So...why so many Miqo'te?

[Seriphyn]

Ran a search, didn't find anything. Everyone already knows about it, but sometimes I get the feeling it's a case of elephant in the room. Apologies in advance if it's already been discussed to death.

 

What I'm looking to hear is from people who actually play Miqo'te, rather than us going through the very obvious answers to the question; sexy cat girls and sexy cat boys (which is the biased answer ofc). See, when I create a character, it has to be as unique as possible while maximizing realism (so I like to pretend to myself, anyway). The result is a Stathamy/Shepardy sorta soldier character who can be an aggressive asshole while still fundamentally Lawful Good (if I were to simplify a character using a 2D alignment system I suppose). It's almost pretty much an obsessive-compulsive twitch on my part...MUST BE AS UNIQUE AS POSSIBLE *froth at mouth* etc. Luckily, playing a relatively straightforward male soldier actually ends up being unique in an RP setting like FFXIV.

 

With that in mind, I could absolutely not stand playing a Miqo'te. Ever. Especially with that god-awful crotch-thrusting idle pose the males have. Everyone loves them, when all I see is "Fan service race" and "Generic bishonen pretty boys/cat girls". In my mind, when I see a Miqo'te character, I have to think "What makes your character unique?". 

 

HOWEVER, the lack of racial stereotypes in the lore (which is absolutely bloody fantastic IMO) means there are a good number of Miqo'te who don't do the whole "I'm dead sexah" (for the boys) or "Nyan me over a table!" (for the girls). The High Custodian of the Travellers' Guild is a grumpy, grouchy, and scholarly Miqo'te who could be any race. One of the miqo'te women in the Flame Yataghans LS is a straight-up soldier. It's fun because you get to experiment with racial blindness; "Oh, this person is very smart and composed...they just happen to have feline ears and a tail". Interestingly, nothing in the lore says Miqo'te girls (for example) are spritely and energetic nyanners by default, but a lot of them are RP'd as such. The Missing Member has Miqo'te lasses as murderous as any pirate.

 

Anyway, rather than sit up on an elitists' high table and talk crap about Miqo'te characters as if there aren't any players who play them, I inquire directly to such players and ask; what attracts you to Miqo'te, do the large numbers of them have any bearing on your RP whatsoever, and how do you play yours differently from x, y, z?

 

(Seriously though; so many miqo'te females with heterochromia!)

[Tla]

First of all, I can only stand playing characters with normal proportions. No hulks or dwarfs or giraffes (sorry elezen but those proportions..ouch). This leaves me with Miqote and Hyur. Not much choice already. 

 

I also love up-ears and tails. Yes I do. It's not a fetish, I don't see why people must relate it to sex all the time. As a kid haven't you ever watched another mammal and thought "oooh it must be fun moving a tail". Plus for me cateyes add to the charm (in Seekers case). 

 

You see, it's also different. Hyur are...us. While I don't like playing too weird shapes, playing a human is fun between limits. You ca play human in ecah and every game after all, and they're always the same thing, not only in looks but for the whole racial. In this game, Miqos also have all the side of tribes and whatnot, which I figure fascinates many folks. I don't play as tribal but I like having that elements in my race and in my rp, it adds spice. 

 

Or you could just go with the old "people loves catgirl/boys".

[Seriphyn]

You see, it's also different. Hyur are...us.

 

Mm, one could easily accuse a Hyur player such as myself as being "boring" and "generic", inversely against accusing Miqo'te players of having a fetish.

[Tobias Nightbringer]

I don't think it has been discussed only because I don't necessarily think it is an elephant?

 

You probably have more experience in terms of RPing with Miqo'te female characters. Or I just don't RP enough and/or not that popular enough to RP with a lot of people, but honestly the majority of the Miqo'te females I have met are not all "spritely and energetic". 

