Miqo'te physiology

[insertWINhere]

So I've been looking around, and either I suck at searching (A very real possiblity) or it just hasn't been looked at recently.

 

Anyhow.. Miqo'te physiology! They're obviously cat people, and kudos to the devs for making their socity kinda cat like. But I'm more interrested in how much they are physically like cats. They have fangs, ears, and tails, but how much else are they like the adorable little furballs we know?

 

Sooo..

 

Balances, reflexes, and stamina seems to be well established but how much more?

 

Sleep? Do they need to sleep 16 hours per day?

Purring is that something that's a possiblity.

Pheromones? Do males, well and females, feel a need to spread their scent perhaps with rubbing or maybe even urine?

Increased ability to smell?

Hissing?

Tail movement based on mood?

 

Basically what things are established in lore, or do you do personally if you play one? I'm always looking for ways to make rp more fun, and something like an irresistible urge to rubs ones face on new things could be a way to do that. Or a trader that simply doesn't do as well as the others because he has to sleep twice as much as his competition.

[Gegenji]

I don't think there's any real lore on any of that sort of stuff - so it's left up a lot to fanon. Though, I do believe there is an NPC Miqo'te who purrs when talking about... Raubahn or something? Being generally feisty. Though whether it's actual Miqo'te purring or a simulated thing is left open to debate. Hissing I don't know much about either, so that's also an up in the air thing.

 

... And I think some of the races have been noted to having better senses than the others. I think Miqo'te do have a better sense of smell - but don't quote me on that - and the race with the best hearing, oddly enough, are the Lalafell.

 

Tail motions I do see a lot of folks doing, as well as ear positions, which both make sense in the most basic form. They're part of the body for Miqo'te, so obviously they'll be part of their body language. However, the extra sleeping time and the pheromones thing might be going a bit to far in the cat direction. That said, there's normal people that like a lot of sleep... so your character could just like sleep as a person rather than attributing it to race.

 

I think that about covers that. I'm sure someone with actual quotes and references will swoop in here at some point with more solidified information at some point. Likely Sounsyy, who plays a Miqo'te and is our resident Loremaster.

[Virella]

Sounsyy has a nice summary of that Miqo'te (or well the races) are known for! Not sure if they updated it with the lorebook info yet, but I'm sure it could help you out.

 

http://ffxiv-roleplayers.com/showthread.php?tid=12378&pid=196441#pid196441

[Mia Moui]

So I've been looking around, and either I suck at searching (A very real possiblity) or it just hasn't been looked at recently.

 

Anyhow.. Miqo'te physiology! They're obviously cat people, and kudos to the devs for making their socity kinda cat like. But I'm more interrested in how much they are physically like cats. They have fangs, ears, and tails, but how much else are they like the adorable little furballs we know?

 

Sooo..

 

Balances, reflexes, and stamina seems to be well established but how much more?

 

Sleep? Do they need to sleep 16 hours per day?

Purring is that something that's a possiblity.

Pheromones? Do males, well and females, feel a need to spread their scent perhaps with rubbing or maybe even urine?

Increased ability to smell?

Hissing?

Tail movement based on mood?

 

Basically what things are established in lore, or do you do personally if you play one? I'm always looking for ways to make rp more fun, and something like an irresistible urge to rubs ones face on new things could be a way to do that. Or a trader that simply doesn't do as well as the others because he has to sleep twice as much as his competition.

 

My Miqo'te headcanon always leans towards the cat-like side of things.  They aren't like beast tribes but they are closer than midlanders, for example.

 

From what I understand, Miqo'te are deceptively strong for their size, especially in the legs.  While they don't jump or run any faster than any other race in-game, that's how I role play them.  In a 1.0 cut scene, the Miqo'te character F'lhaminn climbed 25 to 30 feet in a couple of leaps.

 

Some Miqo'te are diurnal and nocturnal but I don't know how much of the time they sleep.  I'm sure it varies but I doubt it's anything like 16 hours.  Hard to be an adventurer like that.

 

My Miqo'te can purr but I'm sure that's something they only do with intimate partners.

 

There's nothing in the game to support pheromones that I know of.  I think that scent marking makes them too animalistic.

