able to wear female clothes or use their emotes/battle stance. Besides, in Giott's case you can actually check on Garlandtools to see all the settings used for the NPC, and they used the male Lala model for her. Yes they reused many things between males and females, but doesn't mean the game doesn't differentiate between them, and so far they have never used a male lala model for a female lala. My question was whether this was intentional or an error, but based on what was said in this thread it seems to be intentional, to conceal or subvert.

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Basically yes. All signs point towards it being intentional.