Au Ra - How will your character react?

[banndsand]

I haven't been playing FFXIV for a few months now due to school, but was excited when I heard about the expansion. I plan to make a full return on a new Au Ra character once the expansion hits to see the world through his fresh-to-Eorzea eyes.

 

I fully expect people to find him a little scary or ugly or whatever. If someone wants to discriminate against my character, my only hope is that their feelings are IC and that I can use the opportunity to develop him as a character.

 

Fiction being fiction, inherently separate from reality, I find that themes of difficulty and strife can be deeply moving and can lead the readers (or in this case participants) to more easily empathizing with groups that do face such difficulties in the real world.

 

If that kind of fiction bothers people, I hope they will be able to avoid it.

For anyone else wanting that kind of thing, feel free to say hi if you see my yet-unnamed character (still waiting for naming conventions x.x) around.

[Asmodean]

Asmodean will have no reason to hate or like Au Ra due to him more or less already knowing that judging a book by it's cover can one of the worse mistake one can make. IF anything he may be mad is someone he knows was glamored to not be seen for what they really wore. He would take it as a he's not trusted or something like that but would come around after some time once he thought about the whole situation.

 

Still annoyed but he would come around.

[Magellan]

Sadly, for the most part, I think they will be assimilated without anyone batting an eyelid. RP in Eorzea sometimes seems to be a bit like the SS Enterprise, where everyone is happy and tolerant, and accepting. It would certainly spice things up a bit if the racial divisions that do exist in Eorzea (Wildwood vs Keeper, Duskwight vs everyone, Highlanders vs Ul'dah) were more of a thing, but they really aren't. 

 

With that said (and maybe I'm a hypocrite) my characters generally ARE pretty tolerant and accepting, and would likely not have any problem with them. However, they would have a problem with the Au Ra's who were like 'surprise! We were Au Ra all along' as they'd generally see that as dishonest, a breach of trust, and well.... since it's going to be so prevalent, it's something I'm going to OOCly steer my character away from, as any overused trope can almost lead to parody, and complete disillusionment.

 

For example, imagine my character suddenly finds out 60% of her friends were actually Lalafellian this whole time, including her lover and best friend. She'd feel pretty betrayed right? But beyond that, she'd think the whole world was going crazy, or that she was... for not having noticed before. So yea... gonna be steering away from the 'aha, gotcha!' Au Ra storylines.

[Aoi Fukiku]

Sadly, for the most part, I think they will be assimilated without anyone batting an eyelid. RP in Eorzea sometimes seems to be a bit like the SS Enterprise, where everyone is happy and tolerant, and accepting. It would certainly spice things up a bit if the racial divisions that do exist in Eorzea (Wildwood vs Keeper, Duskwight vs everyone, Highlanders vs Ul'dah) were more of a thing, but they really aren't. 

 

With that said (and maybe I'm a hypocrite) my characters generally ARE pretty tolerant and accepting, and would likely not have any problem with them. However, they would have a problem with the Au Ra's who were like 'surprise! We were Au Ra all along' as they'd generally see that as dishonest, a breach of trust, and well.... since it's going to be so prevalent, it's something I'm going to OOCly steer my character away from, as any overused trope can almost lead to parody, and complete disillusionment.

 

For example, imagine my character suddenly finds out 60% of her friends were actually Lalafellian this whole time, including her lover and best friend. She'd feel pretty betrayed right? But beyond that, she'd think the whole world was going crazy, or that she was... for not having noticed before. So yea... gonna be steering away from the 'aha, gotcha!' Au Ra storylines.

And this is why Flower Icly walks around as she is (Just tell people to use their imagination). She has ran in to a few Glamored Au'ra and asked them why the hide themselves and why are they so untrusting of people. So many are going to have their friends hating them.

[Altitis Acquired]

I'm not a fan of the whole "I was an Au Ra all along!" idea. I'll change my main to an Au Ra, but ICly he will leave Eorzea for good and my Au Ra will be a whole new character. It will be the same toon OOCly, but ICly it won't be the same guy.

But what people do with their characters are up to themselves.

[Virella]

It can, but it's still ignorant and idiotic. If your character is an ignorant idiot, then by all means, RP an ignorant idiot. I'm just not going to RP with you then. ^^

For someone who claims people to be ignorant, I think you are clearly ignorant of IC/OOC boundaries.

 

Racism is a real thing in Eorzea, heck, we see interracial couples spat upon and forced to move from their homelands in wanderer's palace. We see NPCs trashtalking other races constantly. There is nothing wrong with people being outright hostile. Of course it is still your choice if you wish to deal with it or not, but expecting a walk in the park, while unicorns skip around, the birds are whistling merry tunes and rainbows everywhere after rerolling au ra? Uhmmm. I would still expect a great deal of ignorance being flung your way of various levels.

 

Just because people's char dislike yours for their looks, it does not mean they are angry racists OOC. It is roleplay.

[Arik]

Considering my first foray into the FFXIV RP world will be via an Au Ra main, I can't exactly contribute much in the way of 'how will your character react?'

 

I can say, however, from the perspective of someone only just coming into the community for the first time, I would personally hope to see a broad variation on how my Au Ra is received by others ICly. Conflict, prejudice, distrust, curiosity, excitement, complacency, hatred-- the more the merrier. So long as anything 'negative' remains entirely within the IC spectrum and I can still joke around with the other player(s) OOCly while our characters bicker or duke it out, I'm pretty happy. Variety is the spice of life after all, and though I can absolutely understand some players not being up for the more 'sensitive' sort of interactions, I personally don't mind it-- heck, I even enjoy it when the scene's thought out well and I can readily discuss things with the other players on an OOC capacity to be sure we're all on the same page.

