About the races we have.

[Theodric]

Exactly. It's like we always have to fill some "diversity" quota nowadays, and not everything is or has to be a political statement. Like so many people pushing for male viera to look 'feminine' or 'cute', makes literally no sense. From everything I have read about them, they don't come off like that in my mind. We literally have females to fill that niche.

I think the people pushing for male viera to be feminine just aren't that invested in the race to begin with. There's also a very troubling and creepy slippery slope. It isn't difficult to make a very slender, feminine looking male character in this game. I see many daily whenever I'm standing around the market board. Yet it's never enough and the most fierce, vocal advocates seem intent on pushing the boundaries and much as possible. Reading between the lines I have some theories as to why that might be. Especially when you have people who are likely to be well into adulthood making creepy comments about Alphinaud whenever a thread is made about him.

I'm all for character customisation to be expanded. I just don't think it needs to go in the direction of accounting for every little niche in existence.

Let's fix things like the Highlander eyebrow situation first, I say!

[SturmChurro]

The request here is highly subjective. Depending on who you ask, the game has an over abundance of more femenine looking males as-is and sees only the highalnders and roegadyns as looking masculine, others will look at the same character models and classify the midlanders and au ra as looking too masculine.

So to that end, it's better that Square looks at whatever races they might add in the future and asks themselves "what makes the most sense for this race to look like?" rather than "is this going to fill X criteria?"

I think the people pushing for male viera to be feminine just aren't that invested in the race to begin with. There's also a very troubling and creepy slippery slope. It isn't difficult to make a very slender, feminine looking male character in this game. I see many daily whenever I'm standing around the market board. Yet it's never enough and the most fierce, vocal advocates seem intent on pushing the boundaries and much as possible. Reading between the lines I have some theories as to why that might be. Especially when you have people who are likely to be well into adulthood making creepy comments about Alphinaud whenever a thread is made about him.

I'm all for character customisation to be expanded. I just don't think it needs to go in the direction of accounting for every little niche in existence.

Let's fix things like the Highlander eyebrow situation first, I say!

Those are actually my thoughts! In my opinion, there are already a lot of options for making a feminine, or boyish looking character in the game already!

None of the males in this game appeal to me. People might call me names or something, but I actually like a male character to be the stereotypical western standard of attractiveness. I like western male hairstyles, I like them to be relatively tall and muscular - but not too much, and maybe a little stubble, like the WoL in the trailer. None of the males in this game are to my liking, so I play females (not that I don't do that in other games, I just go with what I like aesthetically). I am of the mind that the males in this game are actually too feminine, or at least too young looking, and the hairstyles - don't get me started on the male hairstyles! I have posted what my ideal male would be in this game in the male viera thread, and it's not in the game (modified midlander), to my standards at least. If I am going to play a feminine character I'll just make a barbie doll female to dress up.

They're a coward for asking questions? Why are people so needlessly antagonistic? Good gods, they asked a question and you go out of your way to name-call, chill out.

I'm of the crowd that there's nothing wrong with wanting feminine men or masculine women, but I do not like when people insist that there's somehow something wrong with women being feminine and men being masculine. The thinly veiled sexism and slutshaming that came with Viera girls being released, referring to them as "sex-dolls that ONLY pleases the male demographic" because the devs had the sheer gall to make them gorgeous, refined, and elegant.

Same thing with the Hrothgar males. People take it as some sort of personal attack because the devs had the sheer gall to make them manly af and ferocious to boot.

That's how it seems to be nowadays, wanting something masculine (if it's not a female) gets you shunned.

[Senn]

...

Your theories are being made in really bad faith. I don't think you should assume the worst in people.

I think we have a lot of masculine characters, including male miqo'te and even elezen. I don't care about identity politics, but I would like more variety for male body types. There's lalafell, but I don't want to be that short.

[Theodric]

Your theories are being made in really bad faith. I don't think you should assume the worst in people.

Why do you believe they're being made in bad faith? I also believe it's perfectly acceptable to assume the worst about people when it comes to seeing them make inappropriate comments about very young characters. That also goes for those fawning over Alisae, as a side note.

I never stated that everybody pushing for those aesthetics was guilty. It's easy to tell who is worthy of scorn based on what they say when making their suggestions. It's specifically aimed at those making strange and unsettling comments.

I do find it interesting that you're among the first to swoop in to downplay concerns, though across multiple threads.

[Senn]

...

I dunno, I just feel like your comments are always directed at me, but if not, then ok.

[Theodric]

I dunno, I just feel like your comments are always directed at me, but if not, then ok.

I was referring to this thread:

http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...ike-Alphinaud-..

[Senn]

I was referring to this thread:

http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...ike-Alphinaud-..

Ok, but that's still in bad faith. I don't think he meant it in that way... Some people just think babies and kids are cute.

[Theodric]

Ok, but that's still in bad faith. I don't think he meant it in that way... Some people just think babies and kids are cute.

It's not that specific comment. It's the other, more explicit comments later on in the thread.