+- Hydaelyn Role-Players (https://ffxiv-roleplayers.com/mybb18)
+-- Forum: Community (https://ffxiv-roleplayers.com/mybb18/forumdisplay.php?fid=8)
+--- Forum: RP Discussion (https://ffxiv-roleplayers.com/mybb18/forumdisplay.php?fid=13)
+--- Thread: Pretty characters in a harsh world. (/showthread.php?tid=2389)
Pretty characters in a harsh world. - Orlog - 06-24-2013
MODERATOR'S NOTE: As some of you may be aware, this thread was previously locked due constant argument. As per member requests, we've decided to reopen the thread with the off-topic posts removed. We ask that you try to move on with the discussion and avoid off topic bickering.
Should this thread get out of hand once more, it will be locked again indefinitely. So please, be courteous and give each other the benefit of the doubt. Thank you.
This topic was brought up in the race selection thread, and I actually got a few people commenting on how my mentality of being a rough bitch visually is refreshing to see. But, this kind of confused me, because I personally feel that it shouldn't be that foreign of a concept. Pretty characters in a rough world just come off as very unrealistic to me. Especially in a game that has you going out into the wilderness, fighting monsters that're larger than life and at times even killing people to survive.
As I had mentioned in this other thread, I'm not saying that attractive people shouldn't exist. But, looking fresh faced and bug eyed just doesn't seem to fit the world, unless they're absolutely new to the world of doing any kind of work. Plus, the character models within the game are pretty attractive from the get go; I see no need to add on to that.
So, what are your thoughts on it?
RE: Pretty characters in a harsh world. - Koko - 06-24-2013
I always Roleplay my characters' physical appearance according to their lifestyle. My Roegadyn here will be brutish, scarred and visibly aged (as befits someone close to the fifties who has worked at a forge for a lifetime, or battled wielding axes).
In  WoW my rogue was an old military veteran who was pretty ugly due to a lifetime of scars (most done by player characters, as far as having half his face burnt).
My SWTOR bounty hunter was similarly ugly.
My Secret World mage character was a sickly, gaunt sort of Lovecraft type.
I do RP extremes, but I think that these quirks and choices add a lot of flavor, but then again I am one more prone to have characters with a much wider set of flaws than actual prowess in any field, because I think that it's limitations, and not masteries, which bring greater depth to interaction. Most my characters excell in one of three areas: Social interaction, physical strength, or mental strength, and then are 'neutral/secondary' in another, and 'bad' in another, as a rough picture.
RE: Pretty characters in a harsh world. - allgivenover - 06-24-2013
I considered that too, one way to excuse it is that the proliferation of healing magics could minimize the permanent aesthetic damage that people suffer the world over. However scars do happen, as we can choose them in the character creator. Perhaps those scars are the result of truly dire injury. I dunno.
I say it's up to personal preference how rugged a character ends up looking. This is Final Fantasy after all, it's fairly common throughout the franchise for characters to go through hell and then come out the other side of it looking as if they just got their hair and makeup done by a professional stylist.
RE: Pretty characters in a harsh world. - Eva - 06-24-2013
I don't want to speak to other peoples' characters, but Eva probably gets lumped into that. Most notably, she is extremely busty, and goes to lengths to try and conceal this - moreso when in any sort of mission or combat setting. She does not view it as the asset that most women might.
She doesn't have the degree of combat experience most others do, and she suffers a sort of OCD and is super-aware of her appearance and how she presents herself - and there are a number of in-character reasons for this (which I wouldn't mind talking about but starts to veer away from the point).
This tends to fade to the background when there is duty, and when things happen that leave her on the battlefield for awhile. One might say the barbie doll has been dragged through the mud a lot. And while she may take a lot of time cleaning herself and restoring her image, only to get muddy or bloody again at the next. This happened a lot within the more militaristic/mercenary type groups she belonged to. She's also a nurse, and not exactly the "hellllloooo nurse" trope (although that's been joked about at times) - but there's been RP or references made to incidents where she's held a man's entrails in her hands while a surgeon tried to work on him. And other gritty stuff like that.
Dirt, blood, grime, mud, soot, sweat... happens. To RP like you've stepped off the battlefield untouched by any of this is a little unrealistic to me, and I agree with everything you're saying about keeping it real.
RE: Pretty characters in a harsh world. - Magellan - 06-24-2013
I come from the world of console rpgs, in which the heroes are attractive; hell, even the villains are attractive, despite engaging all manner of activity you have described.
I understand your dedication to realism, even applaud you for it, but this is a fantasy world, MMO's attract a large quantity of anime fans, and people generally associate aesthetics with being cool (just look at advertising).
Not saying its right, it just is what it is.
RE: Pretty characters in a harsh world. - Kerr - 06-24-2013
Personally, I love characters with some grit to them. Kerr isn't afraid to get his hands dirty or even to kill people (though its usually for a good reason). Seeing other characters who represent these kind of traits is something I enjoy. The world they live in can be quite savage at times and I think it's good to try and keep that in mind. At least for me, anyway.
RE: Pretty characters in a harsh world. - Martiallais - 06-24-2013
To start, how you put it in the other thread WAS great to see. It made me grin a bit so props to you.
