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Thoughts on the Au Ra? - Printable Version

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RE: Thoughts on the Au Ra? - Berrod Armstrong - 12-23-2014

(12-23-2014, 02:18 AM)Faye Wrote:
(12-23-2014, 01:56 AM)Kellach Woods Wrote: Still think they could have marked that difference... differently than just a massive size difference. To tread old ground I'd say that's almost lazy thought Tongue

It's pretty much a more extreme interpretation of that very same difference you note : Females are different because they're smaller, have feminine features and breasts. The difference is just more noticed because of the height difference... but it's the same damn thing in the end!

I'd disagree! The males and females of the same races generally have the same motif: Highlanders are buff looking, Lalafell are cute, Midlanders are average blank slates, Elezen are lanky and elegant, Miqo'te are sporty and a little feral looking, Roegadyn are big with very square features... it doesn't vary any by gender. Male and female Au Ra, however, give off very different vibes. The men are fierce and ferocious and gruff looking, sharp and narrow features. The women are dainty and petite and elegant and doll-like, little and round features. I really enjoy the contrast. I like the contrast of the female Au Ra in themselves even--dragon girls with scales and bestial horns... and super girlish features.
Thissss! The contrast is wonderful.

RE: Thoughts on the Au Ra? - Berrod Armstrong - 12-23-2014

(12-22-2014, 11:28 PM)Aysun Wrote:
(12-22-2014, 11:24 PM)Zyrusticae Wrote: This is why I am utterly convinced that just throwing on a couple of non-human features on top of a human template is laziness.
Or it could be, you know, what the devs wanted to make the race look like. I for one was surprised that Yugiri, after kicking so much major ass, will look like a doll, and kind of like that.
YESSSSSS.

RE: Thoughts on the Au Ra? - Kismet - 12-23-2014

(12-23-2014, 03:28 AM)hauntmedoitagain Wrote: The bottom line is that a character can be both feminine and tough. One need not resort to an androgynous stereotype dripping with tokenism to make the point.

Quoted for absolute truth.


On a separate note... No matter WHAT race SE added to this game? No matter what it was or what it looked like? People would still love it, people would still hate it. And no matter what it was or what it looked like, had it been "very bestial" or not? It still wouldn't have been a novel concept.

The Au Ra didn't emerge overnight. SE knew exactly what they wanted and where they wanted to go with this. If you don't like it, fine. If you like it, also fine. (I won't touch on sexual dimorphism right now because my thoughts on that would be a dissertation.)

I'm solely speaking to originality of design (or the lack thereof), or claims both literal and facetious that the devs simply "re-skinned the Hyur"... as if Miqo'te aren't just smaller Midlanders with cat features.

RE: Thoughts on the Au Ra? - Flickering Ember - 12-23-2014

(12-23-2014, 03:28 AM)hauntmedoitagai Wrote: All I got out of this is that you care more for appearance than you do personality and actions. That's fine and all, but please don't speak for others on the subject; itt's condescending at best. The bottom line is that a character can be both feminine and tough. One need not resort to an androgynous stereotype dripping with tokenism to make the point.

(and for the record, both of those portrayals paint the picture of someone that's strong and competent, irregardless of aesthetics so *shrug*)

I think it is a bit assumptive to say that I care more for appearance than actions. If anything, I am trying to say that one's appearance often showcases aspects of a person's identity. We can't affect the traits we are born with but we can choose our appearance to a degree that matches our own personality.

In real life, you can tell that I am shy because I often hide behind my hair or look down. There is a lot more to me than just that but people can see parts of my personality leak into my appearance.

Female characters that are both feminine and tough are not anywhere near extinction. You'd be hard-pressed to find an action heroine who doesn't also look pretty. I bet it would be a lot harder to find a big boned, square jawed woman who loves dresses and shoes (and is actually portrayed as sympathetic than as just straight comedy relief).

Usually you can tell if a character is sporty and athletic, bookish and shy, confident and happy, bubbly and cheerful, beautiful and elegant, lazy and sloppy, strong and muscular, fierce and intimidating, or quiet and depressed by how they look. However, that isn't a necessity nor should it be. There can be a lot of fun in characters that are ironic or unexpecting. Looks can be deceiving, as you have noted, and that can be quite a lot of fun.