 

Also, though it is not necessarily part of this thread topic, in regards to 'uniqueness', that reminds me of the "What Makes Your Character Unique?" thread or something very similar. I don't think being 'unique' is as important as the 'presentation'. It goes along the same line of movies. Let's face it, nothing is 'unique' if you get down to it, it's just presented in a different way to make it 'fresh'. 

 

Are you saying that most every Miqo'te you have met have described their character as sexy? Because if so, pretty sure the majority (not ALL) of RPers here are RPing characters that are attractive as fuck or at the very least having some degree of aesthetically pleasing features. Now if you're talking about their personality generally being the title song of LMFAO's "Sexy and I Know It", then I say for at LEAST the Seekers, Nunh out there kiiiiiiinda would have that kind of personality me thinks.

 

Tom Hiddleston. Sexy.

 

Chris Hemsworth. Sexy.

 

Rubber Ducky Jr. Robert Downey Jr. Sexy.

 

All sexy. And sexy for different reasons.

 

Now as for me personally. Is T'loran'a pretty? Yes. What attracted me to make a Miqo'te? Nothing, I just felt like it. What makes him 'different than x, y ,z'? Fuck if I know, but if I enjoy RPing him and, as equally important, if the people I RP with are enjoying themselves, I'll be as non-unique as possible if need be. BECAUSE I DO WHAT I WANT THOR!

 

Did I totally just miss the entire point of this thread? I tend to do that Apologies if this didn't answer any of your questions!

[Tla]

You see, it's also different. Hyur are...us.

 

Mm, one could easily accuse a Hyur player such as myself as being "boring" and "generic", inversely against accusing Miqo'te players of having a fetish.

Exactly. Maybe you're just too used to Miqo'te players? If we want the ones playing Roe/Highlander have a fetish for being big and strong, the Lalas for being hyperchibicute, etc. I really fail to see how a Miq is not unique if not for the reason a lot of roleplayers picked that race.

 

As for the sexy thing...luckily I have yet to meet someone playing that race like that. And you RPed with me, you can't sure say T'la is like that

[Clover]

The short answer is: why not? *Laughs*.

 

About uniqueness, I actually chose a Hyur (not a Miqo'te) as main character because I wanted her to be a normal, not unique girl.

 

In any case, I initially started playing a Miqo'te as a secondary character for a very simple reason: they're cute. I'm a girl irl and I love playing bishoujo characters. The tribal lore is being a lot of fun as well! I was a complete stranger when I joined this community, but thanks to the Miqo'te lore, my chara got a family. Also, the only uber sexy Miqo'tes I've seen (the kind who try to look like American singers instead of bishoujo/bishounen) are actually from outside the RP community. I don't care about those.

 

And last but not least! I believe that every character out there is unique, just like there are many unique human beings even if we're the only sentient race in this planet. I personally don't care/pay attention to what everyone else is playing; I play what I like, and I enjoy interacting with other characters, no matter what race they are. Just my two cents!

[Rinh Hallani]

The High Custodian of the Travellers' Guild is a grumpy, grouchy, and scholarly Miqo'te who could be any race.

 

HEY! I resemble that remark! >.>

 

Anyway, I picked miqo'te because I like using the ears, tails and fangs in RP, to express emotion and such. I know it's not necessary as there's plenty of ways to do that with any other race but I've never played a race like miqo'te before so it intrigued me. The lore (sparse as it is) also seemed quite interesting and something fun to play with.

 

Edit: Oh yeah, and like Clover, I don't care if there's tons of other miqo'te around. I'm not going to stop playing something I enjoy just because it's popular.

[K'nahli]

I play a miqo'te so I could be a sister character to K'mih's. I do love the race though, I find them to be very pretty and eyes are a big thing for me so I am in the same boat as whoever mentioned Seeker eyes earlier.

 

However, I have two hyur characters as well so if you're going to question her existence then you need to question theirs as well.

 

 

I will agree though, I perceive it as a race whom has a lot to do with fan service but I have met very few, if any, miqo'te characters who boast the personalities that you are condemning. The closest example I can think of is actually my character's sister but that has nothing to do with her race as far as I know, its simply a matter of her being a young and naive character whereas mine is the contrastingly serious and blunt type.

