(08-06-2014, 04:38 PM)Zhavi Wrote:(08-06-2014, 04:24 PM)Enteris Wrote: -snip-That's . . . really cool.  Mostly my line of thought was that if you can wag the tail, curl it, lift it, wave it, then you could do simple actions such as point or what not -- I hadn't actually given thought to the idea that it would actually make biological sense for it not to be controlled.  On an intelligent person, the idea of not having control over a limb kinda freaks me out a bit, I will admit.  Although I will also say that I didn't imagine it being precise either; pointing in a general sense more than a specific -- so I'm with you on that one  (not dextrous as a monkey's tail, but able to make simple motions already shown to be in range -- just controlled rather than automatic).
Although, if it isn't able to be controlled then there would be a question of whether or not its movements would be able to be suppressed when the miqo'te feels something -- ie, if my character is annoyed by something, would she not consciously be able to stop it from twitching?
Ahahaha, luckily for me social etiquette doesn't much come into play. ÂÂ Half the fun of rping Zhi is getting to showcase that rude, ignorant teenager who thinks she's beholden to no one.
edit - ah, and I wouldn't count humans-with-tails in the same league as miqo'te. Â At the very least we can agree that miqo'te tails are far more mobile and expressive than anything humans have ever had.
And that is indeed the part where conjecture comes in. As for what Square has given us, we truly don't have any idea. So we have to look to real life examples to see how it would work.Â
Well, they're human-like to a degree... so humans with tails. We have a tail bone and there are humans out there that have tails (think stubs, not actually full-length miqo'te type tails). Some of them are able to wag it a bit, but that's really about it. Others don't have control at all. So, from the human example we know we can possibly wag a tail if we had it.
Then we look to cats, the other "half" of the miqo'te. And, as I stated above, the results of studies have been fairly inconclusive. We do know that cats use it to express emotion (think body language)... again upright and tall when happy, wagging/twitching when pissed, etc. Beyond that, we've yet to see cats do much else with their tails, other than chase it (Yes, owning seven cats myself... I have seen them chase it. And, on that note, a couple of our cats do intentionally hit us with their tail... haven't seen them point yet, though.
 ) So, even from the cats all we know for sure and have seen is that mirroring of emotions type deal.So the confusion comes from the crossover between the two creatures. How far does the human/hyur brain go to control the tail? Or is the cat side of the brain in "control" of it, leaving it to be nothing more than a visible emotional extension?
I think this plays into your question about being able to suppress it. That entirely depends on the unknown amount of control that the miqo'te actually has... how much that "hyur side" of their brain controls it versus the "cat side." In that regard, I would like to think that they are able to consciously control the muscle at the base of their tail to the point of making it stop and put on a "poker face". That being said, I personally feel that would be the extent of their "hyur control" of their tail... being able to wag it and being able to stop the wag.Â
Otherwise, I think every single sentient creature in Eorzea would love to play poker with miqo'te. You'd never lose against a miqo'te with their tail being giant, obvious tells.
Raandal Bennett (Deceased)
