Miqo'te headcanon: Forehead booping!

[James Rhymes]

So I've been using this in RP for a long, long long long long time and I've developed it quite a bit, so I figured I would make a post sharing the details and everything you need to know about forehead booping in miqo'te culture from a headcanon perspective, that could potentially fit in the lore to an extent (or not, but I think it does)

 

To start, a forehead boop is similar to that of any genture of physical contact between humans, such as hugs, hand shakes, pats on the back, and the like. There are many different kinds of boops that all differ in meaning depending on how it's done and what happens before and after the actual touch happens! 

 

The 'hello and goodbye' boop, similar to a hand shake!

When greeting a friend, a short, very brief and gentle knock to the foreheads can be a proper greeting. Typically done with the eyes closed, this boop means 'hello! I trust you, and I'm showing you respect!'. There is no 'dominant or submissive' within any of these forehead touches, as it's a simple greeting. 

When saying goodbye it would be the same brief forehead knocking, and possibly a wish of good travel and safety along the way!

 

The challenge boop.

Miqo'te, especially seeker males about to battle for nunhship may use this more often than others, however it is not exclusive to just them and anyone can use this to initiate a challenge. 

The two would place a hand at the back of each others neck to draw them in, press foreheads together and look into each  others eyes, and push their opponent back. This is to say 'I respect you, and I trust you won't break my neck while we're this close and holding the necks, but I am challenging you and you better be ready."

 

The close friends boop! 

Similar to one of greeting, this one involves closed eyes and a longer touch of foreheads and smiles. It is to show love, respect and trust much the same, but also serve as a much warmer hello or goodbye with scent marking due to being so close.

 

The lovers boop!

This is the one that lasts the longest and must have the eyes closed at all times. Hands can be placed on either the cheeks or back of the neck to bring the other in, and typically the two hold each other there for quite a while in comparison to the other touches of the forehead. They may even have a conversation or share I love you's while still together like this.

 

Forehead kisses!

Now these are the special kisses, shared by only the strongest love bonds of romance, or parental love for a child. ONLY the parents of the child may kiss the childs forehead, otherwise it may come as an insult for another adult to do so to someone's child (unless that child was adopted under that adult, in which case they would be considered family and it would not be insulting). 

 

Speaking of insults. 

To touch the forehead in any way other than with your own or your lips in some cases, would be a huge insult to the person on the receiving end. This of it like any equal to flipping someone off or outright disrespecting them.

 

Say, you flick or slap or hit someone in the forehead. You're basically saying 'I dislike you' 'fuck off' 'you're worthless' 'I don't trust or care for you at all and you can go to hell!'

 

Between siblings this might happen and be taken much more lightly, however outside of harmless family feuds this may be a huge insult and would not be taken lightly. 

 

Back to boops!

 

A shoulder boop!

 

Pressing ones forehead into a friends shoulder and giving a light push would be a comforting action, much like a pat on the back and a 'you'll be fine', or a 'I'm here to support you', or even a 'ahhh buck up it's no big deal you got this' depending on the context and what the booper says afterward.

 

I came up with this headcanon and developed it like so based on lions nuzzling habits for claiming and scent marking! 

 

Over time, I've come to think that miqo'te foreheads would be somewhat of a special area of the body connecting them to their god, or, to their inner minds and spirituality as a whole. This is up for debate and what the forehead could mean for your own miqo'te! It could mean nothing and just be a cultural habit like handshaking is in western culture and bowing is seen in some eastern culture!

 

This is all up for your own interpretation, and you can use it as you like in your own RP! I use it all the time and it has really developed a culture and quirk I can use to round out my character and make him distinctively miqo'te outside of the tail and ears! 

 

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy, and if you have any further idea's please feel free to post here as well! I would love to hear if any of these inspired other types of forehead boops and what they could possibly mean so that myself and others may use them in our own RPs!!

 

Thanks!

[AvalonBright]

First off I just want to say I freaking love this. It's adorable but well thought out and super detailed! As far as

 

This is up for debate and what the forehead could mean for your own miqo'te! It could mean nothing and just be a cultural habit like handshaking is in western culture and bowing is seen in some eastern culture!

goes, I definitely didn't get any spiritual vibe. When I was reading through this I just simply thought of how cats actually behave irl, always nuzzling against each other's head in similar manner. It may be a bit of a cop-out to say "Oh it's just normal feline behavior", but nonetheless it fits!

[Lost River]

Aww, Miqo'te get some of the cutest head-canon. Sadly we Roe end up getting the "We drink so hard and fight, then we have marriage or something".

