discussion The issue with choosing a race (Again)

[Serene Lestrade]

Hello all,

 

I am currently going though a tough time with one of my characters. She is currently an Elezen female but was originally a Miqote. From my time playing both races i noticed i had more walk up RPs as the Miqote and have been frequently ignored as an Elezen. I have also noticed bits of racism here and there in the rp as an Elezen and a lot of what keeps happening is unfavorable to me as a player.

 

I was thinking of using another fantasia to change races to something that will at least no longer receive a cold shoulder during RP. I wonder if this has ever happened to anyone else or if I am unlucky? Also would Au Ra have this same issue in anyone's experience?

[Swanmay]

Statistically, Elezen are the least played race. Female elezen are particularly rare, so you've already entered a niche there. I can't say I know where the stigma comes from, since I persoanlly think they're the most beautiful and elegant race in the game and some of the most beloved characters of the game are Elezen. I would imagine that female Highlanders and Roegadyn face the same stigma though. Perhaps because all three aren't small and cute. They're also not nearly sexualised as much as Au Ra and Miqo'te, which sadly could be a factor when speaking in relation to walk up RP. Or maybe they're just unfamiliar and less "human" than the humans with ears and the humans with horns.

 

At the end of the day, it's your choice and you should play what is most aesthetically pleasing to you. If you enjoy the look of Elezen, then stick at it. I know quite a few RPers with Elezen; myself included. Maybe put out a looking for connections thread if you haven't already. Tumblr in particular is chock full of Elezen Rp'ers, so there's also a good place to start.

 

I can't really say much else, I'm sorry. It's just one of those things.

[ExAtomos]

My number one piece of advice is to play what seems fun to you.

 

Lore wise, if your character is a Duskwight they may encounter some racism. If folks are just being horrible to you in RP, send a tell asking what's up. The player(s) should be able to relieve your worries oocly by explaining why they are acting the way they are (lore, previous bad experiences with X culture, etc.).

 

If you keep running into problems with different people, I have to ask if your character has an abrasive nature. Just like in real life, this can cause problems in socializing with other people.

 

Try reaching out to RP with people you know first, those in your FC or LS. They can be a springboard to meeting more people.

 

I play every race excepting miqo'te right now and the amount of RP I get varies widely, but the one thing I have noticed is that (barring flirting)(there are some thirsty folks out there) I get more RP when /I'm/ doing the walk ups. Hardly anyone walks up to me, so I never expect it. Send people a tell first to ask if they are open to walk ups, then go for it.

[Maril]

Every race has it's ups and downs - and racial tension is a part of how Eorzea is glued together. If you look at highlanders for example, they get a tough stick about imposing on other peoples land since theirs got taken, especially around Ul'dah. You're always going to risk that someone plays a character who hasn't in it that they don't like/take well to a specific race - and by my observations, Miqo'te are on the "menu" here quite often as well. Of course if it causes problems with you oocly it is never nice, I just wanted to point out that it's not really something you can run from entirely. 

 

Au Ra kind of fall into the same box as highlanders, as they are a refugee race. You may experience more people that are hesitant around them because of how they look (cause like, horns). If you get more or less walk ups, I really have not noticed any difference with my Au Ra's through time - when it comes to that, there are so many things that can influence if people walk up or not. It can be gender related, it can be down to what you have in your search comment, if you have a wiki for the character or not, if you're passively emoting at the environment to provide hooks for people to react on, etc. There's going to be good days and bad days for it. 

 

As ExAtomos says, you're almost always going to be better off doing the walk-up's yourself. It may be worth to try and incorporate a sense of being outgoing, desiring to network & curiosity into your character if walk-up's are your main source of RP.

[Faye]

Each race has its up and downs both IC and OOC. In my own experiences playing female Miqo'te, I got a lot more /tells and walk-ups, but in the end they tended to just be from people who were sexually interested in my character. Unless you are looking for ERP (because Miqo'te seem to be the most desirable female race for that), I recommend just playing what you want. Typically, anyone who's approaching you only because you're playing a certain race is not someone who's going to give you a good RP experience.

[Perth]

It could depend upon how you made your elezen look, frankly enough. It's hard to make an ugly miqo'te, but it's not easy to make a pretty elezen. When I had my elezen though, I had frequent requests for roleplay from total strangers /because/ they are a niche interest and that appeals to people a lot with that niche interest. This did not happen with my miqo'te unless I was the outgoing person, likeliest because I looked like "just another miqo'te", which is totally fine!

 

At the end of the day, figure out what race would best fit your character idea from a lore and back story perspective, and stick to it. Also, what Faye said is pretty spot on.

[Thunderbolt300]

I agree with ExAtomos. Play what's FUN for you first. This community is large enough you can find a friendly niche for just about anything.

 

Moreover, you don't take such a calculated risk when you do targeted networking such as creating a Making Connections post here on the RPC. Join some Linkshells, or bench more on your Free Company for RP. You should be able to pull plenty of worthwhile, engaging encounters from all of these sources without having to be dependent on walk-ups and worry about being ignored. It's good if you need a quick fix, but diversifying is not a bad plan.

[Ellmida]

It might be a sociology thing. I've noticed that the style and the poses Elezen have seem to have that elegant unapproachable feel to them while Miqo'te generally appear more open and laid back. That being said I would not worry too much about it, historically I've rarely been approached for walk up RP and I'm usually the one initiating it, even in this game which has an overwhelming number of roleplayers I think every encounter has been my character running up to someone with a question or greeting and even in RL it's not usual to be approached by random strangers. 

My suggestion runs the same as everyone else, play the race you feel happy with and if you need consider the RP connections section. As an added note my character is pretty social and tends to approach anyone so if she runs into you it's very likely she  will invade your bubble even if you're being standoffish.

[Serene Lestrade]

Thank you all for the insight into this. I believe it may have a bit to do with most of what your saying. I will take a look at the making connections section and see what i can do from there. Perhaps i will even try to talk with someone in regards to my character and if a different race would fit her better.

 

Again thank you all for the help it is very appreciated!

[Amnesic]

When I was originally planning out Fe'lanah, I didn't initially imagine doing a Miqo'te, but I decided to do it as a psychological experiment. I've noticed before that being the "master race" tended to provoke more RP from where I originally came from, so I figured that perhaps the same might happen here.

 

If my launcher had been functioning all this week, I might have had something to share.

 

Keep yourself as Elezen, it creates unique factor. Just work a little closer with linkshells and FC's, you should be able to find RP. I wish you luck!