Male Viera as a playable character! show your support

[Kazran]

Lore has more meaning than silly fan service.

I still question the validity of the 'Lore' keeping Viera males forever in the forest. Especially since ffxiv has it own lore separate from 12 and the other Ivalice games.

What's the lore behind them never leaving? What compels them from puberty to old age to never even think about leaving? It's more unbelievable that not a single Male in all of history from birth to death has never deviated from the cultural norm.

Are they indoctrinated in some nefarious scheme? Do they hunt down their own if the ever try to escape? Is it a spell or some magic that binds them? Do they all just think alike and aren't individuals at all?

To me a lot of the reasons that would keep them all, every single last Male without deviation, without question would feel somehow insidious. If they aren't individual's at all but more feral beings who only act on instinct and nature, then that's the whole men are beasts woman are breasts dichotomy and that's really gross. (And you can't say it wouldn't because the Viera reveal video was nearly soft core in its sexy bunnies ladies running around in their lingerie giggling.)

Where is their freewill? If they don't have freewill then who or what is taking it? Isn't generally seen as bad to strip people of their freewill? Why do they not have the freewill to choose?
Who is taking their freewill in this? Isn't it bad to take someone's choice away?

Are male Viera okay?

Do they need rescue?

Every member of a populace conforming exactly to their culture cus reasons is highly unbelievable. And remember, as I said, ffxiv has it's own lore separate from 12 and The other Ivalice titles and so things ARE different!

Theres also the fact that the WoL is the exception to the rule, to all the rules. From being the only non Padjal White mage, to killing gods left and right easily. Being the only way to save the world from Alexander to defeating all of Omegas tests and Omega themselves. The WoL is the ultimate exception!

[Sentaryuu]

I also support playable Male Veria and Female Hrothgar! I will never support gender locked races!

[WhiteArchmage]

Awww, I missed when it got to 1555

[Senn]

In other words, you've discredited yourself.

[Theodric]

My stance is that I only want to see them added if they're similar to the tall muscular portrayal in the concept art and some of the fan art. It'd feel very much like outright pandering if they were to be very short, feminine and androgynous. I want them to be fierce looking protectors of the forest. They can - and should - be classically handsome as the norm. Though if for whatever reason the developers decide to make them look like Alphinaud as has been requested by some I'd rather not have them added at all.

[stormygabe]

My stance is that I only want to see them added if they're similar to the tall muscular portrayal in the concept art and some of the fan art. It'd feel very much like outright pandering if they were to be very short, feminine and androgynous. I want them to be fierce looking protectors of the forest. They can - and should - be classically handsome as the norm. Though if for whatever reason the developers decide to make them look like Alphinaud as has been requested by some I'd rather not have them added at all.

Wouldn't it also be pandering if they were muscular and..."classically handsome?" I doubt they'd make them look like Alphinaud and I doubt they'd make them short. But to say that making them one way is pandering would also imply the same for the opposite. Fierce warriors of the forest need not be enormous beefcakes. And finally, I take them to be more akin to mystical wood elves than hulking barbarians. I mean...the Elezen are pretty thin and "pretty" but a lot of them are portrayed as being tough and manly. (Estinien anyone? And who can forget Aymeric?) With the way the ladies are portrayed, I can't see the men being that much different.

Edit: I also want to add another non-FF example of tribal, fierce forest people. The Na'vi! They have the same "living with nature hearing nature's voice warrior" thing going as the Viera do. The guys in that universe are every bit as rough and tough as you'd expect them to be, but they're still pretty wispy. Nevertheless, I doubt you'd want to get into a tussle with one of them.

[Theodric]

Wouldn't it also be pandering if they were muscular and..."classically handsome?" I doubt they'd make them look like Alphinaud and I doubt they'd make them short. But to say that making them one way is pandering would also imply the same for the opposite. Fierce warriors of the forest need not be enormous beefcakes. And finally, I take them to be more akin to mystical wood elves than hulking barbarians. I mean...the Elezen are pretty thin and "pretty" but a lot of them are portrayed as being tough and manly. (Estinien anyone? And who can forget Aymeric?) With the way the ladies are portrayed, I can't see the men being that much different.

Edit: I also want to add another non-FF example of tribal, fierce forest people. The Na'vi! They have the same "living with nature hearing nature's voice warrior" thing going as the Viera do. The guys in that universe are every bit as rough and tough as you'd expect them to be, but they're still pretty wispy. Nevertheless, I doubt you'd want to get into a tussle with one of them.

It wouldn't be pandering. Players in this game aren't exactly starved for the short, slender and androgynous aesthetics. Miqo'te and Midlander Hyur can be designed to be very short, androgynous or feminine with the right options. Every other hairstyle added to the game these days is also very feminine or androgynous in nature with some exceptions. It's a myth that players who favour masculine aesthetics have it better.

Reading between the lines, some of what is being requested is also legitimately creepy - and some of the visual examples of fan art only serve to solidify that view in my mind.

