(10-09-2015, 01:27 AM)Calliope Cloverbloom Wrote: Just putting this out there, but I question the responders to this thread who've said "I like the race" is their reason for playing a Miqo'te specifically, yet then they want to RP a strong deviation away from the norm of what that race represents. If what the individual means to express is "I like the way the race looks", then okay, fine, fair enough. But "a race" is more than appearance, it represents a normative cultural identity, a role that is comprised within the setting that is unique and special to that race. The Miqo'te racial relationship norm is just that - a unique and special facet to their society which all other races do not have. I'd argue it's as much a part of their identity as cat ears and fluffy tails.Â
The above paragraph has nothing to do with whether or not lore-bending is acceptable, appropriate, etc. It has everything to do with the reasoning stated by some for their choice of race. Be honest with yourselves. If you chose the race because of the race then you wouldn't feel so inclined to throw away a substantial portion of what identifies that race. If you chose them because you think ears and tails are kawaii, then that's totally valid and fine. Just say it as such.
As one of those people who likes the way Miqo'te look, let me explain how my decision factored into RP.
When I started playing XIV, it was the first MMO I had ever played. And I had never RPed before. So I played with the character creator, and settled on Alothia's 1.0 design. I made her name, her look, everything, with the simple intention of me just playing the game as a game.
November of 1.0 release came around, and I met some people who RPed. It intrigued me. I started RPing lightly to get the feel of things. Now, mind you, I couldn't change her looks at that  point. There wasn't anything to do that with. And we didn't have the lore knowledge we have now. So more or less, my Miqo'te was a hyur with cat ears and a tail.
They began releasing more lore and more about the tribes and clans, but by the time that happened, I had already solidified Alothia as a character. I wasn't going to retcon a character that I had been playing for over a year at that point because it fit the lore better. I took what I knew of the lore and made it work in the context of my character.
Why do I say all of this? Because it is people's personal choices to play a character that they find visually appealing. Sure, I doubt my story is uncommon among 1.0 players, but it doesn't really matter. I shouldn't get special dispensation because I played from the beginning of 1.0. It's not up to me or anyone else to judge people based on those choices.
People who don't like the city miqo'te stories aren't obligated to play with them. The OP seemed to just want to get a gauge in the community to see if their characters would be hit with an undue amount of backlash.
As someone who has RPed Alothia the way she is: monogamous, married to a hyur, more or less hyur-like with cat ears and a tail, I can honestly say that even ICly, I don't get backlash. People don't really bat an eye at her or what she does with her personal life. I don't ignore the fact that she's a miqo'te. I work in her expressions with her feline features, I use her sense of smell in RP...but she is NOT tribal AT ALL.
Don't worry about playing your character the way you want. You'll probably be more accepted than these forums tend to let on.
![[Image: DI0sJH6.png?1]](http://i.imgur.com/DI0sJH6.png?1)
