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

[MilitaryVet123]

The Bozjan questline was a refreshing breath of scintillating fresh air because of the beautiful plot twist, a highlight of the inequities of revolutions and class divide, and also because of the inclusion of Lilja.



When I saw Lilja at first, I thought she's simply going to be left to the wayside and be an extremely minor character. But nope, she was one of the core characters in the Bozjan storyline, serving as Garlond Ironworks' liason in Bozja and offering critical engineering insight. She helped with the assault on Castrum Lacus Litore and helped us confirm that that was indeed where Mikoto was held. In sum, she was a major character in the Bozjan story. She is part of the "Bozjan Scions".

And she also happens to be black, with a dope as hell sense of fashion.

So when are we going to see the same in the main scenario quest?

Now let's look at the scions. See if you can spot any commonality?



Not only are they all white, they also have white/blond hair. The WoL is the only exception, and canonically (according to promotional videos) he's also white. I didn't think much of this at first, but after witnessing Lilja, I realized that I had become complacent when it came to the MSQ. The majority of the protagonists in every single expansion for the MSQ has been white or white-skinned. There are a few secondary characters who are PoC, like Raubahn, but they are few and far in between and none of them are primary characters. Is it not weird that, despite having the Scion headquarters being set up in the Waking Sands, an arid desert with scorching sun rays, all primary Scions are not even tan? This boils down to the colorism that stealthily encompasses East Asian and Western culture. Without even realizing it, we design characters to be white or light skinned by default. That's why when there's no pushback, we end up with a cast that is entirely white or light skinned. But it doesn't have to be this way. Lilja shows that if we are conscious about how we design characters we can make the cast of a game inclusive and more realistic.

With the upcoming 6.0 expansion all but certain to take place in Garlemald, I have a suggestion for Square Enix. Let Gaius Baelsar become a Scion. This not only completes his redemptive arc, but it also adds, finally, a main scion that is a PoC. If you look at the picture of the Scions it just does not look like a group of diverse origins even though it should be, as it is a supranational organization. Instead, what we have now looks incredibly bland and homogeneous. This is not diversity for diversity's sake. This is diversity for better story telling, better immersion, and better inclusivity.

[Nekaru_Infitima]

Not only are they all white, they also have white/blond hair.

Despite this probably being marked as a troll thread by the others. I still have to answer.
Asian, you mean Asian. This is a game made by a Japanese company. It's going to follow the Asians that look white anime rule.
As for blonde and white hair. Think color theory in stories. White equals mystical or unknown. Blondes are usually the side of good, or pure (can be evil pure too). But usually count for purity, holy, etc. White is mysterious.

It's just anime cliche's.

[Rongway]

It's just anime cliche's.

So let's break some of the clichés.

People of color can be powerful and mystical too. Many BIPOC cultures even have mystic castes and traditions that they might be happy to share as long as they're included in a respectful manner.

[BokoToloko]

This isn't an American game so... i don't think they are about to care about those things. Also, it can be easily argued that Arenvald counts as a PoC and he was both a Scion and relevant to plot in Stormblood.

[Nekaru_Infitima]

So let's break some of the clichés.

People of color can be powerful and mystical too. Many BIPOC cultures even have mystic castes and traditions that they might be happy to share as long as they're included in a respectful manner.

I wasn't saying they couldn't be. I was saying COLORS have a meaning in fiction.
When we use blue it usually conveys mood, possibly reserved.
Pink is normally bubbly, happy go lucky, innocent, childish.
Then you have different shades of those colors that also hold meanings.

White as said above is normally associated with purity, holiness, mystical, mysterious, unnatural.

THEN we also have to remember the Scions are originally from Sharlaya. The white/blondes hair could be a racial trait from that land. Maybe it's a cold climate and less sun so they're paler in skin too. There could be many reasons.

As an artist though, I gotta say to me, Lilja's colors clash terribly. I don't know if it's that shade of brown with that bright yellow, or the lighting, or the blue. But her colors could have still been the same, but different shades and worked together so much better. Maybe lighten the hair to be less vibrant, or make brown less warm and more in the cool colors to not jump out so much with the hair. That's kinda off topic though...

[Iscah]

Asian, you mean Asian. This is a game made by a Japanese company. It's going to follow the Asians that look white anime rule.

No, they are not automatically Asian (or the fantasy equivalent thereof) just because the game makers are Asian. The world map and cultural influences indicate that Eorzea is Europe-inspired while Othard is clearly eastern Asia. The "anime characters look white raceless" thing simply means you can't tell the difference between races without some kind of additional cultural markers like names or clothing - and that well may include giving the European characters blonde hair.

[reivaxe]

No, they are not automatically Asian (or the fantasy equivalent thereof) just because the game makers are Asian. The world map and cultural influences indicate that Eorzea is Europe-inspired while Othard is clearly eastern Asia. The "anime characters look white raceless" thing simply means you can't tell the difference between races without some kind of additional cultural markers like names or clothing - and that well may include giving the European characters blonde hair.

This.

The "ThIs Is AnImE rACe!" doesn't apply here. They legit have a whole race devoted to depicting East Asian themes and people (the Draggos). Much of this game is European fantasy in nature and the human race in this game is clearly meant to be "human" as a whole and not just "Asians".

As for the OP, this is prob a troll thread but I have also found the running theme of the Scions being white skinned to be lame af.

Wish there was also in-game race diversity as well. Most are Human/ Elezen and 2 cats ... I get that they want to tighten up the cast to tell better stories but could we maybe get Red or Dark skinned Draggo or a Viera or Hrothgar or Roe in the Scions?

Prob wont happen without the death of one so poo.

[Bsrking5]

Can we a POC mod to delete these troll threads? Please

[Lukha]

Let Gaius Baelsar become a Scion.

*sighs* I know this is a troll thread, I know I should ignore it and not feed you the attention you crave. But for this and only this I am obligated to agree with you.

[Violet_Galaxy]

Lol I really hate that "PoC" term. Just say black. Stop lumping people under some made up umbrella. Anyway, Gaius and Raubahn are NOT black but deeply tanned. That's normally Japans go-to in these situations and they'll always try to lighten skin than darken. A part of their archaic culture. Oh and stop trying to inject 'merican perspectives into a Japanese game. Japan looks out for Japan and Japan only. Japan. #freepost