in regards to "male viera don't make sense bc lore", i'd like to point out something i don't think some people consider: the lore we're told about is how they are 'currently' and in the past, so who's to say that in the events that ShB brings about, -all- viera aren't driven out of the forest for whatever reason? i mean....our first look at the forest has everything going down in flames xD; i know it likely won't reach further into the forest but there's obviously some shidoodle going down, and the viera men ARE protectors of the forest, sooo...if there's a threat encroaching upon their territory, how they gonna fight if they keep hiding? nah? i mean, just because something is hidden and rarely seen, doesn't mean it's not *there*. i'd wager there's a good amt of male viera, 'cause that's prrrobably not even a very small forest they're protecting. ye? nah?

anxiously eager to find oit what thos hrothgar bs is, mostly anxious bc i'm worried abt what the inclusion of a second race takes away from the first race and/or other content

but i really, really, really hope genderlocking won't be a thing considering how backwards it'd be. if anything, honestly, i think maybe there'd be two races simply because i vaguely recall reading about yoshi wanting his males to be big and strong, not small or effeminate, so the hrothgar could possibly be something big grrrawr to offset the more..possibly dainty..male viera.. that'd be awesome! bc soft males aren't really a thing at *all* in ffxiv unless you count our popotoes. and after au'ra, i really, very, strongly think that the "next new race" to be a giant hulking beast of a man would be.....completely unnecessary. BOYS CAN BE SOFT, TOO, YOSHI ;^;

now, of we have the option of both, that's a *lot* of people happy.