A PoC Scion please? There is so much untapped potential here.

[Sairys]

Ah, yes, yes... Americans, like aways, behaving like complete lunatics when it comes to "race" and "skincollor". Of course, if a fantasy race that can possibly have very unrealistic skin collors by design ends up having a darker shade of brown for her skin tone... It's gotta be a "POC", right?! Right...!?!?! Nevermid that it's a Japanese game and the Gyaru trope is EXTREMELY popular there— with exactly VERY tanned(sometime making use of actual makeup to make the skin darker) chocolate collored skin and with hair usually dyed light blonde— gasp~ Just like the character in question! Now, now... If she was really meant as a "POC" and for "represetantion" why the silky smooth blonde hair? Why not an afro? Why not dreds? A "breath of fresh air", huh? Siiiigh... I won't complain though... I've come to expect this intelectual level of the average 'murican— from personal experience most of y'all think that Africa is a country and all black people and culture are the same... Siiigh.

Oh, by the by... Both Argelia and Morroco are African countries... How about Y'all try tossing those countries into google images and tell me what ya see?

Anyway, Obvious bait and troll post.

While you're googling perhaps drop in the Melanesian people and check out a pretty common hair colour for them? While you're at it maybe also look up a thing called "hair dye".
Perhaps also check out some images of Viera, you may notice that their skin colours run from lighter to darker shades while their hair seems to have a tendency towards light into white (though darker hair colours exist)

Lilja could just be a dark-skinned light-haired Viera... because they exist and seem to have always existed. She could also have died her hair/fur because hair dye seems to exist in the game. The argument really actually seems a bit silly, because accepting her as a POC character just means she's increasing representation where dismissing her as a fashion/trope achieves what?

[EmoPanther]

Oh, by the by... Both Argelia and Morroco are African countries... How about Y'all try tossing those countries into google images and tell me what ya see?

Anyway, Obvious bait and troll post.

Wtf is Argelia? Are you talking about Algeria?

[Lanadra]

While you're googling perhaps drop in the Melanesian people and check out a pretty common hair colour for them? While you're at it maybe also look up a thing called "hair dye".
Perhaps also check out some images of Viera, you may notice that their skin colours run from lighter to darker shades while their hair seems to have a tendency towards light into white (though darker hair colours exist)

Lilja could just be a dark-skinned light-haired Viera... because they exist and seem to have always existed. She could also have died her hair/fur because hair dye seems to exist in the game. The argument really actually seems a bit silly, because accepting her as a POC character just means she's increasing representation where dismissing her as a fashion/trope achieves what?

So ultimately it's a matter of 'Can we tick the box or not?'. I stand by my earlier point, from a Japanese perspective 'she's a gyaru' isn't farfetched at all. Though ultimately it matters little to me personally, if she was meant as gyaru or as a Viera who was naturally born as she is, it don't matter to me. She's an annoying character to me either way. It also doesn't matter in the setting, as I've stated before, skin color means nothing in Eorzea. You won't hear Lilja about her skin color because it simply isn't a relevant factor. Only we insist on such things.

[Theodric]

There's some inspiration taken from various real world countries and cultures here and there but ultimately FFXIV's game world is it's own unique thing. The Xaela, for example, are inspired by the Mongolian people and their culture...but they're not a direct visible representation.

I also think we've barely scratched the surface in terms of what inspiration could be taken from European countries, folklore and the like - for example I'd love to see something inspired by Poland and more elements inspired by Scotland. Equally, though, if we don't then I'm not going to lose any sleep over the subject.

[Steinar]

Wtf is Argelia? Are you talking about Algeria?

Both work. Algeria comes from the french lexicon, Argelia from derivative of Alger— which is from the romance languages lexicon. Neither are correct, though, since the proper name would be Al-Jazā'ir. Pretty much the same way english speakers call Japan as Japan when the Japanese call it Nippon, even though Ja and Pan can be found into other words of their daily vocabulary. It's just that english speakers tend to believe that their way of writing is the correct one— and they LOVE correcting other people, god only knows why.

[MilkieTea]

snip

Lilja, with her blond-pink hair, bright blue nails, and richly-colored pink lips, and sunglasses, is EXTREMELY reminiscent of a ganguro girl. Unless... of course... you're saying that she's playing off of this stereotype instead?

Instead of pushing for Lilja (who is filling in a trope, especially with her personality, dress style, and characterization, that is popular in Japanese media), to be black instead... why not take note of the many POC already in the game, that do not otherwise fit the trope of ganguro/other Japanese styles? General Raubahn, for example, who holds a high seat of power ingame. If you've seen the Heavensward trailer, you'd see the amount of detailing and work they put into his matted hair - which mattes much like black people's IRL. I can actually show you this example right here.

Louisoix Leveilleur, Alphinaud and Alisaie's grandfather, is arguably coded to appear as Indian - and considering their father has darker skin as well, it's likely that they've just taken after their mother. And why can't Arenvald be Melanesian? Travanchet, an Ascian from 1.0 who makes a brief cameo in Heavensward as the instigator of the original summoning of Alexander? Gaius van balesar, who's appearance looks similar to those of Indians with light/blue eyes. Aldis, who very clearly mimics the ideals of 90's Hispanics.