So rather than appease the fairly small crowd that wishes for them to resemble children or young teenagers, I think the developers would appeal to a broader audience by making them at least somewhat muscular.

Those who want to play a slender character can push for more customisation options elsewhere if they so wish. Viera men don't need to conform to child-like, androgynous or feminine aesthetics.

[stormygabe]

snip

I could say the same for tall, muscular, manly aesthetics. Your character is but one example of that. (I'd also like to think mine is pretty manly too despite the Miqo'te's reputation. We even seem to have the same hairstyle!) We have Roes and Au Ra (and now Hrothgar) as well. As for hair, I honestly think there's a decent balance. I mean...the game has pretty heavy anime inspired aesthetics, which is unsurprising. I agree that male characters get shafted a lot of the time, but I don't think it has that much to do with the character creator itself. The problem there, from my observation, seems to come more with glamours. And maybe new hairstyles could take this into account as well. But I doubt having another buff manly race is going to alleviate those issues.

I think it's a bit unfair to assume that's what people want when they ask for that. Maybe some of them are teens who want to play more teen looking characters. Maybe some of them are adults who want to get back into the mindset of a younger person. Maybe some of them just want to be cute. I'm not trying to support them, but what I AM saying is that you can't just assume that someone is being creepy when they ask for a younger looking character. Again, though, SE is more than likely NOT going to even make them look that way if they make them at all.

I disagree that a broader audience would want them to be muscular. I expect most people would want them to be lean. You seem to be equating thinness with childishness. The Elezen are not childish. A thin adult is not a child or even an adolescent. And whether or not they do add them, you can bet that they'll have options to make them look as feminine as possible. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I'll also argue that those who want to play a muscular character can push for more customization options elsewhere if they so wish as well. Viera men don't need to conform to a very specific standard of masculinity that only holds physical strength and size up as the ideal.

Edit: I always need to add to my thoughts. *sigh* Anyway, I just want to be clear again... 1. I don't want the mViera to look like kids. For whatever reason, pure or otherwise. 2. When I say "thin" I don't mean malnourished. I mean a body type similar to...oh idk...Spiderman? Someone brought up Tom Holland and I think that would be a decent build for them. Basically a Miqo'te or Midlander, but taller.

[Emmanellain]

I think it's a bit unfair to assume that's what people want when they ask for that. Maybe some of them are teens who want to play more teen looking characters. Maybe some of them are adults who want to get back into the mindset of a younger person. Maybe some of them just want to be cute. I'm not trying to support them, but what I AM saying is that you can't just assume that someone is being creepy when they ask for a younger looking character. Again, though, SE is more than likely NOT going to even make them look that way if they make them at all.

This right here, I mean, male players have a variety of tiny cute and strong tall females to choose from (highlander females woof) so I don't understand why I as a young woman, should feel shameful for wanting a handsome but slightly shorter male Viera to run around as? A lot of young women like pretty lean men, just look at boybands, kpop, jpop etc. They have a lot of classically pretty lean men and gasp, they're not very tall most of them. So why are we getting labeled if we'd like a male Viera with a body like Tom Holland or Andrew Garfield, or "insert jpop band here" with a height the same as the female Viera down to a head shorter than her? (short men exist btw, and some women actually find it endearing?) Like should we call dudes creepy for playing Au Ra? no right?
Has it occurred to anyone that the female players might want some handsome fanservice too with an option to make them shorter than a beanstalk? I'm not saying dramatically short, and definitely not like Alphinaud, but at least noticeable so it makes sense, I thought it would be cute for the male Viera to be able to be a smidge shorter than the tall, elegant females.
Or at least give us the slider and make it an option..
I initially made a Miqo male as my first character but I didn't like the hunched back and the stance, I couldn't make him look elegant, they're very fluffy and broad-shouldered (still cute but not my cup of tea) so I opted for an elezen man for a few years, he was very elegant but those shoulders and the neck we're broad and long. I mean I wasn't too bothered, but we have yet to get a male that has a lean, handsome look, and we finally have a female race that's tall and elegant, it would be a great opportunity to add a male equivalent.
If SE builds them differently oh well, at least the mystery of how they look has been solved, and I'll undoubtedly still play them. (unless they look like Hrothgars lol)
but yeah.
Ya'll got your lingerie bunnies and bodybuilders! let the girls have something nice too! lmao (this is a joke, I repeat, a joke)

[Tabbs]

Reading between the lines, some of what is being requested is also legitimately creepy - and some of the visual examples of fan art only serve to solidify that view in my mind.

No offense, but this is much more of a you issue. To assume others are being "creepy" in regards to requesting smaller or cuter male Viera is entirely your perception that you are unfairly putting on people. There are equally, if not more, options for people who want buff and manly options, especially now with Hrothgar.

That being said, I'm an advocate for the type of male Viera that Yoshida has suggested.