The Lalafell Experience

I have been playing this game since ARR, and I've finally got to the point where I'm actively considering spending more money on this game to order a name change and a fantasia for my lalafell alt on malboro.

I say this because ever since I created this alt and began hanging out on Balmung (the predominant rp server) I have been subject to open conversations in shout chat demonizing the race, not even ironically, and multiple, frequent generalizations of lalafell players as secret pedophiles who want to molest children.

It doesn't matter that this is at best an ad hominem attack with no evidence to support its claim, and at worst low hanging fruit and strawman fallacy, it doesn't matter how freaking wrong these people are. I, and many other people playing this race are sick of contending day to day with the constant conflation and downright viscous attacks we endure on servers like Balmung for just playing a goddamn race in a game.

It is irritating, it is depressing, it is disgusting, and I expressed my concerns to the GM when I reported the latest instigator of one of these attacks in shout chat. The best they were able to get me was a claim that harassment, in any form is against the TOS, but if that was sufficient to stop this crap, it would've sufficed by now.

I was told to take any concerns I had to this forum, and here I would like to kindly ask the dev team to please condemn this sort of behavior. People are being stalked and harassed in this game over this issue; publicly humiliated, made persona non grata.

It's unfair, it makes me want to stop playing, and I and the rest of the Lalalfell playing community can't help but be upset by this. No other race gets the kind of scorn this race does, and it's at the point now where I have to discourage anybody making a lalafell character because they'll inevitably encounter somebody who thinks they're a closet lolicon.

I don't think its unreasonable to ask the devs to weigh in on this issue, because it is toxic to the community for it to continue. If the actions of the community are making people not want to play the game, that needs to be addressed for the sake of the game's health. I understand this game already gets a lot of bad rep for being incredibly toxic, but that doesn't excuse anything and it should be adressed.

I honestly can't tell if this is a troll thread or not. So here is my experience. While you do occasionally get the scorn from people for being a lalafell, oftentimes you can tell if it's just generic flavor, that all the races get, or if it's someone with a genuine "stick up their butt". More often than not, it's the former; as I'm sure with most players, no one really cares about your race just that if you are fun to hang out with. I mostly play up the fun, cute/evil stereotyping just to get a good laugh and try and make everyone's time enjoyable. I even got someone laughing the other day about my macro that claims I forgot my beard in the wash. He went on about how I'm not a true dwarf then and it made out WoD run all the better.

So for anyone wondering, being a lala is really great and fun. Don't let others ruin your good time with it. Embrace the evil within, lol.

One thing i have noticed that the unique races do have different experiences than the more traditional human like. I mained a Lala for a very long time. I usually had positive experiences but did encounter some hate. Now as a Hrothgar ive had some rather unique.... interactions, by certain groups of people.. I have been invited to some apartments, and other offers... and let me say. Stuff gets weird

As a Lala on Sarg, all I am subject to are frequent /pets.
Sounds like instead of a Fantasia you need to move...

I played as Lalafell for couple years, from getting kicked for being a Lalafell ( I was tanking and got kicked, because my Lalafell was to short and the healer could not click on me, I am not joking.)

Also experienced some creeps hitting on me, talking about my small feet. I glad that with my current race, I have not experienced such things.

Don't let the scum bags take away your ability of being the master race, play your lala with confidence, F the naysayers.

Don't be a child and report people for saying words u don't like, we're adults here, we only play a child looking race on a video game, we're not actually one.

Other then that just blacklist or fight back against the person bugging u or just ignore them, we are the master race, continue to enjoy being a lala on your alt.

Don't let stigmas get to you play what ever you like

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Originally Posted by VictorTheed

Don't be a child and report people for saying words u don't like, we're adults here, we only play a child looking race on a video game, we're not actually one.

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reporting isnt childish literally nothing wrong with reporting something.
yeah most people who play these games are grown ups and its sad that people don't know there is a time and place to say something or just to not say anything bad.

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Originally Posted by Duskane

Don't let stigmas get to you play what ever you like


reporting isnt childish literally nothing wrong with reporting something.
yeah most people who play these games are grown ups and its sad that people don't know there is a time and place to say something or just to not say anything bad.

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Depends on what your reporting, someone trying to hack the game or like the cheater problem the pvp mode had not to long ago, sure report that, someone stalking some innocent female and won't stop, sure report those things, I could probably think of a few more but that's all I got for now.

But if someone called you a name or said something u don't like then that's not really imo a GM or whoever our overlords are problem, we as adults should be mature enough to handle our own problems like adults and not act as children , a 6 year child running to the teacher to tell on someone for something is fine but a grown man or woman running to the teacher to tell on someone is pathetic, at a certain age u gotta fight your own battles and not a expect a game company to do it for u and that age imo is 13, others may see it at a different age.

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Originally Posted by ItMe

As a Lala on Sarg, all I am subject to are frequent /pets.
Sounds like instead of a Fantasia you need to move...

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All my lalafell gets is /pets and the occasional joke about being cooked which i usually just find a fire depending on where i am atthe time and then jump on/in it /giggles.

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Originally Posted by Laerune

I played as Lalafell for couple years, from getting kicked for being a Lalafell ( I was tanking and got kicked, because my Lalafell was to short and the healer could not click on me, I am not joking.).

