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+--- Thread: I'm Curious (/showthread.php?tid=2370)
RE: I'm Curious - Asyria - 06-26-2013
You know, come to think of it... the whole "Lala are cute little snuggly things" stereotype doesn't have to be meta at all.
If we instinctively think small=cute or small=weak, then why wouldn't Eorzeans have the same instinctive response? Especially if they don't personally know any Lalafel who could have proven them wrong. Or worse, know Lalafel who proved them right!
If this stereotype is IC, I would think at least some Lalafels would capitalize on it to get out of trouble and con people, while others would simply go along with it.
Then of course, you have the ones that feel they have something to prove because of it, those that just don't care, those who are simply annoyed, etc.
Calling it meta is closing the door to door to some potential RP fun, I think.
RE: I'm Curious - FreelanceWizard - 06-26-2013
It doesn't have to be metagame, but conversely, the setting doesn't seem to support it; Lalafell don't seem to be treated as cute little snuggly things by NPCs, so it doesn't seem logical that PCs would do so when the NPCs largely don't. In absence of setting support and with the evidence of it being a metagame behavior in other games, it's easy to assume that it's a metagame behavior here, too.
That's not to say that there aren't Lalafell who fall into the stereotype, just that they'd be relatively rare and PCs of other races wouldn't hold that stereotype.
RE: I'm Curious - Folken - 06-26-2013
(06-26-2013, 10:22 AM)Asyria Wrote: You know, come to think of it... the whole "Lala are cute little snuggly things" stereotype doesn't have to be meta at all.
Mostly reiterating what Wizard said, but yes. The problem is, this IS relatively meta because everything established within the game's setting is contrary to this. Ul'dah is such a fine example of this. You have scores of lalafellin Brass Blades, Sultansworn, even guild NPCs at both the Pugilist's guild and the gladiator's guild in upper positions training new recruit's.
NPC's only tend to treat Lalafells with this kind of stereotyping when a particular lalafell NPC exhibits those over the top cutesy traits, and even then, it's not because of their race, but because of their character. (Like Sisipu from LL, or Tataru)
So the main thing is, lalafell are not "cute little snuggly things". They CAN be, but it should not be treated IC as a rule to encapsulate all lalafell. And to do so is contrasting the established game precedent towards the race. It's the same as if everyone treated Miqo'te as being extraordinarily cat-like as a rule, like having a fondness for balls of yarn or talking with an abundance of R's thrown in. Will some people play their Miqo'te like that? Sure. Does it make it ok to treat every Miqo'te player as if that's expected? Certainly not.
RE: I'm Curious - Uther - 06-26-2013
While I don't think any in-game stereotypes exist among NPCs as extreme as treating lalafell like their own personal teddy bear like some PCs are prone to do, I was planning on giving my character a bit of an inferiority thing where he feels he has to prove himself a lot. I would never specifically say it's because of his height, but I think that would be implied. He would be the valiant knight type but with an arrogance or bravado to him that another race of that archetype probably wouldn't have.