[Miss Gaz]

Aww, Miqo'te get some of the cutest head-canon. Sadly we Roe end up getting the "We drink so hard and fight, then we have marriage or something".

This is true.

[Dat Oni]

Aww, Miqo'te get some of the cutest head-canon. Sadly we Roe end up getting the "We drink so hard and fight, then we have marriage or something".

 

And the whole damn time Edgar is off in the bar corner pretending to stare at his book and not that ass.

[James Rhymes]

Aww, Miqo'te get some of the cutest head-canon. Sadly we Roe end up getting the "We drink so hard and fight, then we have marriage or something".

I could try and roe headcanons!!

[Aera]

You've put a lot of thought into it and I like the cultural significance of each of the different boops! I feel like it would take a lot of practice to get right though... I've booped people IRL and it seems more often than not we end up with sore noggins!

[James Rhymes]

You've put a lot of thought into it and I like the cultural significance of each of the different boops! I feel like it would take a lot of practice to get right though... I've booped people IRL and it seems more often than not we end up with sore noggins!

LOL imagine baby miqo'te trying to imitate their parents by booping each other but they go too hard and end up fighting each other! 

 

It would definitely be a lot of practice to get good at it, and everyone would boop differently but it's the thought that counts. Like you know when you give someone a hand shake and they squeeze a liiiiiittle too hard? maybe like that lmao

[Virella]

Aww, Miqo'te get some of the cutest head-canon. Sadly we Roe end up getting the "We drink so hard and fight, then we have marriage or something".

Oh c'mon, roes can have awesome ones as well! I'd always saw them as very psychical people, slapping each other on the back ect as greeting ect! And then proceeding to almost on accident knock over their non roe friends by the sheer force

[TheLastCandle]

Aww, Miqo'te get some of the cutest head-canon. Sadly we Roe end up getting the "We drink so hard and fight, then we have marriage or something".

Oh c'mon, roes can have awesome ones as well! I'd always saw them as very psychical people, slapping each other on the back ect as greeting ect! And then proceeding to almost on accident knock over their non roe friends by the sheer force

Elezen can has headcanon, too.

 

*Bellows out a challenge before ramming his neck into Virella's with a fleshy thud in defense of his territory*

[Lost River]

"Great, all Roes are now Broes." *sighs and hides in her corner, weeping into her tea*

[Pascaleret]

Aww, Miqo'te get some of the cutest head-canon. Sadly we Roe end up getting the "We drink so hard and fight, then we have marriage or something".

Oh c'mon, roes can have awesome ones as well! I'd always saw them as very psychical people, slapping each other on the back ect as greeting ect! And then proceeding to almost on accident knock over their non roe friends by the sheer force

Elezen can has headcanon, too.

 

*Bellows out a challenge before ramming his neck into Virella's with a fleshy thud in defense of his territory*

 

Elezen feet are the size of a dinner place with a diameter of 30cm.

Elezen tongues are bluish-purple and between 45 - 50cm long.

The Elezen is the tallest race on Hydalen. Even newborn Elezen are taller than most Hyur.

Female Elezen give birth standing up. Their young fall about 2m to the ground and can stand up within an hour of birth.

About 50% of all Elezen chidren do not survive their first year (probably due to that 2m drop).

An Elezen's neck is too short to reach the ground. As a result, they have to awkwardly spread their legs or kneel to reach the ground for a drink of water.

Elezen only need to drink once every few days. Most of their water comes from all the plants they eat.

To protect an Elezen’s brain from sudden changes in blood pressure when they lower their head to drink, they have valves to stop the back-flow of blood and elastic-walled vessels that dilate and constrict to manage flow. Garlemald has done research on the blood vessels in Elezen legs to get inspiration for space suits. (Moon raid 3.3, please look forward to it)

An Elezen's heart weighs approx. 11kg and is the biggest of any race. It is used to pump 60 litres of blood around its body every minute at a blood pressure twice that of an average Hyur.

[Warren Castille]

Miqo'te aren't actually cats.

[Teadrinker]

My miqote would probably treat another that did this like a weirdo. Or at the very least like 'Hey, could you not further the sterotype? Thanks.'

 

She also hates being called 'kitten' and 'cat' ergo compairing her to a household feline. She views them as racial slurs. I think people oocly think it's cute so it tends to get glossed over.

 

This is my opinion.

[Larson]

Miqo'te aren't actually cats.

 

Yeah...

 

The whole reason so many heavy RPers avoid rolling Miqote is because there is an enormous issue of people playing them as housecats. It's sad, because Miqote's have the most detailed lore available yet so much of it is ignored by the people that play them.

