Gender locked race?

[Lauront]

That's an entirely different can of worms. Non-Western countries are not obligated to conform to the exact same cultural standards as Western countries.

I'd go further and even say this isn't some general western mindset but just a viewpoint which emerges from the west. I don't think it's necessarily backwards at all. At odds with what many of us are after? Maybe, but that's a different thing.

[Gwenorai]

That's an entirely different can of worms. Non-Western countries are not obligated to conform to the exact same cultural standards as Western countries.

It's not the differences in 'non-western' culture that bothers me. The game and Yoshida's culture being that of the east isn't my argument for it being 'old fashioned'. My argument is more that it's old fashioned for the times we live in regardless of east/west cultures.

I mean, I'm sure someone can correct me here; but isn't the idea of 'attractive' 'aesthetically pleasing' men actually very popular in Japan? To the point that most of the male protags in FF games have followed the troupe of being 'aesthetically pleasing' 'Cute' and 'Handsome'.

So what about the 'bunny men' is weird? What does Yoshida dislike about men that happened to have rabbit ears; this is where the old fashioned viewpoint comes in - some people view 'rabbit ears' and rabbits, in general, to be feminine. So a dude with bunny ears is instantly seen as 'flamboyant/gay/camp' - it's not just the east that has this 'viewpoint' but also in the west. This type of view is harmful and needs to go away. Of course this isn't me being the white knight of social justice, it's just something that I feel is unhealthy and/or silly.

I, however, don't want to jump the bandwagon and assume Yoshida is a bigot because he never really stated why a bunny man was weird, and I understand his argument regarding the 'cute' characteristic where a male Viera shouldn't be adorable but more rugged and fierce looking. I'm hoping his idea on 'weird' is due to the lore or perhaps because he's unsure if he should be the one implemented them or something. I don't know. Or perhaps just bad wording, he was responding on the fly - so yeah.

[Lauront]

The thing that perplexes me is more why he'd get the impression that they would need to be cute in the first place. Although I can see many who ask for Viera at the same time demand they fill some "soft, cute" niche, which is at odds with their lore description. Just not sure where this has ever been a major factor in any requests for Viera.

[cicatriz313]

So what about the 'bunny men' is weird? What does Yoshida dislike about men that happened to have rabbit ears; this is where the old fashioned viewpoint comes in - some people view 'rabbit ears' and rabbits, in general, to be feminine. So a dude with bunny ears is instantly seen as 'flamboyant/gay/camp' - it's not just the east that has this 'viewpoint' but also in the west. This type of view is harmful and needs to go away.

I mean, I don't think it's old fashioned though. It seems like a lot of the people so vocal about male Viera are gay men. So I guess to some it's desired BECAUSE of that link maybe? What's interesting to me is that in googling "bara cat" I found out that bara is actually made sometimes specifically for gay men. Learn something new every day.

[Tsumdere]

I mean, I don't think it's old fashioned though. It seems like a lot of the people so vocal about male Viera are gay men. So I guess to some it's desired BECAUSE of that link maybe? What's interesting to me is that in googling "bara cat" I found out that bara is actually made sometimes specifically for gay men. Learn something new every day.

It's a total aside, but most of the people I know that are vocal about male Viera are women. I shouldn't have to explain myself why this might be.

[artyport]

As a gay dude the thing is I just wanted a beautiful male race and viera are the perfect fit for that.
All the men in this game are cute or manly but there is a lack of beautiful men.

Also beautiful men are common throughout the game. Omega m/ sieryu both of them have the perfect faces and bodies...minus the snakes for viera men. Slim lean yet still powerful beautiful men.


That would fit so perfectly with the viera.

I hope masc bros get hrothgar but I certainly hope I get a beautiful slim male viera

[Duskane]

As a gay dude the thing is I just wanted a beautiful male race and viera are the perfect fit for that.
All the men in this game are cute or manly but there is a lack of beautiful men.

Also beautiful men are common throughout the game. Omega m/ sieryu both of them have the perfect faces and bodies...minus the snakes for viera men. Slim lean yet still powerful beautiful men.


That would fit so perfectly with the viera.

I hope masc bros get hrothgar but I certainly hope I get a beautiful slim male viera

well i think elezen males do fit the beautiful/elegant trope
but people are just put off by there animations
but i think having another option would be fine

[Allegor]

well i think elezen males do fit the beautiful/elegant trope
but people are just put off by there animations
but i think having another option would be fine

To be fair, male elezen have a very....petulant vibe to them. You can practically feel them judging your every breath. Also giraffe necks

[artyport]

well i think elezen males do fit the beautiful/elegant trope
but people are just put off by there animations
but i think having another option would be fine

Usually eleven would fit but they are kinda weird visually in this game. They are more the nerdy /accountant race of ffxiv. Most of their faces are too angular to be beautiful and kinda look mean. And the cute face is uhhhh odd. I normally play elf races but viera seem to be ffxiv beautiful race... so it’s sad we won’t get males... but we will probably get a 3rd masculine macho buff guy option

[Sehrina]

I consider myself one of the masses that hoped for the Viera. I like the idea of a tall, slender, elegant, yet beast-like race. The potential of male Viera in this game has also been apart of the main reasons why I hoped for them, as I was under the assumption that this particular dev team preferred not to do gender-locking. (This is considering they undid the gender-locking of 1.0) Yoshi-P directed us to the Dramaturge when asked about male Viera, and I see people debating on what the NPC's words could truly mean when it comes to the Viera's male counterpart. We can probably take the "lore" stated as not a proper excuse but the dev's stance on the matter, as vague as it is...

This line in particular stood out to me. He prefaces with "Until recently-" meaning that the lines after that statement is history/background lore and may not actually apply to current/future events. This could potentially also apply to the lore stated about male Viera. The dev's are obviously being vague on purpose to stir up the community and build hype for the next fan-fest, and it's working.

I'm also among those who hope that our potential males are more on the slender, lithe, and androgynous side. However this is just my personal preference when it comes to body types on men, as all the other races(save for lalafell) are too muscular and/or broad shouldered for my tastes. I'm female irl, but not really into "manly" or "rugged". Elezen bodies come closest, but none of their faces really fit the bill. I'm seeing a lot of comments either outright saying or debating on, "male Viera lore states that they are fierce and scary and therefore cannot be 'cute' and thin". I think that this is incorrect and thinking too much in the box, as lithe and even "cute" characters can still be designed to come across as fierce, cold-blooded, and even terrifying. You don't have to be heavily built in order to survive in a harsh wilderness; you just have to be cunning and skilled. In fact, being dexterous and light is probably more beneficial considering that Viera are potentially "tree-dwellers". I agree with some of the recent commenters that we need a proper "beautiful" man option.

I honestly empathize with the fans who have high hopes for this Hrothgar/potential beast-like male Viera-alternative. If it weren't for Viera, this Hrothgar race could have very well possibly had both genders, ie been a complete race. However, if they are truly going to be implemented as just the male counterpart to Viera, they get shafted just as much with these gender-locking shenanigans.

The next fan-fest cannot come soon enough...