[Altitis Acquired]

It can, but it's still ignorant and idiotic. If your character is an ignorant idiot, then by all means, RP an ignorant idiot. I'm just not going to RP with you then. ^^

For someone who claims people to be ignorant, I think you are clearly ignorant of IC/OOC boundaries.

 

Racism is a real thing in Eorzea, heck, we see interracial couples spat upon and forced to move from their homelands in wanderer's palace. We see NPCs trashtalking other races constantly. There is nothing wrong with people being outright hostile. Of course it is still your choice if you wish to deal with it or not, but expecting a walk in the park, while unicorns skip around, the birds are whistling merry tunes and rainbows everywhere after rerolling au ra? Uhmmm. I would still expect a great deal of ignorance being flung your way of various levels.

 

Just because people's char dislike yours for their looks, it does not mean they are angry racists OOC. It is roleplay.

 

I stated in an earlier post that I am aware of the state of Eorzea and that I know the difference between IC and OOC.

And as for ignorancy, to attack someone solely because of their race IS ignorant. Racism generally is.

 

That doesn't change the fact that there are indeed people who are racist, homophobes and what not OOCly and brings their hatred ICly, using in-game situations as an excuse. I am not saying everyone does so, I am saying that it is indeed something that happens.

 

It is also each individual's prerogative to play the game as they see fit, as long they follow the rules set by Square Enix, the rules each and every one of us have agreed to when we joined the game. And every individual can RP the way they want, but it is also my prerogative to NOT RP with people who I don't want to RP with. And if some idiot comes up to my character ICly and wants to kill him JUST BECAUSE HE IS AN AU RA, then I can choose whether or not I want to participate in said RP.

 

And honestly, no, I don't want to RP with people like that. No one is going to force anything on me that I don't agree with. And if you have a problem with that, then it is YOUR problem, not mine. ^^

[Mercer]

Oswin will interact with Au Ra like everyone else that isn't Hyur or Roe. Thinly veiled mild racism in a snark filled package.

[Oilbasedoleander]

Chaz lifts an Au Ra's tail into her hands and tilts her head saying, "What- what is this?" Touches horn. Touches scaled skin. Wandering in circles around the poor being, "What... what are you?! Must examine thoroughly!!" Pokes and prods more excitedly. 

 

Something along those lines. They'll probably knock her out which wouldn't be such a bad idea to escape.

[g0ne]

Eleni will be a curious kitty. She'll probably bombard Au Ra with all sorts of questions. And she'll be friendly, like she usually is to every new person she meets, and open to being friends. 

 

Though, she might be in awe of the males, and have dreamy hearts over her head.

[Artigan]

I'm conflicted about turning my Miqo'te into an Au'Ra.

[Spethah]

I really hope to see some form of hostile reactions to Septh walking around as an Au Ra through extremely broken and lore breaking means. While she was previously treated as an outsider and was considered untrustworthy for being a Miqo'te in Ul'dah, to have her as a race she doesn't know anything about (to the point of not knowing what she is) and seeing many people look down on her further would be rather interesting from a writing point of view. I'd like to see how those kind of reactions would work out between the two sides. If people are going to be accepting then that's fine. I can understand if some people are welcoming of a race they never knew, but of course I also can understand if some people are hostile because of racial differences and past events and what not.

[Nebbs]

Nebbs - in her stride.. I mean she talks to trees!

 

 

[C'io Behkt]

Apprehensive, but curious. Raen seem to share a culture with the Domans in name at least, and Domans populate Mor Dhona now, so less suspicious, but Xaela and their diverse tribes? Caution, but also a desire to learn about a people very different yet very similar to her own.

 

In a way, much like exposure to the city-states did to her, C'io's new encounters with this much culture will test and temper her own core beliefs, as it should be.

[D'aito Kuji]

I'm preparing to have my character, on her blog (a moogle-mailed newsletter), to describe her initial encounter, mistaking a female Au Ra as a Miqo'te in costume.  She will hear a tale of how large their males are, but she will believe that it's an exaggeration.  Other cool stuff will happen.

[Zanther]

Zanther will probably be more curious then anything. Being a scholar, he has seen mentions of them while reading Ishgardian books (without permission mind you) and this when he encounters one via Rping, will be curious about them for sure. Slight mistrust? Maybe, will just have to see really. If anything, with exploring the ruins in the expansion, he will encounter them more in the Northlands and won't be so mistrusting of them.

[JepMZ]

On my first roleplaying in the famous tavern a few days ago, I brought it up during a lovely chat with a friendly Miqo'te.

 

"I'm surprise my looks have not offended you, miss," the Au'ra mumbled. "I been wearing this mask to conceal myself for some moons until more of my kin shown up."

 

The delicate light skinned Miqo'te with the sincere eyes dropped her guard and said with a matter-of-a-fact "I'm surprised my head is still left standing  on the top of my shoulders!" She defends her heart with her right hand as if to confess,  "When you first bid your hello's, I surely thought you'd bite my head off!" She sees the Au'ra's face widen in shock. She then drops her shoulders and looks down,  "But I suppose I'm not one to talk. I am a minority myself. And you did splendidly well in the cooking competition a few suns ago."

[ɴᴘᴄ]

This is something I havent really addressed since coming back to the game. I'm still well behind the 3.0 scenario.

 

I believe Ancel, as an itinerant and inquisitive person, would not have any immediate negative reactions. Indeed, he has been quite impressed with the Domans, and if the Au Ra, who have already lost their home in Othard, are willing to come to Eorzea and help us fight both the Garleans and the Primals, well... that says something about their character, in Ancel's opinion.

 

So, given what little I know, I think Ancel will have a guarded but positive reaction, and will observe them quite closely as their nature is revealed to him.