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

[MilkieTea]

Hot damn, you're on fire there. I hadn't even considered the degree to which a lot of the characters we encounter in the game already are non-white.

And that's best part of representation that isn't shoe-horned in! You're not *supposed* to notice it - it's supposed to feel normal. Just like how the Chai's, if they were just two women but acted much the same, would still feel like a normal couple within the world they live in. Or how there's ALREADY a gay couple ingame but we just don't really take note of it? It's not supposed to stand out and be this "amazing!1?1" thing. That's what makes good representation.

[Steinar]

The real difference is that if you're right and she's a gyaru then there's a similarity to Jynx which leads down a road to potential comparisons/associations with blackface and the character being changed in the future to distance from that, most likely by her just like... "not dying her hair any more".
It's also... just an assumption that she's meant to be a reflection of that culture/fashion when it's really only two traits that are present across the Viera race, and she seems to lack other markers such as the high contrast makeup and the actual clothing fashions given she just wears the Garlond Ironworks uniform.

Overall, the simplest explanation really seems to be she's just a dark-skinned Viera who either has naturally light hair or dyes it.

Your "simplest explanation" does not exist, and even if I were to try and follow it, it would still make no sense, because FF XIV is a Fantasy game. Next thing you're gonna be saying that Green skinned Roes are Martian representation... ROFLMAO. What about the pink skinned ones? Are they Hello Kitty representation? Are they POC too? The only reason you're arguing is because her skin color is chocolate brown, if it were to be Blue or something else nobody would care.

GTFO mate, seriously. Stick to twatter for your racial cruzading.

[MilkieTea]

Your "simplest explanation" does not exist, and even if I were to try and follow it, it would still make no sense, because FF XIV is a Fantasy game. Next thing you're gonna be saying that Green skinned Roes are Martian representation... ROFLMAO. What about the pink skinned ones? Are they Hello Kitty representation? Are they POC too? The only reason you're arguing is because her skin color is chocolate brown, if it were to be Blue or something else nobody would care.

GTFO mate, seriously.

Hey mate, I agree with you for the most part, but can we try to avoid referring to skin colors as desserts? It's a little creepy and a tiny bit dehumanizing.

This isn't a callout or anything, just a suggestion.

[Steinar]

Hey mate, I agree with you for the most part, but can we try to avoid referring to skin colors as desserts? It's a little creepy and a tiny bit dehumanizing.

This isn't a callout or anything, just a suggestion.

Sorry about that mate, I'm from Brazil, here we consider it to be kinda sexy.

[MilkieTea]

Sorry about that mate, I'm from Brazil, here we consider it to be kinda sexy.

I figured, and I understand! But to avoid having someone point that out in a more, shall we say, negative/inflammatory light (like nitpicking in order to make all your points seem bad), it might be best to refrain from that kind of language. Just like how I don't call myself "negrito" in english when talking to english speakers, but my grandma affectionately calls me that, and will also call others that.

[Sairys]

Lilja, with her blond-pink hair, bright blue nails, and richly-colored pink lips, and sunglasses, is EXTREMELY reminiscent of a ganguro girl. Unless... of course... you're saying that she's playing off of this stereotype instead?

Which again comes back to the Jynx comparison where pokemon created a character following that style and quickly changed it to move away from the ganguro style because of how it plays on an international scale.

Instead of pushing for Lilja (who is filling in a trope, especially with her personality, dress style, and characterization, that is popular in Japanese media), to be black instead... why not take note of the many POC already in the game, that do not otherwise fit the trope of ganguro/other Japanese styles? General Raubahn, for example, who holds a high seat of power ingame. If you've seen the Heavensward trailer, you'd see the amount of detailing and work they put into his matted hair - which mattes much like black people's IRL. I can actually show you this example right here.

Actually, given skin tone and the like, people are arguing she's not black. Against her potentially being representative rather than just being like... oh there's a character who likes a style. Like... the assertion that she likes the gyaru style doesn't even necessarily negate her also being black.

Louisoix Leveilleur, Alphinaud and Alisaie's grandfather, is arguably coded to appear as Indian - and considering their father has darker skin as well, it's likely that they've just taken after their mother. And why can't Arenvald be Melanesian? Travanchet, an Ascian from 1.0 who makes a brief cameo in Heavensward as the instigator of the original summoning of Alexander? Gaius van balesar, who's appearance looks similar to those of Indians with light/blue eyes. Aldis, who very clearly mimics the ideals of 90's Hispanics.

Dancing Wolf, Deep Canyon, Hanon Holyfist, Teledji Adeleji, Valiant Heart, Carvallain, Curious Georg, Wawalago Momolago, Jannequinard, Charibert, Grinnaux, Hermenost, Paulecrain, Ilberd, M;naago, Meffrid, Gundobald, Curtis, Conrad, Widargelt, Midnight Dew, EVERY DOMAN NATIVE, Tansui, Tista-Bie, Kai-Shirr, Olvara, Lakshmi, Jalzhan, Leofard, Nhaza'a, these are all PoC, and this list comprises of friend and foe EQUALLY. This list isn't even exhaustive, as this is a JAPANESE GAME, and as such there are going to be extremely light skinned characters that are meant to mimic East Asian cultures and appearances, and these are ALSO POC.

