Coeurls are cats ; ;

[Kyan]

Thanks gornotck for your contribution

Normally I wouldn't reply, as I feel you're being a tad aggressive (or perhaps passionate about coeurls which is really cool by me, they're awesome! So forgive me for assuming you're being rude if that's the case), and I feel that is a tad unwarranted in this circumstance.

Firstly, I enjoy discussing lore aspects here with people whom I would consider my "lore friends," and when errors are picked up amongst us, I notice that people politely report them to SE, most of the time they get rectified, and we have a better game to play because of the care put in. I feel that this could be potentially one of those circumstances, however minor.

I am not arguing with you, and yes, I am aware of the kitten description. I can fully appreciate the growth of "whiskers" coming with time - it was not really what I was highlighting by mentioning it. I feel that there may be some communication and design errors between the creation of the minion and the preexisting lore that predates the implementation of the kitten and its surrounding quests. This can be seen with how originally, coeurl young (the pups) are being treated like the young of leopards - born without spots - and developing these spots as they grow older. (Also, it wouldn't be the first time there have been some communication/design errors within the game, such as with the Rothlyt Sound being used in many item descriptions, including leves, for events and enemies around Aleport and Vylbrand, even though it is on the opposite side of Aldenard and nowhere near La Noscea. The leves were rectified, but the enemy names remain...)

As an aside, I also feel that the minion may have just been given this coeurl lore to "fit it into the world of ffxiv" - in Valentine's day promotional art, and in the .dat files, there is a very similar minion/cat to the coeurl kitten, but coloured all black. Perhaps these minions were simply designed on domestic cats? Perhaps they were based on coeurls and jaguars, and the designers did not fully consider the full spectrum of the coeurl lore? Maybe I'm just overthinking it all? Perhaps, like I have previously suggested, the sequence of growth is correct, and the kitten just simply has a spotty, darker baby coat that moults once it gets whiskers?

Either way, I apologise if my thinking aloud makes you angry. It just does not seem logical or sequential to me, and I like to hear other's opinions.

[gornotck]

I do apologize if I seemed directly angered with you or your thinking. It is not so. Please see it as a passion for... accuracy and focus.

As to logic, then logically yes. Everything about the coeurl kitten was designed to try to make it fit in. It has spots because that makes people think 'coeurl', instead of 'house cat'. It doesn't have whiskers because minions are low definition models.

Nothing, however, says that the kitten can't start with spots, lose the spots as they age and grow the more armored sections of their body, then inexplicably gain the spots back as they age. Sort of a cougar -> leopard change.

[CodeCass]

Maybe the Coeurl kitten isn't really a coeurl. Someone's house cat got adopted by the mother Coeurl (the cat went along with it because, hey free food). This would explain why it warms to you so fast. It's used to people. But a cat found with a Coeurl must really be a Coeurl, duh!, so therefore Coeurl kitten! Won't we be surprised when it stops growing at house cat size and just has cat whiskers. Adventurers aren't the brightest bulbs. After all how else do you explain us thinking that a purple pig is a baby behemoth even though they look completely different. How the heck does that cute piggy snout and trotters become the bestial muzzle and paws of the adult?

ALL THE LOGIC!!!!!

[Souljacker]

Well remember we also have coeurl mounts that have been trained as kittens to see us as friend and not food. Coeurl kitten can lead into lore of coeurl mount without it being a random kitten that latched to an adult coeurl as mom.

[Kletian]

Maybe Coerl pups are Sterile hybrids of Coerls and wolves, like Mules. That would explain the lack of spots, weird nomenclature, and being physically immature.

[gornotck]

Maybe Coerl pups are Sterile hybrids of Coerls and wolves, like Mules. That would explain the lack of spots, weird nomenclature, and being physically immature.

This just opens up a lot of new, unwelcome questions.
Such as: did their parents bond over a plate of flaccid, boiled wheat paste with a tomato and meat paste topping under a gibbous moon while a Roegadyn played a hand organ over them?

[Souljacker]

It would be strange, indeed. Dogs and cats are not genetically compatible - and I don't want to bring another controversial topic here but if this is where SE was going with it then they should SERIOUSLY reconsider their stance on other aspects of the game's future that affect player characters.

I think it's just a translation error, personally. Pup can conceivably be translated to whatever the young cat Japanese equivalent is, but in English, Cub is still more correct for the young of a large, wild cat.

It's been an interesting discussion, anyway. I appreciate all the replies!

[Kurenshi]

In my mind (and partly disregarding the spot/spotless differences) I tend to put the use of the word "Pup" down to the more dated use late 16th century British - a conceited young man (esp in the phrase young pup)

The biggest population of "pups" is in the area right next to Poor maids mill which is currently inhabited by some Salthounds (ex-pirates) who use that type of dated language often. Now when these "arrogant young pups" decide to maul a few of the Salthounds and invade the settlement looking for an easy meal (as well as all the other Fates these poor guys have to put up with constantly) I can forgive them for not caring to call the Coeurls by an appropriate term.

Meanwhile (again disregarding the spot element) I could see the Young Coeurls up in Outer La Noscea that hang around the floating City could be more often encountered by more scholarly types researching the ruins and Maelstrom Officials who may be more inclined to give and refer them with scientifically correct names for their records..

[gornotck]

[...].

This is probably the most likely series of events, I think.
The young Pups, known to be a nuisance to Poor Maids and a mild annoyance to old Salthounds, get a nom de puma appropriate to their rough tongues.