Quote Originally Posted by Shibi View Post
Japanese: (name) は柔和に微笑んだ。 With adverbial form of 柔和 being relevant.
German: Du setzt ein freundliches Lächeln auf. (a friendly smile, i believe)



Yes, I agree. Simper is fake, and you see it if you look at yourself and perform the animation. I always think of it as the smile you give that person you barely tolerate.

All dictionaries mention "affected smile", but Britannica is clearest: "to smile in a way that is not sincere or natural" https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/simper


Thank you for providing the Japanese and German. The Japanese is: "You smile gently/tenderly at <t>" (just like the French translation). The German says: "You put on a friendly smile for <t>".
Neither of those three translations match the intention of the word 'simper', nor does 'simper' match the text line: "You smile weakly at <t>".


Regarding the definition of 'simper': It is a smile you use to draw attention to yourself, seeking approval which is why it's described as an affected smile. (See also: Demure, and Ingratiating. They're all related.)
It can be used in the context of flirting with someone, or when trying to gain the approval of someone above you. It's 'fake' in the sense of you are doing it to gain something.
It's used a lot in books by Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, etc. where someone is trying to win their loves attention, or an employee is trying to gain their bosses approval. It has connotations of fawning, and flirting. (See also: Coy - the pretence of being shy/modest.)
As an aside: This is where the recent slang of calling someone a 'simp' took origin from. Someone who is seeking the approval/affection of another.

It shouldn't be confused for a '/fakesmile' which we received in patch 5.4, and one that perfectly captures the 'fake' aspect you use when you have to smile around someone you don't like, or fake a smile for a photograph, or fake a smile for a charisma check.



Perhaps the word "/simper" itself should be named something else on the English emote. I think the text line ought to more closely mirror the German. They tend to pair JP/FR, EN/GER together, so it seems odd the EN is so far removed.
Either way, "simper" is not a weak smile. It's approval seeking. And the animation does not reflect that.


As for the actual animations: Perhaps /simper looks different depending on facial features? E.g: Male vs Female, Lalafel vs Miqo'te?
On male Miqo'te and male Viera, it looks very neutral and friendly. A somewhat plain smile that doesn't reach the eyes. It looks very fitting to the FR/JP/GR descriptions, but doesn't fit the English.
I do use this emote a lot because it looks quite friendly. At least, on those two races/genders it does.

It would be interesting to see if there's a big difference in racial/gendered animations versus their actual text lines.