 

My Miqo'te can see and hear better than Hyur, especially in the dark.  And they have a stronger sense of smell.  My Miqo'te react in various ways to things like catnip and other strong smells.  For example, my character claims that Au Ra always smell unpleasantly like dirt.  I don't know if that's true but that's what she claims.

 

Hissing, growling, roaring, and meowing are all things I've seen in flavor text for Miqo'te.  But that's all dependent on the kind of culture they grew up in.  It's possible that tribal Miqo'te have more of these features as part of their culture whereas city Miqo'te do not.

 

The lore book mentions how some Miqo'te can communicate by making clicking sounds much like how house cats can chitter.  It's part of the lore that the Miqo'te have verbal sounds that Hyur aren't able to recreate.

 

Most Miqo'te that I've RP'd with tend to add content about tail and ear movement.  I certainly do. A cats tail and ears are very expressive and I don't doubt that's the same for Miqo'te.  This is supported by some of their emotes.

 

In my headcanon, Miqo'te are notoriously bad or notoriously great poker players because they either cannot consciously control their ears and tails OR they can do so, making them excellent at bluffing.

 

But if you search enough - there's gargantuan levels of information here.  Here's a forum post I think you might really enjoy - it goes on for years.

 

Miqo'te Mating Strategies Explored - A Biologists Point of View

[Cecily Jisi]

But can I grab things with my tail like a monkey?

[Jana]

A cat's tail isn't prehensile, so I doubt a miqo'te would be able to use it like a monkey either.

[Kilieit]

But can I grab things with my tail like a monkey?

 

Probably not. I bet you could knock things off surfaces with it, though. Or use it for entertainment.

 

 

...sorry I'll get on with my actual post now

 

Here are the excerpts from the lore book pages on Miqo'te I could find that relate to Miqo'te biology.

 

The [seekers] hunt under the light of day' date=' while the [Keepers'] prowl at night, and it is believed this stark difference in habit arose due to unique physical differences between the two.

 

Despite their inherently solitary nature' date=' the Miqo'te adopted the common tongue early on, born of a need to barter with other races to procure materials with which to craft their hunting tools and weapons. Remnants of the old tongue can be observed in the distinctive Miqo'te "huntspeak" - a system of tongue-clicks and whistles used to communicate with companions while in pursuit of quarry.[/quote']

 

Miqo'te legwear is invariably perforated with a hole through which the tail dangles free' date=' allowing them to maintain their unerring sense of balance.[/quote']

 

Roughly a head shorter and smaller of body than the average hyur' date=' the Sekeres are blessed with a wiry strength, surpassing agility, and the stamina to run for hours under the blazing sun - a combination of traits that makes them uncommnly suited to hunting in arid climes. As many Seekers are adept at climbing and diving, they also make for excellent sailors. Among their most striking physical features are their eyes, with their narrow, vertically-aligned pupils and faintly coloured irises.[/quote']

 

Save for their longer tail' date=' the Keepers are nearly identical to their Seeker cousins in physical stature, and can be distinguished by their fur, dark as the night fog, and the large pupils of their eyes. Though lacking the physical stamina of the Seekers, they make up for this with a fierce strength of will and unerring instincts. With their keen intuition, Keeper hunters have been known to easily snare even targets concealed in the gloom of night.[/quote']

 

[Thunderbolt300]

Think there's a wealth of speculation and lore sources here already, buuuuut...

 

When it comes right down to a particular Miqo'te character, it's really a matter of character quirks at that point and having a bit of a more open and unique playing field when it comes to the variety of options available. You don't have to roleplay around with your tail and ears, for example, but that's an option. Same for purring, or even wanting to mark territory. There is the opportunity here to be diverse with how you envision your character being, after all! 

 

I've roleplayed with a whole lot of Miqo'te here in the last month and a half, and they are an incredibly varied lot. I've seen some that focus pretty heavily on their ears and tails to be expressive, while others have incredibly keen senses. I've even seen a few purr, and some where their tails are incredibly sensitive to being yanked. 

 

You can have a whole lot of fun with the options!

[Sounsyy]

Strong leg muscles, stamina, climbing, running, and swimming are established.