 

In reference to nuhns, the one remaining nuhn our tribe has at the moment is anything but energetic. He is the "cool" and silent type and is always very collected. Being nuhn has little to do with the job description for him.

[Nebbs]

Answer first:

 

1. Allows me to play a non-human

 

2. I like the mix of cute and feral (flight or fight,  smiles with fangs etc..)

 

3. The Keeper concept of female leaders I also like and play them as nurturing leaders rather than the more male stereotype of owners/winners.

 

4. I play an individual that borrows from the stereotype, so I play Nebbs.. not some cat girl. 

 

 

Explanation:

I prefer to play the non-human as that allows for the use of more "alien" perspectives on things. So in my past I have gone elf, twi'lek, undead etc.. 

 

The character has to also find me, it has to have a personality and at least a sketch of a background. I don't plat the toon because of it's look, other than they represent the character.

 

In my experience the RP reward is playing the individual, their feelings and reasoning, and not simply playing the part of the toon. There are other ways to RP, this is my preference.

[K'nahli]

I play Nebbs.. not some cat girl. 

 

 

Haha, this answer all the way.

 

It also reminds me of what Naunet(creator of Hipparion Tribe) said and a view that I share. Miqo'te are miqo'te, not cats. They have one or two cat-like attributes.... but they are not cats. The in-game references where NPCs drag out R's and say "nyan" or whatever are just for fun in my honest opinion. Passing that off as lore just because its in the game seems like taking everything too seriously in my opinion.

[N'taeyl]

Throwing in my two cents as well, since now I've made two miqo'te. 

 

I find human characters to be boring.  I'd rather be something I can't be in real life, so pretty much what others have already said here.  As for miqo'te, even if they aren't portrayed in such a way very well, I do enjoy the feral ferocity of them, which I think was actually shown better in XI because the human animations were girlier, mithra were fairly neutral.  My main miqo'te, N'taeyl, is rude and inconsiderate to peoples feelings and tends to keep her distance from people, with a hidden gem of valiance to those in need.

 

Aside from the miqo'te, I do also have a roegadyn I enjoy playing, it just sucks leveling an alt sorta.  I dislike seeing SO many miqo'te, but I've seen plenty of RPers that aren't.  This game certainly attracts a lot more than RP, and those players likely picked cats for the stereotypical reasons.  Good thing they don't RP.

[Kieron Lohengrin]

because they look good with a monocle

 

[TheLastCandle]

because they look good with a monocle

 

 

Well, it convinces me, at least

[Tla]

I do enjoy the feral ferocity of them, which I think was actually shown better in XI because the human animations were girlier, mithra were fairly neutral.  

Mh yeah must say animations here don't help us much, they're way too cute-ish and girlish. Sometimes when I sue one in rp it makes me cringe because my character is nothing like that.

[Suisei'to]

It varies. I try to keep my character choices up in the air. I've got a Seeker, a Keeper, a Midlander, a Highlander and a Roe. It really depends on the aesthetic I'm trying to convey.

 

Each race has a certain feeling to their actions. Highlanders are generally very confident and strong. Midlanders tend to be the most meek of the races (Outside of lalafel). Miqo'te tend to look very aggressive or arrogant. Elezen even more arrogant. Roe are powerhouses.

 

When I create a character I look at the personality I'm trying to convey vs the body language of the races. When I wanted to make my Dragoon, Suisei'to, he needed to be very aggressive. Sexuality was a none issue which lead me down to playing a Keeper. Give him a very deadly sibling rivalry with a very small (Theoretical) pool of males in the species and I got what I wanted: An aggressive loner lancer trying to hone his skills to kills his brother.

 

So, long story short, it's more about the personality and it's compatibility to body language when it comes to creating a character.

[Exantra]

It was a mix up between Miqo'te and Elezen, personally, but ultimately the cats won me over, simply because I found the social structures appealing, and felt that the individual tribes could fit well into the story I was building up for myself, and best fit the personality I aimed to use.