Wanting POC just for the sake of "representation" isn't representation, it's white-savior complex at its finest.

The original post, troll or not, was around the Scions.

Louisoix sure, but he's also only really minimally been part of the game for a long time.
Arenvald is basically a side character. Same with Dancing Wolf, Deep Canyon, Hamon Holyfist, Valiant Hart, Wawalago Momolago, Jannequinard, M'naago, Meffrid, Gundobald, Curtis, Conrad, Widargelt, Midnight Dew, Tansui, Tista-Bie, Kai-Shirr, Olvara, Jalzhan, and Leofard.
Travanchet is a villain which isn't great as an example when the suggestion is basically... positive representation. Again, same with Teledji Adeleji, Charibert, Grinnaux, Hermenost, Paulecrain, Ilberd, Lakshmi, and Nhaza'a.
Carvallain is kinda between with piracy and having to be blackmailed to help.

So what your list really looks like, is PoC characters that are a mix of villains who oppose the heroes, supporting cast such as trainers who enable the heroes to save the world, victims who the heroes save or sometimes work with to save their homes, and some others with limited story relevance. It's just not quite on the same level as characters that have made it into the Scions, who we've spent time with and who are a more constant presence with the WoL on the journey to save pretty much everything.

If you'd like an example of White Savours, that's also kinda the trope the Scions invoke? They're a group of light-skinned people travelling around the world and saving people of the various cultures you've noted as represented in-game. And we don't really see strong people from all those different places joining the group to help go save other places. After all the journeying, the scions seem to have only really recruited G'raha, Estinien, and Yugiri (who is now seemingly busy with her homeland now the scions have saved it). They don't even have full representation from the ten base racial clans from 2.0 which are all seemingly represented in the Eorzea region.

[Theodric]

I dislike the idea that a character isn't 'positive representation' if the character in question just so happens to be an antagonist or a villain. Plenty of people, myself included, are bigger fans of anti-heroes, antagonists and villains than 'wholesome' protagonists.

[MilkieTea]

I dislike the idea that a character isn't 'positive representation' if the character in question just so happens to be an antagonist or a villain. Plenty of people, myself included, are bigger fans of anti-heroes, antagonists and villains than 'wholesome' protagonists.

This! We also, among the villains, have an absolute CONGLOMERATE of light-skinned and/or white villains. There is equal representation throughout in regards to this. Zenos, Anti-hero Fordola, The majority of the Ishgard villains, Shadowbringers, and ARR villains as well.

[Iscah]

Dancing Wolf, Deep Canyon, Hanon Holyfist, Teledji Adeleji, Valiant Heart, Carvallain, Curious Georg, Wawalago Momolago, Jannequinard, Charibert, Grinnaux, Hermenost, Paulecrain, Ilberd, M;naago, Meffrid, Gundobald, Curtis, Conrad, Widargelt, Midnight Dew, EVERY DOMAN NATIVE, Tansui, Tista-Bie, Kai-Shirr, Olvara, Lakshmi, Jalzhan, Leofard, Nhaza'a, these are all PoC, and this list comprises of friend and foe EQUALLY.

I'm all for a variety of in-game cultures and races, but what logic are you pulling Kai-Shirr from? He's on the dark end of peach-coloured but nothing noticeable, and "Kholusian peasant" isn't a particularly exotic location.

And Tista-Bie? The girl who plays cards with us at the Beehive? I don't think she counts as a character.

[MilkieTea]

I'm all for a variety of in-game cultures and races, but what logic are you pulling Kai-Shirr from? He's on the dark end of peach-coloured but nothing noticeable, and "Kholusian peasant" isn't a particularly exotic location.

And Tista-Bie? The girl who plays cards with us at the Beehive? I don't think she counts as a character.

Tista-Bie has a brief dialogue with us as part of the story. Minor character, but still a character within the storyline. Also when looked at in his custom deliveries photo (which is neutral lighting, since Kholusia has red lighting), he has a more olive toned skin reminiscent of north-african/egyptian people. Regardless, his inspiration is definitely not white.

But I think your question actually kinda proves the point, Kai-Shirr is a Kholusian Mystel - that's his race. Tista-Bie is also a Mystel, that's her race. These characters aren't white, they aren't black, they're Hyur, Elezen, Miqo, etc. And even past that they still bring representation of all different skin colors, ethnicities, and inspirations from cultures and classes. Asking for more representation in a game where races aren't "you're this skin-color, so you're this race", is attempting to shoe-horn in representation where it doesn't fit. There are so many characters of all different races, all different skin colors, and we just... don't notice. Which is good. That's what good representation is.