 

Many (but not all) of us who are dedicated to preserving what makes each race unique as written avoid playing an otherwise excellent race. I personally don't want to be associated with a style of Roleplay that could undermine my ability to be a skilled writer within the constraints of the given world. Some are brave enough to play the race anyway, and I envy them.

 

I don't like the fact that the biggest derogatory remarks going around right now are "Quicksand" and "catboy", and I wish the behavior associated with those remarks would disappear.

[Dravus]

Miqo'te aren't actually cats.

 

I don't like the fact that the biggest derogatory remarks going around right now are "Quicksand" and "catboy", and I wish the behavior associated with those remarks would disappear.

 

I don't like it either - but in many cases it's a matter of people exploiting them as convenient scapegoats. There's not as many Highlanders as there are Miqo'te but I've encountered far, far more sex crazed Highlanders than I have sex crazed Miqo'te.

 

People generally roll their eyes and distance themselves whenever it's a Miqo'te presenting themselves in that manner. Though that doesn't generally happen as much with some of the other races.

 

It was the same back in WoW with blood elves. They were one of the most popular races and conventionally attractive...and so a lot of people focused way too much on the negative and didn't realise that despite some of the other races being less popular the proportion of people using them for blatant ERP purposes was fairly similar.

 

...and if we're dealing with the 'animal trait' aspect? That isn't limited to Miqo'te either. There's at least one Highlander 'werewolf' and a fair few Au Ra 'Dragons'. Which, as expected, are largely played that way for the sake of what I refer to as 'ERP baiting'.

 

As far the OP's suggestions go...it feels rather tame in comparison. I don't believe that Miqo'te are anything more than 'mostly human' in terms of their behaviour and appearance but I could see the more eccentric individuals acting in such a manner. So long as this sort of thing remains headcanon and isn't pushed as the norm, however, then it's a lot easier for people to stomach.

[Warren Castille]

Individuals is one thing. Advocating overtly-feline behavior as a potential normal action for an entire species is a bit more. It's one thing to say "My tribe did this!" and another to suggest all tribes could or should.

 

nofunallowedrobot.jpg

[Larson]

I totally see what you mean about the Highlander thing. I suppose in my head I acknowledge Highlanders as the jockbro barbarian archaetype. Most of them are rough and tough and either hedonistic or very traditional. I think of ancient Greece and gladiators. They are also the most commercially attractive race, with their curves, musculature, and facial structure. They meet current real world beauty standards to a large degree, and I am more able to shrug oddities off. The thing about Hyur though is that they are an expansive and diverse race that is present in almost every society through history. They are canonically able to have a vast array of views and habits that would be highly uncommon in other races.

It's not the sex-crazed thing that bothers me  about Miqote though, since reproduction IS a big part of their culture. It's the accepted mainstream twisting of a race to justify cringeworthy behavior that ends up like this:

 

[Meishali]

 

Coincidence? I think not.

 

 

On a more serious note, let's keep in mind that this thread is a headcanon thread. What does the Urban Dictionary tells us about headcanons?

 

"Used by followers of various media of entertainment, such as television shows, movies, books, etc. to note a particular belief which has not been used in the universe of whatever program or story they follow, but seems to make sense to that particular individual, and as such is adopted as a sort of "personal canon"."

 

That's it! It's just what OP is 'thinking about'. The problem is that with headcanons people fear that if most players accept it, acknowledge it and play it, they might have to roleplay it as well because of peer pressure even if they don't like it. But it isn't true! Remember, you roleplay what you roleplay, and regardless of what you do, you'll always find people to play with you.

 

People posting headcanons here (and OP does it pretty often last time I checked?) just put them there for other to experiment if they're interested. I know that posting on the RPC anything at all is asked to be whipped by unhappy, frustrated people behind the screen, but I don't think OP asked or expected short comments such as "Miqo'te aren't actually cats". (Hello Warren)

 

There's a lot of stigma around Miqo'te, but I think to say that this might push the whole 'miqo'te /ARE/ cat people, look at me, I say NYA and make cat puns!' kind of crap is going a little too far. I think it's viable and makes perfect sense, as Miqo'te well... Have also culturally a very... Cat-like behaviour?

 

> They're territorial, careful, and barely mix with the other races.

> Males are often breeders with multiple partners. 

> Males fight for dominance.

> Female hunters. Hell ye.

> They have powerful legs and do pretty cool-ass jumps for humanoids.

> By the Twelve, look at the way the males stand and sit.