 

The Seekers of the Sun are a true miracle of evolution at work. Though lean and flexible' date=' they possess immense strength and stamina, and excel at near any physical act─be it bounding amongst the treetops or swimming in rough waters.[/quote']

 

Miqo'te also have heightened olfactory senses, claiming the most sensitive noses of the Five Races. While this could support pheromones, it's still headcanon at this point and I doubt there are Miqo'te dropping their pants to spray their territory...

 

The ancestors of the Miqo'te made their way to Eorzea during the Age of Endless Frost, traversing the frozen seas in pursuit of the wildlife upon which they subsisted. Adaptation to a hunting lifestyle has fashioned them with a keen sense of smell, powerful legs, and a tail which provides them with exceptional balance.

Miqo'te are known to be very territorial, and many individuals tend to lead solitary lifestyles, particularly males. The few Miqo'te who have made the transition to life in Eorzean society are predominantly female.

 

Hissing and purring is canon. As well as new lore on the ancestral Miqo'te language, "Huntspeak," which uses a series of clicks, chirps, and hisses to communicate.

 

Despite their inherently solitary nature' date=' the Miqo'te adopted the common tongue early on, born of a need to barter with other races to procure materials with which to craft their hunting tools and weapons. Remnants of the old tongue can be observed in the distinctive Miqo'te "huntspeak" - a system of tongue-clicks and whistles used to communicate with companions while in pursuit of quarry.[/quote']

 

Beyond that, most Miqo'te roleplayers I know (myself included) utilize common tail and ear motions for emotion and expression. As for the other things, head booping, gaze aversion, and sleeping 20 hours a day... things that aren't in the lore, but would make funny character quirks.

 

More lore on Miqo'te has been compiled in the Racial Lore Background thread.

[Koen]

One thing that could be expanded upon is their stamina and how their muscles work. It's touched upon that the Seekers of the Sun can run for long distances without tiring, and it makes sense when considering they have a lot of open space to run after their prey in. Early humans used to do this, it's called "endurance hunting", and is basically just using tracking skills and superior long distance stamina to follow a prey until it's worn out, making for an easy kill.

 

This means that Seekers of the Sun must naturally have a larger ratio of slow-twitch muscle fibers to fast-twitch, meaning their muscles don't tire out as fast, but aren't good at quick bursts of speed. Keepers of the Moon, however, live in the Shroud (unless my memory is failing me) and so obviously don't need to run a long distance, they need to be able to kill their prey before it can disappear back in to the bushes/trees, so they'd need a larger proportion of fast-twitch fibers, which means Keepers of the Moon's muscles wear faster, but they're better at quick bursts of speed.

 

Without going in to the biology too much, mainly because I don't remember most of it, people generally lean to being either a sprinter (fast-twitch) or a long-distance runner (slow-twitch), not including type 2b which I won't talk about. The reason I assume Miqo'te don't have this kind of even distribution is because of the kind of society they live in. If you naturally can't keep up on a hunt, you probably won't live very long, or if you do, won't get chance to breed because the women won't want crappy hunters for kids.

 

Something to note is that this can be changed depending on your training and lifestyle though, so while Keepers would generally beat Seekers in a 100m or 200m sprint or the opposite for a marathon, don't assume this would always be the case.

 

Also, on a personal level, I want to slap anyone who ends their sentences with "nyan", or uses "meow" in regular conversation, Miqo'te or not. Not sorry.

[Valence]

Lore is pretty explicit on what has already been stated, and what is mere speculation.

As a mostly realistic player I tend to downplay a bit the racial traits described by the lore, but I certainly keep them here as a more subtle way to picture a society where all the races are Mankind, all with their quirks and differences sure, but they are all humans before anything (as opposed to beast tribes).

 

So it will always end up to player interpretations for the degree of mannerisms you want to depict. It will also always end up to player willingness to thread or not into what isn't stated as true or false in lore as well. I know I don't, but a lot of people do.

[insertWINhere]

Great stuff all around! Thanks a bunch! I must have missed the racial lore thread some how..

 

It's just nice to know the extremes and what's available to use and not. I wouldn't ever go all the way down the road with scent marking and crazy sleep, but perhaps more than average or to be expected could be some fun quirks to play around with. Unless you want to play something along the lines of the feral cats that is..

 

With the increased sense of smell there'll probably be more of a focus on individuals smell, without having the need to spread their own. I was just merely wondering if that was something that had been in the lore, you never know!