But wouldn't it be sad if we only were able to rely hundred percent on how the character is portrayed? I think the original poster that you were responding to was simply pointing out that, possibly in general across all fiction, that she would like more female characters that didn't look dainty.

I don't think anyone has ever said that a female character that looks dainty can't also be secretly badass. (Or maybe even not so secretly badass!) Just that it would be nice to see more badass females that weren't dainty. If you use the same or similar kind appearance for all personality types and characters then you really aren't exploring the complete spectrum of possible identities.

How does this all tie into Au Ra? Variety, and whether or not you feel the Au Ra are providing FFXIV with more variety or just more of the same.

RE: Thoughts on the Au Ra? - ArmachiA - 12-23-2014

I'm planning on making my female Au Ra an underground prize fighter. Looks and personality don't have to match to me.

I'm confused at what we're talking about here though. Are we talking about Au Ra within the FFXIV bubble or the Au Ra within the reaches of the ENTIRE gaming culture? Those are two very different conversations that I think people are trying to have.

RE: Thoughts on the Au Ra? - Eve Malusion - 12-23-2014

I don't really understand the notion that the height difference makes them not look like the same race. My parents are the same race and ethnicity. My mother doesn't even reach close to his shoulders in height. My mother is also the boss of a large company, generally in charge and dominant in every aspect of her life I have ever seen, and all around one of the most strong willed people I have met in my entire life up to date. She is in no way dainty or fragile.

So I really don't find the height difference to make it look impossible for them to be the same race, or for that to be enough to determine that the females are weak and fragile. Height differences larger than that exists in our own species, so why is it unrealistic for them to in a fantasy one? I realise they're in the minority, but I think saying that they don't look like they belong to the same species is overdoing it. To post a picture again that Sylas did earlier, is anyone really going to look at this and say they cannot even realistically belong to the same species?

[Image: tumblr_inline_ngyb8m88hc1qceb8l.jpg]


Now, I would agree that this pose makes her look very fragile and dainty. Drawn back, on guard, typical pose for trying to trigger a protective instinct in people.

[Image: 5c22cae7.jpg]


[Image: FFXIV_Au_Ra.png]

I would say that the pose here on the left is pretty neutral, feminine yes, but not weak. The one on the right doesn't look particularly fragile at all, thats just a lady who is shorter than a man. Thats one of the wonderful things about FFXIV compared to a lot of other MMOs - we get different idle stances! Idle stances that can convey a different feeling from the character visually if we so desire!

It should be obvious but this post is entirely in comment on the height difference, not on how beastly or human they are. I realise thats a problem a lot of people have with them, but I wanted to convey my thoughts on this point in particular.

RE: Thoughts on the Au Ra? - Xiaoli Vorgan - 12-23-2014

I don't have much of a opinion on the new race. I'm just glad there is a new option available to add to more diversity. As it is now, imo, you mostly see Miqo'te and Hyur in one form or another with the other races sprinkled here and there. I think once the Au'ra rage wears off, it might taper out. I've never race changed but I will be interested in making a new char just to see what it's like. I have a feeling in the very beginning it will seem like Au'ra has taken over Eorzea, lol it will be fun!

RE: Thoughts on the Au Ra? - Eve Malusion - 12-23-2014

Oh in regards to something people were wondering earlier. It's pretty much indirectly confirmed that we get different horn styles if you look closely at Astrologian and Dark Knight previews. Some of the pictures have a male with slightly smaller horns, and a female with slightly larger, and also with different colours, but I can't tell if the colour is clan related. The skin tone on one with lighter horns does strike me as it looks like its from same palette as the au ra preview with darker horns though.

One of the images I mean in specific is this one
 [Image: y2zBc74.jpg]

Note how it has the light colour, but a slightly larger style than the one with light horns in the Au Ra preview, a style more similar to the darker horns. It also struck me as that one of the clans has a skin tone similar to keepers of the moon in regards to lack of blush and pigmentation in the skin, and the other was more similar to the hyur / seeker palette. This picture looks more like the keeper colour palette to me.