> Spitting and hissing sounds in names, probably maintaining the idea that some more traditional miqo'te can actually growl and make really really feline like growls, and spits.

 

I think it's pretty cool as it makes Miqo'te even more far away from the other humanoids, and makes sense if people don't actually like them/estrange them from society.

 

I RP a fifty-something Seeker who used to be a Nunh for quite a while, he can barely read and write, is gruffly as hell. "Gruffly dad is an adventurer" could be his character dynamic. If OP says it's mostly inspired by Lion-like behaviour, I'd say it's even more acceptable for traditional Seekers... Like my old man. Keepers being more like wolves, right?

 

In any case I hope more headcanons happen for other races because I'm a little disappointed to see that Miqo'te have the richest stuff, although, let's be honest, half the people who play them are not into actual RPing but into cybersex. And like my good friend said on skype earlier, "as soon as the au ra came out, half of the miqo'te race changed".

 

I do wish Miqo'te were 'uglier' sometimes. But SE can't make ugly people, it's scientifically proven.

 

TL;DR MEISHALI YOU TALK TOO MUCH, NICE HEADCANON!

[Valence]

Keepers share some of the traits shown by wolf packs yes (especially wandering unpaired males that mate with promiscuity with unpaired females of some packs before moving to another). 

 

But Keepers also do not seem to share the "paired for life" monogamous lifestyle shown by wolves, especially considering the ratio of males (if anything, males are more numerous in wolves, which tends to the opposite).

 

Though maybe, could it be argued that each Keeper family (being of similar size to wolf packs) actually has one sedentary alpha male staying with the matriarch, while all the other males are de facto wanderers?

[Mia Moui]

Playing Miqo'te was my main reason for choosing to play FFXIV and there's nothing wrong that I can see with OP's headcanon.  It's not one I personally share but I don't play my Miqo'te as especially cat like.  But I also don't play her as the equivalent of a human wearing a cat ear headband and a strap on tail.

 

Mia sees very, very well in the dark.  She has very acute hearing. Can track scents.  Can run fast and jump high. Has exceptional balance.  Her ears and tails are reflective of her moods or even her thoughts. Has sharp teeth.  Kills game for sport (but tries to resist that).  Mia is also aloof and not much into social gatherings and does not trust easily. She can't roar but she can growl (which in my mind sounds more like caterwauling), and she hisses with H sounds.

 

Most of all that is supported in the lore of the game.

 

Some specifically cat like things:

 

In theory, Mia can purr but doesn't.

Mia does like to wedge herself into tight spaces, not necessarily boxes but...

Finds the highest vantage point in an area, if possible.

Can identify others by scent but is embarrassed to talk about it

And is fastidious about keeping her tail in perfect condition.

 

I play Mia as critical of Miqo'te who are sex workers because of how it might contribute to the belief that all Miqo'te are sex crazed and because she believes many of these Miqo'te are doing the work against their will.  She suspects that's exactly what happened to her sisters.  She's also not a fan of any Miqo'te fetish that some seem to have.

 

I honestly don't mind the idea of head bopping.  It's easy to believe that some tribes and families of Miqo'te practice that sort of thing.  But as someone said, some Miqo'te probably try to downplay any cat like equivalencies if only because it plays into the stereotype of them being descended from actual cats.

[James Rhymes]

I would like to thank everyone for all varied replies and ways of thinking about the headcanon I posted first and foremost! I appreciate any and all feed back and while I disagree that people should limit the cat like behaviour in miqo'te, I also agree to a certain extent but it's easily avoided. 

 

If someone RPs something you don't enjoy or even cringe at you just don't RP with that person, and I respect that if you choose not to RP with me! It's an experience that is meant to be positive for all involved no matter how it's played! 

 

That said this is only my own personal headcanon that I'm not saying everyone should do, but I am inviting those who do like it to use it if they so choose to! It's not for everyone, and I understand if you think that it's a silly concept or 'too cat' for people to play, but I do think that belittling it or others who do RP cat like miqo'te is not okay.

 

Sure, the nyaaah and fetishisations go far, and can even hinder other RPers who do not do this because of the general stigma, but it's hard to ignore that miqo'te are cat like to an extent and will act in certain ways depending on who you're talking to as they're so spread out, cultures within tribes are so different and individuals are different!

 

I humbly ask that you respect your other RPers for how they choose to RP, whether it be strict to the lore or with a mix of that and further headcanons they took the time to come up with! 

 

Thank you once more for reading my post, and I admit I am disappointed that my post got derailed, however, I did ask for opinion and feedback and I do appreciate to hear what others had to say. 