 

The differences in muscles is partricular awesome, I hadn't evne thought of that. How Keeper's might be more the abush predators who know, and seekers more the lines of early humans.

 

I have one extra question tho! We know from our own pets that cats can't resist moving stuff, basically the urge to hunt and the natural instinct to do it. Does the lore put an emphasis on Miqo'te being hunters rather than perhaps traders? Or is that just a difference depending on how "civilized" they are so to speak.

[Valence]

I don't think Keepers are running especially faster than Seekers. Better reflexes? Maybe, very possible. But in thick woods like the Shroud, speed means absolutely nothing.

 

In any case, what lore states is really the emphasis on their incredible sense of intuition, able to spot marks and preys even when perfectly concealed. That, in those woods, makes a lot of sense, added to their drug addict, nocturnal eyes (oversized pupils).

 

On hunter vs trader, they sure started as hunters, and in tribes, their activities still revolved a lot around that. However, we have some NPC examples of trading miqo'te, like the Liszeh family (embodied by Mauh Liszeh, selling her traditional stuff in the post moogle quests).

[Thunderbolt300]

I have one extra question tho! We know from our own pets that cats can't resist moving stuff, basically the urge to hunt and the natural instinct to do it. Does the lore put an emphasis on Miqo'te being hunters rather than perhaps traders? Or is that just a difference depending on how "civilized" they are so to speak.

 

Tribal lifestyle and hunters are a pretty big thing for Miqo'te overall- the South Shroud Miqo'te have a TON of poachers, for example. There's more than a few class storylines that involve that too (Archer especially), plus even a quest hub for a Seeker tribe. Wilderness survivalists seem to be a central theme. Ultimately though, while Miqo'te seem to have a predisposition for it, it isn't a requirement. You can honestly be about as civilized as you like. Some Keepers have adapted to city life within Gridania, for example, and others take strongly to the adventurer / mercenary life, too. Still, you have to take into account how your Miqo'te will make a living (off the land or otherwise).

[Cecily Jisi]

A cat's tail isn't prehensile, so I doubt a miqo'te would be able to use it like a monkey either.

 

THEN WHAT'S THE POINT OF HAVING A TAIL?!

[Kilieit]

A cat's tail isn't prehensile, so I doubt a miqo'te would be able to use it like a monkey either.

 

THEN WHAT'S THE POINT OF HAVING A TAIL?!

 

...would it be bad of me to just re-post the same gif I posted up-thread?

 

Nah, but seriously, it's for balance. Watch the way a cat's tail moves when they're walking along a fence:

 

[video=youtube]

 

See the way the tail flips out to counter-balance the cat's weight when it's about to fall? That's what your Miqo's tail will do.

 

See also, the way big cats' tails move when they run and have to suddenly change direction:

 

[video=youtube]

 

It gives greater agility when chasing prey in a flat-out sprint.

 

[Lydia Lightfoot]

Aside from the general stuff Sounsyy and others wrote, the one thing I'll mention (at least in my own headcanon) is that there's a difference between a "wild" miqo'te and a "domestic" miqo'te. This isn't genetic, rather just a conditional thing which you can observe in most types of animals if you compare one that's used to living a life of comforts versus one that's used to a life in nature. 

 

For instance, your average Ul'dah-dwelling miqo'te who hasn't really led much of a strong tribal lifestyle and doesn't do much fighting, well, they probably have fairly dulled instincts and senses. Such a miqo'te would likely still hear and smell things more keenly than a hyur, but not to a really bestial extent. Likewise, that more comfortable life probably means that miqo'te probably doesn't have quite the same physical finesse compared to more animalistic peers. The trade-off is probably cultural and educational, since a city-raised miqo'te would've likely had a lot more access to scholastic resources and more leisure time for aesthetic and social pursuits.

 

On the other hand, a miqo'te like Sena who spent her youth living a tribal life in Thanalan, followed by many years of living off the land, traveling, and plying her huntress skills for coin as a mercenary, it's like comparing a stray cat that lives in the woods versus a housecat. She's a predator by nature because she's had to be, her reflexes and her senses are sharp as a tack and what she lacks in book-learning and social charm she has in strength and cunning. People whom she interacts with frequently become perceptible by scent, and in other ways.