 

That said, my character doesn't aim to be cute in any sense of the word, so it was slightly disappointing that during the transition from Mithra to Miqo'te, it felt as if they lost some of their feral traits in favour of what seemed like blatant fanservice. Fortunately they implemented features that allowed a more ragged and mature appearance, at least for males.

 

If anything, the only thing that I detest about my character is the lack of a proper sitting animation.

[Kailia]

Well when it came to my main character who's image I use as my avatar, it came down to the history of the character from other games. She basically is a reroll. So I will try to be brief about her history lol.

 

Her first incarnation was that of an NPC for my future world of warcraft characters as their mother. Her name was Kailia (Later when the game went live, she got a rename)

 

When I went to Lord of the Rings Online, she ended up becoming the daughter of my captain character, a spritely young girl who was a gifted genius and could speak with animals (She was a loremaster).

 

When I went back to World of Warcraft, she became a Worgen Druid. First server she was on though the name was taken and she became Kailiah. But then when drama happened and I paid transfered her to where she is now, she became Kailia as she was always meant to be. She was orphaned very young and grew up in a forest alone as a wild child.

 

When I left WoW, I went to Everquest 2 for a bit, she became a human warden I think it was, with the ability to transform into a tiger and a wolf. Again, an ophan girl who stowed away on a ship. Then I went to Star Wars: The Old Republic, and she was taken by the Jedi Council to become a consular.

 

So the character has been with me for a long time. So when I came to Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, I knew I wanted to reroll her and I looked at the races available, as well as the classes. When I saw Miqo'te, I instantly thought of her druid history, how in WoW and EQ2, she could turn into a cat. So Miqo'te was perfect for her. I also wanted real cat eyes, so Seekers of the Sun was her best option, but also seekers had the right hair color for her as well. And of course, Conjurer for the nature magic.

 

So that's why I chose Miqo'te. It fit the character I had played in other games perfectly.

[Atamis]

For me it was because I typically play the beast-races in other games. FFXIV has no true (Playable) beast-race and Miqo was the closest i could get. Saving my vial in case Bangaa, even Viera would be close enough, are implemented.

 

However, I admit i play a fem roe now, just waiting til i can change for good.

[Magellan]

I mained an Elezen for awhile, and played the whole 'ermahgawd, Miqo's everywhere! So unoriginal!' game.

 

But then I rolled a Miqo too. I found they have the best emotes, the best proportions, are pretty much tailor made to wear the clothes FFXIV offers, and can be pretty fun to rp as well.

 

My character was hyur raised, (cliche, I know) but definitely fits in the energetic, spritely catergory, (I liken her to a hyper-active pinball) which quite honestly I have not seen a lot of in the rp world. I've seen a lot of stoic, or grumpy, or 'sex kitten', or tribal, but I have not seen a lot of unending, bottomless well of energy like my character Claire.

 

And no, she hasn't ever said 'nya' or rolled her r's >_>

 

The only thing she excels at is baking. That's it. She's not a fighter, even though a lot of people try to make her be one, she's just an average teenager trying to figure out what to do with her life, whether that be cooking, baking, or writing plays (her other hobby)

 

Oh, and somehow she ended up getting an Office Administration job . She's unique enough to me that she is fun to play, and that's all that really matters.

[Naunet]

For me, choosing miqo'te came down to a couple big things:

 

1. It was the only race I could get a satisfying "mature" look out of. Highlanders were too "powerful" looking for my character concept. Midlanders always looked too young no matter what I did. Roegadyn were just... out of the question, as were lalafell, and elezen couldn't quite get there either. I knew I wanted to play an older character (late 40s, early 50s), and she needed to look like a non-combatant. After trying pretty much everything, the miqo'te customization options fit the bill.

