(07-23-2013, 08:26 PM)Skyborn Wrote: Conversely it also adds an interesting social question: Since it's common knowledge that these races have these heightened senses...would people be less prone to mumbling things that they wanted to be kept private? Whether you were sitting next to an Elezen or not, there's probably one in the room and they can probably hear what you're saying. I would think that people would be more cautious about stuff like that. In our society, where hearing has a baseline across ethnicities, we don't really have to think twice about it. But in Eorzea, lots of folks have that super hearing. Mumbling and saying stuff under your breath might not even be very common place.
That's kind of a tricky question, and I guess it depends a lot on how far you want to take the abilities based on the available lore. Other than some text that I believe is just dramatic license, I feel the game sets the bar at "clearly better than hyur, but not supernaturally so." So, an elezen can probably hear things further and with greater clarity, so most people would probably avoid muttering things under their breath at them... but overhearing a conversation across a room with background noise, or through a wall without obviously eavesdropping? That gets into "superpowers" territory for me, anyway, and I don't feel the lore -- especially as expressed in game mechanics -- supports that.
Likewise, with miqo'te, I can buy that they could, by sniffing someone like a cat, ascertain that they'd been a fight recently, or just went through a lot of physical activity, or maybe even roughly the last time they bathed. On that basis, I could see miqo'te finding employment as detectives and investigators (CSI Sagolii?).That said, I don't see them being able to scent-track people from a crime scene to their home in a city, track across water (excepting exceptional circumstances, like tracking a fresh blood trail), or distinguish a scent through attempts to conceal it (like strong herbs, smoke, or perfumes). Again, I think that strays too far into "superpowers" territory.
But, all that's just my opinion. I agree that'd we see some societal stereotypes (don't mutter insults to an elezen, don't sleep around with a miqo'te's partner because they'll know, etc.), but unless the advantages are extreme, probably not huge societal differences.
The Freelance Wizard
Quality RP at low, low prices!
((about me | about L'yhta Mahre | L'yhta's desk | about Mysterium, the Ivory Tower: a heavy RP society of mages))
Quality RP at low, low prices!
((about me | about L'yhta Mahre | L'yhta's desk | about Mysterium, the Ivory Tower: a heavy RP society of mages))