 

Thank you!

[Valence]

Personally, if the lore never stated in the mi'qote description "feline characteristic", and seeker did not have those eyes, I would never especially have said "THOSE ARE CAT PEOPLE!". 

 

If anything, I might even have turned to canines rather than felines... I even thought at first that Keepers were inspired by the former.

 

To me it's of little consequence in fine, since they are primarily one of the many human races, with specific societal ways that are neither cat nor dog ways.

[AvalonBright]

Personally, if the lore never stated in the mi'qote description "feline characteristic", and seeker did not have those eyes, I would never especially have said "THOSE ARE CAT PEOPLE!". 

 

If anything, I might even have turned to canines rather than felines... I even thought at first that Keepers were inspired by the former.

:?

 

No offense but do you... "get" animals? I'm reminded of the infamous Pokemon "Legendary cats/dogs/beasts" argument, but... not realizing miqo'te are distinctly feline... ??????????

 

In any case I agree with some of the stuff mentioned late in this thread. I feel like people who don't want to say miqo'te are feline are people embarrassed by the cliches and such but still want to play one for some reason. Which is pretty silly. They're catpeople. They're some of the most catlike people in any anime/game out there.

 

Their emotes are feline, their attitude in speech boxes is littered with catlike behavior, their culture is feline, the list goes on. They're obviously catlike, what's up for debate is to what extent.

 

In Ashe's case she absolutely hisses and purrs and has a habit of wrapping her tail around another of her race when being affectionate. We've got the eyesight thing. Hearing, scenting, etc. She doesn't fill her speech with "nyas" and mews or whatever else.

 

But I mean, she's a cat person. Of course she's going to act like a bloody feline.

[Aaron]

 

Coincidence? I think not.

 

 

 

On a more serious note, let's keep in mind that this thread is a headcanon thread. What does the Urban Dictionary tells us about headcanons?

 

"Used by followers of various media of entertainment, such as television shows, movies, books, etc. to note a particular belief which has not been used in the universe of whatever program or story they follow, but seems to make sense to that particular individual, and as such is adopted as a sort of "personal canon"."

 

That's it! It's just what OP is 'thinking about'. The problem is that with headcanons people fear that if most players accept it, acknowledge it and play it, they might have to roleplay it as well because of peer pressure even if they don't like it. But it isn't true! Remember, you roleplay what you roleplay, and regardless of what you do, you'll always find people to play with you.

 

People posting headcanons here (and OP does it pretty often last time I checked?) just put them there for other to experiment if they're interested. I know that posting on the RPC anything at all is asked to be whipped by unhappy, frustrated people behind the screen, but I don't think OP asked or expected short comments such as "Miqo'te aren't actually cats". (Hello Warren)

 

There's a lot of stigma around Miqo'te, but I think to say that this might push the whole 'miqo'te /ARE/ cat people, look at me, I say NYA and make cat puns!' kind of crap is going a little too far. I think it's viable and makes perfect sense, as Miqo'te well... Have also culturally a very... Cat-like behaviour?

 

> They're territorial, careful, and barely mix with the other races.

> Males are often breeders with multiple partners. 

> Males fight for dominance.

> Female hunters. Hell ye.

> They have powerful legs and do pretty cool-ass jumps for humanoids.

> By the Twelve, look at the way the males stand and sit.

> Spitting and hissing sounds in names, probably maintaining the idea that some more traditional miqo'te can actually growl and make really really feline like growls, and spits.

 

I think it's pretty cool as it makes Miqo'te even more far away from the other humanoids, and makes sense if people don't actually like them/estrange them from society.

 

I RP a fifty-something Seeker who used to be a Nunh for quite a while, he can barely read and write, is gruffly as hell. "Gruffly dad is an adventurer" could be his character dynamic. If OP says it's mostly inspired by Lion-like behaviour, I'd say it's even more acceptable for traditional Seekers... Like my old man. Keepers being more like wolves, right?

 

In any case I hope more headcanons happen for other races because I'm a little disappointed to see that Miqo'te have the richest stuff, although, let's be honest, half the people who play them are not into actual RPing but into cybersex. And like my good friend said on skype earlier, "as soon as the au ra came out, half of the miqo'te race changed".

 

I do wish Miqo'te were 'uglier' sometimes. But SE can't make ugly people, it's scientifically proven.

 

TL;DR MEISHALI YOU TALK TOO MUCH, NICE HEADCANON!

That spoiler tag made me go fucking hysterical LMFAO