Dancing Wolf, Deep Canyon, Hanon Holyfist, Teledji Adeleji, Valiant Heart, Carvallain, Curious Georg, Wawalago Momolago, Jannequinard, Charibert, Grinnaux, Hermenost, Paulecrain, Ilberd, M;naago, Meffrid, Gundobald, Curtis, Conrad, Widargelt, Midnight Dew, EVERY DOMAN NATIVE, Tansui, Tista-Bie, Kai-Shirr, Olvara, Lakshmi, Jalzhan, Leofard, Nhaza'a, these are all PoC, and this list comprises of friend and foe EQUALLY. This list isn't even exhaustive, as this is a JAPANESE GAME, and as such there are going to be extremely light skinned characters that are meant to mimic East Asian cultures and appearances, and these are ALSO POC.

Wanting POC just for the sake of "representation" isn't representation, it's white-savior complex at its finest.

[Lanadra]

-snipped image-

Lilja, with her blond-pink hair, bright blue nails, and richly-colored pink lips, and sunglasses, is EXTREMELY reminiscent of a ganguro girl. Unless... of course... you're saying that she's playing off of this stereotype instead?

Instead of pushing for Lilja (who is filling in a trope, especially with her personality, dress style, and characterization, that is popular in Japanese media), to be black instead... why not take note of the many POC already in the game, that do not otherwise fit the trope of ganguro/other Japanese styles? General Raubahn, for example, who holds a high seat of power ingame. If you've seen the Heavensward trailer, you'd see the amount of detailing and work they put into his matted hair - which mattes much like black people's IRL. I can actually show you this example right here.

Louisoix Leveilleur, Alphinaud and Alisaie's grandfather, is arguably coded to appear as Indian - and considering their father has darker skin as well, it's likely that they've just taken after their mother. And why can't Arenvald be Melanesian? Travanchet, an Ascian from 1.0 who makes a brief cameo in Heavensward as the instigator of the original summoning of Alexander? Gaius van balesar, who's appearance looks similar to those of Indians with light/blue eyes. Aldis, who very clearly mimics the ideals of 90's Hispanics.

Dancing Wolf, Deep Canyon, Hanon Holyfist, Teledji Adeleji, Valiant Heart, Carvallain, Curious Georg, Wawalago Momolago, Jannequinard, Charibert, Grinnaux, Hermenost, Paulecrain, Ilberd, M;naago, Meffrid, Gundobald, Curtis, Conrad, Widargelt, Midnight Dew, EVERY DOMAN NATIVE, Tansui, Tista-Bie, Kai-Shirr, Olvara, Lakshmi, Jalzhan, Leofard, Nhaza'a, these are all PoC, and this list comprises of friend and foe EQUALLY. This list isn't even exhaustive, as this is a JAPANESE GAME, and as such there are going to be extremely light skinned characters that are meant to mimic East Asian cultures and appearances, and these are ALSO POC.

Wanting POC just for the sake of "representation" isn't representation, it's white-savior complex at its finest.

Hot damn, you're on fire there. I hadn't even considered the degree to which a lot of the characters we encounter in the game already are non-white.

[Sairys]

So ultimately it's a matter of 'Can we tick the box or not?'. I stand by my earlier point, from a Japanese perspective 'she's a gyaru' isn't farfetched at all. Though ultimately it matters little to me personally, if she was meant as gyaru or as a Viera who was naturally born as she is, it don't matter to me. She's an annoying character to me either way. It also doesn't matter in the setting, as I've stated before, skin color means nothing in Eorzea. You won't hear Lilja about her skin color because it simply isn't a relevant factor. Only we insist on such things.

The real difference is that if you're right and she's a gyaru then there's a similarity to Jynx which leads down a road to potential comparisons/associations with blackface and the character being changed in the future to distance from that, most likely by her just like... "not dying her hair any more".
It's also... just an assumption that she's meant to be a reflection of that culture/fashion when it's really only two traits that are present across the Viera race, and she seems to lack other markers such as the high contrast makeup and the actual clothing fashions given she just wears the Garlond Ironworks uniform.

Overall, the simplest explanation really seems to be she's just a dark-skinned Viera who either has naturally light hair or dyes it.

[Lanadra]

The real difference is that if you're right and she's a gyaru then there's a similarity to Jynx which leads down a road to potential comparisons/associations with blackface and the character being changed in the future to distance from that, most likely by her just like... "not dying her hair any more".
It's also... just an assumption that she's meant to be a reflection of that culture/fashion when it's really only two traits that are present across the Viera race, and she seems to lack other markers such as the high contrast makeup and the actual clothing fashions given she just wears the Garlond Ironworks uniform.

Overall, the simplest explanation really seems to be she's just a dark-skinned Viera who either has naturally light hair or dyes it.

And I keep telling you that your 'simplest explanation' only goes from a western perspective. But we're arguing in circles at this point. You feel free to view her as you do. And I'll view her as I do, a gyaru.

[Nyarlha]

The real difference is that if you're right and she's a gyaru then there's a similarity to Jynx which leads down a road to potential comparisons/associations with blackface and the character being changed in the future to distance from that, most likely by her just like... "not dying her hair any more".
It's also... just an assumption that she's meant to be a reflection of that culture/fashion when it's really only two traits that are present across the Viera race, and she seems to lack other markers such as the high contrast makeup and the actual clothing fashions given she just wears the Garlond Ironworks uniform.

Overall, the simplest explanation really seems to be she's just a dark-skinned Viera who either has naturally light hair or dyes it.

Add to that the bright nails, bright lips (here is your high contrast makeup), and sunglasses (given she has to wear a Garlond uniform, those are definitely from her own fashion sense) as well as her generally genki personnality. Traits don't suddenly disappear because you don't want to see them you know.

Edit : I'm pretty sure you could ask any Japanese person what she reminds them off and they'd all tell you a gyaru.