 

There's also perception elements which have to do specifically with those to whom a strong bond develops (small vibrations and sounds from footsteps, very faint bits of voice heard from way down the hall, the way they open and close doors, and yes, pheromonal connections). I liken it to how my cats know that I or my roommate are almost home even when the car's still down the block. I'll be sitting and suddenly they both perk up, and they get up and go hover near the front door, and about five minutes later, there's my roommate coming inside.

[Koen]

I don't think Keepers are running especially faster than Seekers. Better reflexes? Maybe, very possible. But in thick woods like the Shroud, speed means absolutely nothing.

 

I'm not sure about that. Having to throw a spear fast enough to out-speed a prey's reflexes, or on a more basic level being able to jump out and take a prey by surprise requires a short burst of intense muscle use. Speed would be important because it's so easy for a prey to disappear back in to the vegetation, or if another predator (like some of the seemingly carnivorous plant enemies) tries to jump out at them from a tree, bush etc. they can get out of the way.

 

You are right though, they might not run that much faster. I'm just making a case for them being naturally better sprinters, to name one example. Overall, it'd depend vastly more on what the Miqo'te got up to in their day-to-day rather than their genetics.

[Valence]

One thing miqo'te might excel at, is sheer physical strength, especially in the back muscles. Well of course, Seekers are good archers too, but considering the emphasis Keepers put on the use of the (short) bow, that basically requires strength, no matter what.

 

And lore doesn't really seem to take that into account, sadly. It's an annoying trope seen in most fantasy worlds, where archers somehow are the small dexterous ones, and swordsmen,  the tall and strong ones, where it should be the opposite.

 

Now granted, we are speaking about miqo'te, with their compact, wiry strength, using a short bow instead of a long warbow, etc etc...

[Ishra-Levanha]

One cat-like trait I see a lot of people play up is dietary preference. Plenty of miqo'te love themselves some fish and meat. What I don't see as much, though I RP with Ishra for the occasional laugh, is potential food intolerance. My Moon Keeper likes milk, thinks its a fancy drink... but is lactose intolerant as many cats (and humans!) are. Another subtle feline influence is that she also doesn't have much of a taste for sweets.

[Eses Fafa]

I'm just gonna go on 'human with cat ears and a tail'.

 

Seekers are commonly stronger while Keepers are known for being more stubborn on most occasions.

 

If they have feline biology in them, it would be safe to assume solely on what's seen that they have better hearing and better balance because of their tail. If you tug their tail, they will hate you because it's connected to a certain gland.

[Mia Moui]

One cat-like trait I see a lot of people play up is dietary preference. Plenty of miqo'te love themselves some fish and meat. What I don't see as much, though I RP with Ishra for the occasional laugh, is potential food intolerance. My Moon Keeper likes milk, thinks its a fancy drink... but is lactose intolerant as many cats (and humans!) are. Another subtle feline influence is that she also doesn't have much of a taste for sweets.

 

Mia too doesn't see the point of sweets, finding them bland.  She prefers earthy tastes, savory things, and salty treats.  Mia eats primarily meats.  She will eat vegetables but only on occasion or when they are incorporated into something like rabbit stew.  One thing I like to play up is her confusion over pets.  The idea that many people in Eorzea seem to keep food as pets with no intention of eating them seems decidedly odd to her.  The recent fascination with aquariums is most baffling.

[Etoile]

One good thing about the clans not being individually defined is that there's room for unique rp. Write your clan and your miqo'te the way you want to (within reason!).

[Mia Moui]

 

 

The differences in muscles is partricular awesome, I hadn't evne thought of that. How Keeper's might be more the abush predators who know, and seekers more the lines of early humans.

 

 

I play and describe Mia, my Keeper, akin to an ambush predator.  She's not one to call out or warn of her attack.  She stalks, waits for, and then attacks, preferring to take down her prey with one swift strike.  Failing that, she's become skilled at melee combat.  While a Seeker might have more stamina for a longer fight, I feel that Keepers have more initial brute strength.  If she's not able to succeed within the first few moments of a fight, she'll have to withdraw.

 

I sometimes RP this in my head when doing side quests, taking extra time to stalk and wait for the NPCs to be in the right position (though in-game as a tank she's almost never in actual danger regardless of how I choose to fight).