Why Does A Fierce Race Of Female Warriors...

[Joven]

Thanks! And no prob on motivation/support, go kick butt!

I actually figure Nanamo's fine tbh lol. Her situation's limiting, but I think it matters that how she deals with her situation is a choice and understood as such. If she despaired and decided to live day-by-day in excess while ignoring her people, that would make her tragic. Maybe even a tragic villain, depending. She could also have been tragic if she was so ignorant and helpless she remained a passive and childlike puppet incapable of surviving independently, particularly if it was shown in-story that she could not manage outside a gilded cage. As is, she fights her situation and develops herself into a capable ruler in her own right. None of the three possibilities demonstrate lack of agency/choice on a technical, storytelling level. It's just that some would be shown as personally weak and some are personally strong. People are like that. Figure everyone regardless of gender has the capacity to be personally strong or weak, but that doesn't make any ineffective as characters.

One way to think of it is you could have a three different characters trapped in featureless rooms by themselves and unable to escape, but what they choose to do with themselves even while being stuck like that is still a choice that says something about them. When I talk about agency, I just mean that there's a reason that can be understood in human terms. Genre conventions, humor, and parody are fine reasons too but there are still ways those reasons can work or fall flat.

If Nanamo decided to live in spendor due to her circumstances while her people suffered I'd call her a b***h not tragic. Fortunately she is exerting what messure of control she has through Raubahn to change things. And it helps that she's just so darned adorable.

Yotsuyu comes to mind as someone who profited off of their situation. She tries to play the "woe is me" angle to garner sympathy, even at the end. I felt bad for what she went through, but instead of using that to become a stronger person she gave into hatred and spite. So at the end when she was complaining about her situation all I could think of was "you's a ho".

When it comes to the Viera, I file them mainly under genre conventions because FFXIV (and FF games as a whole) tend to run on rule of aesthetic/"it just looks good". Doesn't necessarily make sense and is generally applied pretty evenly across the board. If it was a more realistic game where you got more detailed characterization from what characters choose to put on their bodies in different places/situations, that might be subject to some criticism. Under the circumstances doesn't seem like a problem to me. The genre conventions here are consistent in how they suspend disbelief so don't necessarily need to bring up stuff about how warriors in hot climates wear less, even if that is true. FFXIV warriors wear bathingsuits in Coerthas.

I agree, there seems to be a lack of understanding in some peoples arguments I've seen where they can't distinguish between "this is a video game so I should be able to do what I want" and "what makes sense within the context of the world I'm in". Some argue that just because the devs allow certain, non world building items (like Cloud's bike or the upcoming Regalia) then everything is fair game for whatever. I guess that's just the nature of the beast.

Lol I am with you on there being more to fanservice than T&A, the cases I was referring to just happened to involve that kind of fanservice. Also, I think it's worth noting there's a difference between say, artistic nudes (even with conventionally sexy bodies) and fanservice imo. Posture, presentation, atmosphere, context, all that ties in. T&A is just the best shorthand I've got for "this character is pulling contortionist moves to show both off at the same time" lol.

LOL, I'm with you on that, unecessarily sexy posing is really hamfisting that kind of fanservice. Though to be honest it can serve to break a tense situation if you feel your story is getting too serious. Kill la Kill is a good example of that.