 

2. I found myself drawn to the idea of roleplaying a "fish out of water". Yes, Antimony has been living amongst other Eorzeans for five years, but compared to 42 she spent almost completely isolated from the rest of the world with her tribe, that's next to nothing. I liked the idea of building up a unique cultural identity for her, as well as exploring the troubles of an immigrant attempting to "fit in" with a new society.

 

And that's pretty much it!

[Raeletta]

Catgirls!

 

That's simply it, for me. I love cute, and always go for good looking characters, as I have to like them, to play them. I tend to become attached to them too. (I'll not be switching race permanently at any time, Rae is Rae). Miqo'te fit perfectly, so that's what I made. I looked at all the other races and aside the Lalafell cuteness, nothing struck me as "me" to play. Everything else is after that. (on the occasions I play a male, they tend to be all muscles and kindness. I'm terribad in gender equality I know).

 

RP wise though, Rae isn't particularly catgirly (Nya, growls, purrs, showing off as much skin as possible (usually...) etc.), she's just a random orphan with a solid goal and a flat dedication to get there (For now... If Thief/Dancer happens, well this is gonna go down the crapper faster than a 10 tonze bomb   Thankfully I left an escape route for it)

 

I do love to be unique, but if certain aspects happen to be common as mud, well so be it. I won't play something I don't love to look at just to be special. And to be honest, being 1 of a million means that you're more "ordinary" in the end. Miqo'te are taking over Eorzea like the Grey Squirrel took over England. I'm just one more damn grey squirrel, why look at me twice? ;P

 

I'm surprised there aren't more purry, punny Miqo though. There's only one memorable (to my poor memory) one in-game too (A guard near the Fallgourd Float / Ixali "camp").

 

Man I hate writing things like this, my posts always seem bodged.

[Seriphyn]

My goodness, this exploded quickly! Thank you for your responses.

 

I feel a bit stupid for overlooking the most likely answer of all; "Because it's not human". I mean, I sometimes like RPing the opposite gender purely because it's so far removed from my IRL self, and I get to indulge in lesbian ERP.

[Thaeya]

(Seriously though; so many miqo'te females with heterochromia!)

 

I always like to inject a bit of myself into my characters and for me heterochromia is the number one favorite aspect of myself to do so with. If a game allows for it my main usually has mismatched eyes.

 

As for choosing Miqo'te though I am going to have to sound like a broken record and repeat the responses of several others. In games I do my best to not play as the "human" type. Games are a place I can be something other than me, so why be a human? In WoW I played both Elven races, Trolls, Draenei and Pandarens. In ToR I played a Twi'lek as my main. So when Final Fantasy came out I chose to play Miqo'te because their animations appealed to me as did the idea of being able to use the ears and tail as a means of expression in rp. I do have human alts though in all games and now that I think about it my main in GW2 is human, which is not typical of me.

 

I will admit though to playing the cute and spritely aspect. Y'thaeya is typically shy and reserved at first until she warms to someone and then her bubbly happiness tends to take over. Lately though her flaw has been the glaring center of rp and she hasn't done much smiling and bouncing around. Instead it has been a lot of tears or arguing and she even went into hiding for about a week.

[Clover]

(Seriously though; so many miqo'te females with heterochromia!)

 

I always like to inject a bit of myself into my characters and for me heterochromia is the number one favorite aspect of myself to do so with. If a game allows for it my main usually has mismatched eyes.

 

I actually don't think anyone needs to justify their personal choices to a random individual. Besides, if the game allows for a feature, it means that it's a common thing in that world. So why not? Creating different characters is fun, and everyone has their own reasons for playing this and that race. Nothing to frown upon, seriously.

[Rinh Hallani]

I feel a bit stupid for overlooking the most likely answer of all; "Because it's not human".

 

Yeah, I think that's what it boils down to for most of us. I only played humans a few times in other games. Draenei, night elves, charr and so on seemed more interesting, and more challenging, in RPing a perspective vastly different from my own. I especially loved the hardened war machines that are charr in GW2 so steered well clear of 'cute' stereotypes when making my miqo'te.