Quote:3) We are small yes, thank you for your observation, we are indeed of a smaller stature. Â I primarily think of Lalafells as the "dwarf" race of the game. Â NPC Lalafells are more often than not, quite serious/evil/very much not children or cute in any way, and that should be a cursor for how you view Lalafell characters: not children. Â The whole appearance of our race is constrained as the other races are, by Japanese stylized designs. Â So unlike "traditional" western dwarves, we do not have long beards, or old man/santa appearances which would be a bit harder for the Japanese fan-base and home-team designers to process into the style of the game, but we should be treated as such: just as tough if not tougher than other races, sexual beings like any other, and often good-natured, but not necessarily cute upon first meeting.So much this. The Lalafell are the 'Kawaii' race that tends to be prevalent in most Asian games. There's one in just about every Korean or Japanese MMO. Lineage 2 for example, the male Dwarves were..well, dwarves. But the female dwarves were flat-chested, pigtailed, doll-like things. It's actually kind of funny because to me, L2's dwarves looked way too much like little girls for my comfort zone. I don't feel the same with Lalafell because much as was stated, they don't resemble children to me, but more like evil little dolls. Sadly, Miqo'te and Lalafell suffer from a lot of negative connotations, not just because of their player base (though that can be a huge factor), but also because of OOC biases against those kinds of models, which leaves their RP options in some communities severely limited. The thing is, when that happens, they feel forced to play the stereotype, which reinforces the negativity that that's all they are, which forces more into it. It's a cycle in the RP community in general that's facilitated not just by the players of said race, but by those that encounter them and apply their real world stuff to what they see in a fantasy world.
I'm of the opinion that Lalafell can fight, can romance, can be snarky, sweet, evil, or good just like any other race. We've seen Lalafell are capable of fighting on equal ground with the other races. I distinctly recall a cutscene from 1.0 with some pretty strong Lalafell. Call it fantasy physics, call it that they have more dense musculature and more mass despite their size, or perhaps because of it. Whatever works for you. The leaders of the Thaumaturge guild are Lalafell. Can they be silly? Sure. Does that make them childlike? No. It just means that physically, they're easier to fit into comedic situations. Which is something that (if we're going on real world similarities) has been done with little people in the past. If you notice, a lot of people in the real world have trouble taking little people seriously as well, and a good many have been cast in the past into stereotypical 'cute' roles. Sad but true. But the fact is, Lalafell are people. They get married, form bonds, get drunk, have kids, fight in wars, and conduct business in the world of Hydaelyn like anyone else. And that's how I treat 'em.
Way I see it, if someone lets a real world bias affect how they treat Lalafell, that's on them. Play your character to your heart's content, and if they treat you like a child or not how your character is portrayed..fuck 'em. Lots of fish in the sea to RP with.
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