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Twinflame · **01-19-2014, 01:02 AM**

See, I also remember SE confirming that the playable races are capable of interbreeding. To me, this is tantamount to SE confirming my suspicions that they are all the same species, with a single common origin. I'll prolly hold that in my own headcanon unless something comes along and states otherwise.

Naunet · **01-19-2014, 01:02 AM**

(01-18-2014, 11:42 PM)ansemaru Wrote: There's no viable interbreeding, and enough physiological differences for them to have separated enough as to be different species.

You can't say there's no viable interbreeding when Squee has actively said half-breeds happen. And actually, there may be more evidence for physiological similaritiesÂ across the different races than differences, at least that we can tell - and what we can tell is extremely limited. They all eat and drink the same things; they all share the same body plan; with the exception of Keepers, they're all diurnal.

(01-19-2014, 12:23 AM)ArmachiA Wrote: Keepers:
Tigers are more nomadic and tend to keep to themselves. Mothers will always raise the children while the males will go and roam their territory (Which is why Keeper children take their mothers name). Tigers are cooperative with each other, and if it is known they are family (The mother knows the male tiger fathered her young) she may even let the male near her young. Though Males tend to have large territories that overlap many female territories where they roam. Because of this, Tigers have much much less access to males than Lions do - in the game this is probably why Keeper men are so rare.

I'm not actually sure this describes Keeper males at all. They certainly don't seem to hold "territories", much less roam about.

LiadansWhisper · **01-19-2014, 01:11 AM**

(01-19-2014, 01:02 AM)Twinflame Wrote: See, I also remember SE confirming that the playable races are capable of interbreeding. To me, this is tantamount to SE confirming my suspicions that they are all the same species, with a single common origin. I'll prolly hold that in my own headcanon unless something comes along and states otherwise.

In the real world, yes, that would make sense. Â In Eorzea? Â I don't think that we can take that as being actual fact. Â We have no real idea of how biology works in the world of Eorzea.

Naunet · **01-19-2014, 01:18 AM**

(01-19-2014, 01:11 AM)LiadansWhisper Wrote: In the real world, yes, that would make sense. Â In Eorzea? Â I don't think that we can take that as being actual fact. Â We have no real idea of how biology works in the world of Eorzea.

We can make pretty well-informed guesses given the information we have before us, however. The types of creatures (including the sentient, humanoid ones) all roughly mirror the phyla spread we have on Earth. Â Combine these things with with logic like "I highly doubt Squeenix cared enough to think of a world that is not carbon based," (because they don't) as well as the fact that any fictionally constructed world must have internal consistency, and there's actually quite a lot we can say about biology in Eorzea.

LiadansWhisper · **01-19-2014, 01:42 AM**

(01-19-2014, 01:18 AM)Naunet Wrote:
(01-19-2014, 01:11 AM)LiadansWhisper Wrote: In the real world, yes, that would make sense. Â In Eorzea? Â I don't think that we can take that as being actual fact. Â We have no real idea of how biology works in the world of Eorzea.

We can make pretty well-informed guesses given the information we have before us, however. The types of creatures (including the sentient, humanoid ones) all roughly mirror the phyla spread we have on Earth. Â Combine these things with with logic like "I highly doubt Squeenix cared enough to think of a world that is not carbon based," (because they don't) as well as the fact that any fictionally constructed world must have internal consistency, and there's actually quite a lot we can say about biology in Eorzea.

But not about how species work. Â It's never directly stated anywhere that they all emerged from a common ancestor. Â That they are able to interbreed could be due to a number of things - including magic, btw. Â Undecided

TheLastCandle · **01-19-2014, 01:46 AM**

Theorycrafting is fun, but I agree: we should not attempt to apply logic in any setting in which magic features so prominently - at least, not without indisputable evidence.

LiadansWhisper · **01-19-2014, 01:57 AM**

Just as an example of why I hesitate to believe that every race in Eorzea is the same species:

In Forgotten Realms (that's a D&D setting) and, indeed, in the main D&D setting, everything could breed with everything.

Half-Orcs.
Half-Elves
Half-Trolls
Half-Dragons
Half-Giants
Half-Elementals
Half-Kobolds

etc, etc, etc.

None of these races were the same species. Â But a wizard did it!

We even know categorically that Orcs and Draenei in World of Warcraft are not the same species. Â They're not even from the same planet. Â Yet Garona is a half-Orc, half-Draenei. Â Figure that one out.

