Male Viera as a playable character! show your support

[Theodric]

If you just want to design a character after yourselves then it makes more sense to petition for a broader range of customisation options for the existing playable races instead of hijacking viera men. Like it or not, conventional beauty standards are more popular than the unconventional.

[Senn]

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I have a feeling a slender and elegant male viera would be popular as well. Like I said, not many people play elezen because of their odd proportions. Male viera could fill in an unfulfilled niche for a slim and elegant character.

[Theodric]

If character customisation for the existing playable races were expanded then the male elezen model could provide what those asking for a slender option desire. I'm confused by the implications that elezen men have odd proportions though because the proportions of the art work suggestions for what 'elegant' male viera should look like is even more out there by comparison.

[Senn]

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If character customization for the existing playable races were expanded then the highlander model could provide what those asking for a "classically handsome" option desire.

The problem here is that there are probably certain limitations in place that won't allow us to change the shape of our characters, and I don't think FFXIV will have this capability, at least not for a long time. Asking for eyebrows for highlander would be easier than asking the devs to change the elezen model. Not only that, but there are players who like their elezens the way they are, so changing the model would be unfair to them. Having an option to toggle eyebrows on and off, however, would be fair.

[Theodric]

I think that viera men would be most successful and appeal to the majority of people requesting them if they were designed to be tall and conventionally attractive with a decent amount of muscle mass. A muscle slider could be available to put them anywhere between lightly toned to bulky. As for height, a slider could be available to have them be anywhere from just above a Midlander male to around the same height as a male Highlander or Au Ra. I'd settle for them having a similar height range to their female counterparts, if not a little broader.

I can picture them as being very classically handsome, with at least one facial option along these lines:



Another facial option could be more ruggedly handsome, such as along these lines:



A more androgynous base face option could be added for those who enjoy such aesthetics, though I think it would be very strange for viera men to be designed to be that way across the board given their established lifestyles. Thankfully the game has an established track record of favouring conventionally attractive character designs, so with any luck that trend will continue moving forward.

All of this, of course, is dependent on the missing genders being added in the first place which is not a guarantee.

[Senn]

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Ok but those look like hyur though. Viera have a different facial structure. Look at the concept art.

Just take a closer look at the faces. They are not "classically handsome". They are similar to Fran's facial structure. This whole thing makes me want to say you are "hijacking" them to make them look more hyur tbh. Viera have a very distinct face shape, and their noses are rabbit like almost.

[Theodric]

Ok but those look like hyur though. Viera have a different facial structure. Look at the concept art.

The concept art, eh? A strange concern, given that the original post contains this particular nugget:

I made an edit to the concept art

I made the shoulders less broad, the neck a tad bit shorter, and removed the fur.

I imagine if you were truly concerned with them looking exactly like the concept art then you would not be asking for them to be shorter, slimmer and with unique racial traits such as fur being removed for your own pleasure.

Regardless, I assumed it was obvious that I was talking in general terms. I do not wish for them to look exactly like Hyur - and with the presence of bunny ears and other unique racial customisation options they would not. They'd still be fairly human looking, of course, but that would put them well in line with their female counterparts who aren't exactly as different to Hyur as the likes of Hrothgar are.

[Senn]

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I don't see how that concept art doesn't have a face that is similar to Fran's. It's very distinct and different from Hyur's longer face.

Also, I said it would be interesting if the males were shorter than the females. They would still be pretty tall. In the concept art, they are shown shorter than the women.
However, I don't much care for the height. Whether they are taller or shorter than the females, it's not a big deal to me.

Lastly, I would like for the chest fur to be optional, but if it's there to stay, I would accept that. If there is a slider to lessen the hair there, or just premade options that have less fur, that'd be great. You, on the other hand, want to just make them like hyur.

[Theodric]

I don't think it would be particularly interesting if the men were shorter than the women. I think they should be the same height or a little taller. Not drastically so.

I also did not state that I wish for them to look explicitly like Hyur. I simply want them to be conventionally attractive. Their female counterparts conform to conventional beauty standards after all.

Most importantly of all, though, I think they should resemble adult men in terms of their physique, height and facial features.

[Senn]

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Ok, but you're posting facial features that are human, and viera are not that. They have a very distinct, rabbit like, facial structure. Asking for them to be "classically handsome" is "hijacking" the race, because that's not what viera are.

On the topic of height, I don't care either way. All of the males in this game are taller than their female counterparts. It would be interesting to see the opposite, even if the height difference between male and female viera is small. At the end of the day, the height doesn't really matter to me, and I would be fine with a male being taller than the female. At the very least, I would like to see the males and females around the same height.

I think you can be an adult male but also be slim and elegant.