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never been kicked but have had size jokes regarding tanking. but i just come back with lalafell tanks r best tanks. smaller targets are harder to hit...

Is this genuinely a server issue? Or is it just a problem with the company people are opting to keep? Admittedly I'm in a bubble.. I don't pay attention to zone chats, and honestly I don't know anyone who does. Obviously there are people who do, but it's clearly not everyone. I can't say I've seen negativity aimed at any particular race; if anything I usually assume anyone playing a Lalafell has a playful streak to them and any interactions will generally be positive. That has been my experience at least (and why it's always been so jarring for me whenever the game portrays a NPC villain as a Lalafell). You're more likely to be the butt of premature judgements if you play a particular class.

When I do notice zone chat, my attention is mainly drawn to the abundance of comments coming from players who are visiting Balmung from other servers, with comments from its residents being far less frequent. I supposed that depends on what zone you're in and the time of day, however.

Anyway, if the people you're interacting with are treating you poorly, then you should probably stop interacting with them. There is an entire game-world of other people out there to try interacting with, if you desire it. Whichever server you choose there are always going to be areas in the game where certain personalities cluster, and we each have to navigate them according to our preferences. Sometimes that's going to leave you disappointed.. for example, when casually hanging out with friends, I would like to spend more time in locations like the city inns, as that's a fitting setting. But they're often dominated by activities that makes me cringe, and/or players openly prostituting themselves despite the fact that this game is playable by kids (I don't know if that's a Balmung-only thing as I tend not to server-hop, but I doubt it). It is what it is, but fortunately there are always other options.

At any rate, if your Lala happens to come across me or my friends, feel free to say hello. Provided you're not kicking us in the shins you're more likely to get hugs than anything else.

Lalafells are creepy. If at least one shirtless baby-doll "male" lala isn't upskirting a viera as I walk through Ul'dah at any given hour, I owe the OP a Coke. Simply put, it's a race that attracts the most degenerate arm of the populace like a magnet. Even their NPCs waver between weird hyper-aggression and crack-rock-blended-with-pixie-sticks cuteness, with very little space between those two polar portrayals. So, no: you roll lala, and you take the abuse. Because, frankly, you wanted it.

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Originally Posted by TeraRamis

Lalafells are creepy....

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Seriously ? What's your problem ? Not everyone want to play a hot girl you know....
I think it's a server or data center problem, I play on eu and I never encounter real problem as a lalafell, maybe it's a cultural problem, I guess on JP everyone love lalafell. I get joke or thing like that but generaly I get more positive reaction than bad one.
This is not your fault, it's like in real life some people like to hate thing don't pay attention to them, they are sad and don't deserve your time.

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Originally Posted by TeraRamis

Simply put, it's a race that attracts the most degenerate arm of the populace like a magnet. Even their NPCs waver between weird hyper-aggression and crack-rock-blended-with-pixie-sticks cuteness, with very little space between those two polar portrayals. So, no: you roll lala, and you take the abuse. Because, frankly, you wanted it.

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This is nuts on several levels. I won't venture a guess that you're alone in feeling this way, but your thinking definitely isn't shared by everyone. I doubt every Lalafell player wants the abuse, and which race (if any) attracts "the most degenerate arm of the populace" is debatable. As you've chosen to play a Miqo'te, I would think you would be very aware of the various stereotypes unfairly pinned to your decision, and the last person to be painting others with the same ugly brush.

Edit: In the interest of giving something to consider, I want to point out that in FFXI my friends and I played Tarutaru characters. There were a variety of reasons, all which had nothing to do with being a degenerate. At first I started off as a Hume, but they seemed dull. Instead, the idea of being this tiny Tarutaru tank keeping my allies safe was entertaining. Movement seemed faster and more enjoyable as the camera was closer to the ground. Normal enemies were often larger than my character, making standard fights seem more epic than they otherwise would have been. The difference in height when facing large enemies was like taking on a titan! And as a Tarutaru I found I could always run up to people and be jovial or silly without it seeming out of place. It was an enjoyable break from the "I'm just a human who has to behave like a stereotypical human" kind of character, and it just made the entire experience feel fun and better.

I suspect many people play Lalafells for the same reason. The only reason I didn't choose a Lalafell in FFXIV is because I was really disappointed in the aesthetic shift from a chibi-style Tarutaru character to a pear-shaped child. The latter is just not as amusing to me; Lalafells just look too bottom heavy and for that reason I have a hard time imagining them as effective adventurers.

Honestly, I've seen some of the "lala abuse" as some would call it or how many people will insinuate lala players are somehow predatory and it honestly sucks.

No player should be subjected to being abused or harassed because of a playable race that square makes available. If a specific player is being creepy or gross, blacklist and reports them as you would for any other race. Don't take your anger out on someone who just wants to play a race that square makes available to players. If you sincerely have an issue with lalas being played, take it up with square to remove them as a playable race and see how well that goes instead of deciding that you're going to harass or imply something deeply illegal about someone because of the race of a character in a game.

Recently Fantaed to Lala and it's actually fun to be a high energy Gremlin.

On Faerie so I get a lot of head pats and jokes about being a Popato but it's all in good humor