Â¯\(Â°_o)/Â¯

A wizard did it!

ansemaru · **01-19-2014, 02:13 AM**

(01-19-2014, 01:02 AM)Naunet Wrote:
(01-18-2014, 11:42 PM)ansemaru Wrote: There's no viable interbreeding, and enough physiological differences for them to have separated enough as to be different species.

You can't say there's no viable interbreeding when Squee has actively said half-breeds happen. And actually, there may be more evidence for physiological similaritiesÂ across the different races than differences, at least that we can tell - and what we can tell is extremely limited. They all eat and drink the same things; they all share the same body plan; with the exception of Keepers, they're all diurnal.

Animals sharing a body plan and dietary choices does not make them the same species. Dolphins, sharks, and icthyosaurs all are/were piscavores and shared remarkably similar body plans, but are disparate species to an extreme degree.

And IIRC, Square didn't say crossbreeds happen, there was a poll of fans asking whether they'd be interested in crossbreeds occurring in-universe.

FreelanceWizard · **01-19-2014, 02:24 AM**

(01-19-2014, 02:13 AM)ansemaru Wrote: And IIRC, Square didn't say crossbreeds happen, there was a poll of fans asking whether they'd be interested in crossbreeds occurring in-universe.

It took a bit of doing, but I found the dev post on the matter:

"Can different races crossbreed?

Answer: Yes, but it is rare...and often difficult due to cultural differences, etc. which is why you don't see it often. The lore team has informed me that there will be future quests/events that touch on this and other issues, such as love and marriage."

There's also some other good bits of lore in that post regarding magitek, the open-mindedness of the average Eorzean, and the like.

ansemaru · **01-19-2014, 02:37 AM**

Okay, now I'm very interested in seeing those ostensible future quests regarding cross-species couples and offspring.

Naunet · **01-19-2014, 02:38 AM**

(01-19-2014, 01:42 AM)LiadansWhisper Wrote: including magic

Always a terrible excuse. :p

[edit] By which I mean to say, "but magic" does not actually explain anything and is the mark of a poorly crafted fictional universe.

ansemaru · **01-19-2014, 02:44 AM**

Seconding "but magic" as kind of a cop-out. A well-constructed fantasy universe can contain magic but still have magic operate on internally consistent rules about what it can and cannot do and what it does and does not change from the real world.

And there must be something said for internally consistent laws of reality. Physics and chemistry, after all, work similarly enough to reality in Hydaelyn. Why can't biology operate on internally consistent rules as well, magic or no?

LiadansWhisper · **01-19-2014, 02:46 AM**

(01-19-2014, 02:38 AM)Naunet Wrote:
(01-19-2014, 01:42 AM)LiadansWhisper Wrote: including magic

Always a terrible excuse. :p

[edit] By which I mean to say, "but magic" does not actually explain anything and is the mark of a poorly crafted fictional universe.

Totally not saying it's not a terrible excuse, because I agree that it is! Â It's just a really easy way for a dev team to handwave something that wouldn't otherwise make sense. Â >.>

LiadansWhisper · **01-19-2014, 02:48 AM**

(01-19-2014, 02:44 AM)ansemaru Wrote: Seconding "but magic" as kind of a cop-out. A well-constructed fantasy universe can contain magic but still have magic operate on internally consistent rules about what it can and cannot do and what it does and does not change from the real world.

And there must be something said for internally consistent laws of reality. Physics and chemistry, after all, work similarly enough to reality in Hydaelyn. Why can't biology operate on internally consistent rules as well, magic or no?

It can. Â But it's extremely common for developers/storytellers/authors to gloss over that and ignore that particular aspect of biology.

ansemaru · **01-19-2014, 03:00 AM**

(01-19-2014, 02:48 AM)LiadansWhisper Wrote:
(01-19-2014, 02:44 AM)ansemaru Wrote: Seconding "but magic" as kind of a cop-out. A well-constructed fantasy universe can contain magic but still have magic operate on internally consistent rules about what it can and cannot do and what it does and does not change from the real world.

And there must be something said for internally consistent laws of reality. Physics and chemistry, after all, work similarly enough to reality in Hydaelyn. Why can't biology operate on internally consistent rules as well, magic or no?

It can. Â But it's extremely common for developers/storytellers/authors to gloss over that and ignore that particular aspect of biology.

Not going to lie, it's a massive pet peeve of mine. Unless it's directly stated in lore, a bunch of sentient species don't just pop out of the aether fully formed, and as long as they have DNA, they still ought to be beholden to at least some version of how genetics and evolution work.

God, I wish I didn't love fantasy so much. In my heart of hearts I want things to operate like science fiction. But fantasy tropes and design. Ugh.

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