For me, it was at least partly because it reminded me of an old friend's view and expression of her characters. On to the point, I've played characters on both end of the spectrum from a shining, almost OCD noble blood knight to a human mercenary that could care less how much blood and grime he was caked in as long as the job got done. To me, it really boils down to the environment of the world, but more importantly the character. How clean or unmarred a character is (or isn't) can be a small way of not only showing their priorities but how they view themselves, both of which can be (and usually are) effected by their history/background/standing/place in life, among other things.
I like to look at it really as a small way of presenting that piece of the character, but by the same token I could just really be reading into other people's characters too far. I just know that for myself that's the reflection I intend to give off when I comment/post/describe something of that nature during RP.
For what it's worth, Zarek will likely be more of a grittier, down to earth type character given the background that's been forming in my head.
RE: Pretty characters in a harsh world. - Kannadi - 06-24-2013
My thoughts are:
Kannadi is well-off enough that bathing, grooming, and laundry are easy for her to access, so she does. She looks conventionally good not by distance from filthy adventuring work, but because she can afford to correct for the effects.
RE: Pretty characters in a harsh world. - Averis - 06-24-2013
I'm certainly one of those that play the "pretty" or "fair" characters. I guess it really depends on what you want out of your RP and how realistic you want to get compared to what you want your character to look like. I think it's good to have a mix of both. I agree that it's unrealistic to not have some wear on characters that battle as much as ours do, but I'd rather use the excuse that they were healed than have everyone running around all gruff and with scars. A majority of either side would be boring.
I think class can play a role in this as well. To me casters would tend to be more fair whereas a warrior would more likely be more gruff and scared etc.
TLDR: Variety is good as long as it makes sense.
RE: Pretty characters in a harsh world. - Caeryn - 06-24-2013
Many a time I've RPed Selene as being very very dirty. Â Oftentimes she'll come home and be covered in blood (usually someone else's), wearing a bandage, or in general dirty and grimy. Â Her hair is oftentimes a mess later in the day.
It all boils down to how gritty and "real" you want to get with your character. Â Although I might raise an eyebrow if you manage to brutally slay 50 people and come out nice and shiny Selene might raise an eyebrow.
RE: Pretty characters in a harsh world. - Myxie Tryxle - 06-24-2013
It really depends on your character concept. For a rough and tumble mercenary or grizzled pirate, it would be rather expected that they would be rough around the edges cosmetically, I agree. But this is also the kind of world where you can take a long sword to the liver, drink a potion, and walk it off. The ready availability of healing magics (white mages, potions, etc.) would make scarification less of an issue for a seasoned warrior with a reasonable support structure. That's before even considering the notion that at least a few money-focused conjurers would develop a trade in vanity magic (magically equivalent to modern cosmetic surgery, but likely cheaper).
RE: Pretty characters in a harsh world. - Ellie - 06-24-2013
Shiro's an absolute wuss, so I at least have an excuse. xD
Great discussion, by the way, but I think Final Fantasy has a lot of romanticization in the way they portray characters, so I don't really feel it's completely out of the question for roleplay in a Final Fantasy game, but I do absolutely understand that people can be put off by it.
RE: Pretty characters in a harsh world. - Nhyra - 06-24-2013
My character is considered beautiful I guess. She has a well groomed hair and skin that has been cared for, her mother made sure of that. However, I'm sure she'll get ruffled when the real adventure begins and the fights will have a toll on her appearance. Thanks to the overly strict beauty routines her mother taught her, my character started to think that being vain is one of the worst personality flaws one can have. However, whenever she gets messy, she gets the small voice in her head telling that she should clean up asap.
She could really use a mud bath ;>
I could just make the most roughest Roegadyn I can and have fun as a ragamuffin tho.
RE: Pretty characters in a harsh world. - Mara - 06-24-2013
(06-24-2013, 03:45 PM)Averis Wrote: I think class can play a role in this as well. To me casters would tend to be more fair whereas a warrior would more likely be more gruff and scared etc.
This right here. I always play ranged classes, and so I think they're more likely to come out of fights unmarred than, say... A warrior who charged head-first right into a battle. Casters (and rangers) are trained to stay out of harm's way and fight from afar, because they lack the strength and stamina to withstand the harsh blows of melee combat. So I agree that class would play a fairly large role in just how beat up/dirty/blood-soaked your character gets on a regular basis.
As far as my character is concerned, she sometimes relies on her looks to help her get what she wants. So keeping up a certain standard as far as her appearance is concerned is pretty important. She's still got some scars, though... but she strategically hides them. (Partly because she doesn't want to have to answer questions about how she got them.) And while she's not afraid to get a little dirty, for the most part she remains out of harm's way due to being a mage and also not wanting to damage her goods, so to speak.
RE: Pretty characters in a harsh world. - Faiz - 06-24-2013
I'm okay with facial scars and whatnot, especially when they apply.. however I'll admit that I only add them if /I/ like how it looks on this character or that character. Originally, Maleqo'te Ryuki had s scar over his right eye and one over his cheek, but it looked extremely off and bad. I made an alternate look to him and ended up liking that one better.
SWTOR, most if not all off my characters have scars. Those who don't.. we're meant to be that way, according to my perception.
While I more so or less enjoy your post, I don't feel as though (generally speaking) I should be looked down upon by others for it.