One of the male dark knight pictures also has black horns with blonde hair, so it doesn't seem to be tied to hair colour.

[Image: Gybn7Vr.jpg]

RE: Thoughts on the Au Ra? - Seriphyn - 12-23-2014

The argument that they have to look human otherwise they'd be considered a 'beast race' is pretty solid IMO.

RE: Thoughts on the Au Ra? - Berrod Armstrong - 12-23-2014

(12-23-2014, 09:06 AM)Seriphyn Wrote: The argument that they have to look human otherwise they'd be considered a 'beast race' is pretty solid IMO.
Yep! The 'races of man' are just that!

RE: Thoughts on the Au Ra? - Warren Castille - 12-23-2014

I didn't even notice the astrologian picture featured a female Au Ra. Seriously, I had to squint to realize the horns weren't hair/hair accessories.

RE: Thoughts on the Au Ra? - Steel Wolf - 12-23-2014

(12-23-2014, 09:21 AM)Warren Castille Wrote: I didn't even notice the astrologian picture featured a female Au Ra. Seriously, I had to squint to realize the horns weren't hair/hair accessories.

Funny you say that, I only just now saw the tail. Like, I thought that was part of the dress frilly bits...

RE: Thoughts on the Au Ra? - Warren Castille - 12-23-2014

(12-23-2014, 09:32 AM)Steel Wolf Wrote:
(12-23-2014, 09:21 AM)Warren Castille Wrote: I didn't even notice the astrologian picture featured a female Au Ra. Seriously, I had to squint to realize the horns weren't hair/hair accessories.

Funny you say that, I only just now saw the tail. Like, I thought that was part of the dress frilly bits...

THERE'S A TAIL?!

I'm not exaggerating. For all people have claimed miqo'te are just "humes with cat features" they at least look different at a glance.

RE: Thoughts on the Au Ra? - Kellach Woods - 12-23-2014

(12-23-2014, 02:18 AM)Faye Wrote: I'd disagree! The males and females of the same races generally have the same motif: Highlanders are buff looking, Lalafell are cute, Midlanders are average blank slates, Elezen are lanky and elegant, Miqo'te are sporty and a little feral looking, Roegadyn are big with very square features... it doesn't vary any by gender. Male and female Au Ra, however, give off very different vibes. The men are fierce and ferocious and gruff looking, sharp and narrow features. The women are dainty and petite and elegant and doll-like, little and round features. I really enjoy the contrast. I like the contrast of the female Au Ra in themselves even--dragon girls with scales and bestial horns... and super girlish features.
I think this is where we're not seeing the same thing. I would have liked it if that contrast you're highlighting was more marked. Maybe I'd be less inclined to notice the height difference if they had similar horns, or at least horns that were more beastly, or scales that were more prominent.

More I think about it, more I think the concept art may have been drawn by two different people.

Also, no one is disputing height differences being that large IRL or that it's impossible ever. However, these are the first look that we have at the new race - they are the average of what an Au Ra is. In average, I don't think I've seen that much of a marked difference in height.

As I said before, if they're examples of the height slider's possibilities, then I'm probably gonna keep being fine with it. 'cause, y'know, I said I'd roll one (likely a dude, but I've changed my mind before) possibly.

RE: Thoughts on the Au Ra? - Kage - 12-23-2014

(12-23-2014, 01:31 AM)Faye Wrote: Also gonna throw in... if anyone thinks the male Au Ra aren't sexualized eye candy... you are oh so very, very wrong (or maybe just turned off by a little scales and horns).
This lesbian has no qualms about saying the currently depicted male Au Ra are pretty hot. BAMFs if I remember correctly saying too.

Not to say that I fucking love how the female Au Ra look. Aesthetically. But I'm usually more prone to roll a male character than I am a female character for an avatar. /shrug

DA:I is the first game I've actually chosen to use a female @_@; And I think it was cause ROMANCE

(12-23-2014, 05:24 AM)ArmachiA Wrote: I'm confused at what we're talking about here though. Are we talking about Au Ra within the FFXIV bubble or the Au Ra within the reaches of the ENTIRE gaming culture? Those are two very different conversations that I think people are trying to have.
I'm curious about this myself.