Your entire race should not fill me with FEMINIST RAGE.

[fuyu]

So I got to Eruyt Village, and we're about to go looking for Mjrn.

I'm sorry. I still don't like the viera.

If there was some - variation, I don't know, if they weren't all basically the same nubile, lovely rabbitgirl with exotic dark skin! and silver hair!, and if they didn't all friggin' wear stiletto heels to keep their balance (hint to designer: if you have designed a race where individuals cannot support their own body weight without artificial aids, you did it wrong), maybe I wouldn't hate them so much. As it was, I was going through Eruyt and thinking "What a beautiful village, and such interesting concepts, so utterly wasted on a village full of thinly-veiled sex objects!"

I possibly found the "ew, humes" attitude even more annoying because of this than I might otherwise have. You're some guy's bunnygirl fantasy, where do you get off sticking your nose up at humes? At least I don't need shoes to stand up, bitch.

Honestly, I - I can't really look at any aspect of the viera and think of them as anything other than some guy in Squenix getting off on bunnygirls. Their feet somehow evolved against all possible logic into forms where they need high heels for balance, sexy! They're a secluded race that live in and with the forest, but they have exquisitely manufacted clothes with metal and stuff, sexy! They're aloof and unattainable, it's even against their laws for you to be here, but oh, they won't kick you out; just feel free to wander around their village and admire the view, big boy, even if you are a dirty hume, teehee. Sexy!

I can't even get behind Fran, even now. Oh, so you're the rogue from the xenophobic race who protests This Need Not Be The Only Way, and now you're sad because your race hates you. Yeah, um. Sorry, I think I've seen this plot before, and it was a lot more interesting when it wasn't acted out by bunnygirl fetishes. And she still doesn't seem to me to have a personality outside of "I'm a viera!" ... actually, come to think of it, I feel like I could say that about every viera in that village...

I just. Nnnnngh. Ivalice is such a deeply interesting, well-built world, with fascinating politics and creatures and everything. And then there's the viera.

Comments

[teal-deer.livejournal.com]

I completely agree. x.X They're... argh.

That said? I really want to write a drabble of some sort about a male Viera. They're supposedly cloistered and treated like women in ancient China - no rights, kept in little boxes, not allowed to go outside... I imagine that they're very small and slight little things, doe eyed and stupid.

So what about one who grew up outside that culture? What'd he be like?

but yeah. Disgusting. They're basically just fanservice. x.X

[fuyu]

It makes me sad because I do WANT to like them, but - I just can't. They could have been an interesting race, if they'd just not gone with the "dur, bunnygirls sexy!" angle. You know? Both genders visible or the absence of males explained, realistic and practical clothing, fix the foot thing, old viera and child viera visible... Then I probably would have been all over them. Awesome rabbitpeople! Holy crap! But no. They're fanservice, and badly jarring in a game that is very much not about fanservice, but rather about being awesome.

That drabble actually sounds really interesting to me. :O

[teal-deer.livejournal.com]

Yeah. ^___^; I'd have to start playing the game again, of course, and ask my friend what the Viera are like in the two Tactics games - apparently males ARE at least referred to in the Tactics games, so they EXIST... but yeha. someday...

[fuyu]

Viera didn't actually exist in Tactics, they weren't introduced until Tactics Advance, sooo that might make it a bit easier XD

[bassclefsolo.livejournal.com]

I was kind of disappointed to hear that the nu mou and bangaa weren't playable races in XII. The nu mou were my favorite race in Tactics Advance.

Here are some viera wearing real shoes, or barefoot, and with slightly more clothes on!

[fuyu]

I would've liked to control a bangaa. :( I haven't played Tactics Advance, but...

Oh, hey, now, some of those are actually pretty cool! I like the Assassin and Sniper particularly.

[bassclefsolo.livejournal.com]

Re: male vieras, I just figured that maybe the viera could mate with other species, and the baby would be viera if female and the father's species if male. I didn't know they'd been mentioned in XII, although I'm not surprised; people were probably wondering...

[fuyu]

Actually, I don't think they were, given the amount of speculation and explanatory drabbles I've seen coming from people who only played XII.

[bassclefsolo.livejournal.com]

So the male Viera being locked up all the time is just fanon? *had read the comments above*

[fuyu]

I've got no clue. Could well be.

[bean-bunny.livejournal.com]

Is this FF12?

I needs to play that.

[shunka-shuutou.livejournal.com]

My first impression of the viera was one similar to "oh, they don't look too nice." I like them, they're interesting (different opinions ftw?).

And I agree with your view of the world. I love Ivalice. &hearts

(Re: Male viera
Actually there are male vieras. Tactics Advance confirmed it, and FFXII Ultimania Omega reconfirmed it later. It would've good to see a couple of them, though. That and viera children.)

[fuyu]

Honestly, I sort of envy people who do like them, because this is REALLY irritating and I'd like to not be irritated. XD They just really offend my inner feminist, and I can't get past the feeling that they're sneaky sex objects.

Ivalice is awesome. So full of politics. ♥

(Oooh, interesting... though it's really sad that "lol yeah they have males" is material for an Ultimania Omega, rather than, you know... the game. Yeah, definitely. Viera children would've been great, come on. And I think a wizened old viera crone would have preserved a LOT of my faith in the race's validity.)

[maladaptive.livejournal.com]

OMG. FUCKING THANK YOU ABOUT THE MOTHERFUCKING SHOES.

Feet do not evolve that way. If they had "bunny feet" like the hind legs of most quadrupedal animals, they would walk on the balls of their feet unaided. Doing anything in heels almost sucks, and I will bet you that running through the forest in any foot gear that limits your ability to feel terrain is dangerous, let alone fucking heels. They'd all have broken ankles, all the time. Even the mithra, FFXI's catgirls who also sequestered their men away, wore sensible shoes.

And there is no way in hell that nubile, clean-shaven, mostly naked bunny girls survive in the forest. Not without major callouses and scar tissue because they have no body hair to protect them from the elements.

Fran was so much better until I started to want to strangle all the viera. Cool, aloof, and haughty paired with Balthier? Hot. Oh wait. All the viera are like that. Meeeeeh.

[fuyu]

Seriously - a race can evolve with serious weaknesses, but those weaknesses are not going to be in areas of BASIC ORGANISM MAINTENANCE, and being able to adequately support your weight is - is - it's so fucking basic, you are never going to find a weakness in that area. Never. It's absolutely disgusting that apparently high heels are SO SEXY that we have to sacrifice biological integrity JUST so these SEXY BUNNYGIRLS can wear SEXY HIGH HEELS all the time! SEXY!

Yes, yes, yes, argh, dammit. I mean, that much I could even forgive, if they wore sensible fucking clothes that are made from materials you can get in the goddamn forest. Coarse fibers and brilliant dyes, anyone? Adornments carved from wood and bone? (Very rare, and only small bones that can be found, because if they're rabbits, they have to be vegan and therefore aren't going to be killing things just for pelts and bones, not if they're not also going to be eating the flesh. Too wasteful, would totally go against the Green Word.) The anthropology here is appalling, there is so little thought put into it and it shows.

[maladaptive.livejournal.com]

YES. On the one hand I'm like "it's just a game, most people don't know jack shit about evolution..." but on the other, this isn't sloppy race building like "they have huge breasts cause that'd be awesome!" but a basic failing of the bodily structure. It's so obvious that this species would never have evolved to the point where they could even make shoes. I have no idea how they walk with heels and their bunny claws. Urgh.

It just boggles my mind that Squeenix makes some amazing races, then hits us with the bunny girls. The bunny girls could still be awesome, too, but nobody even tries to make them anything but fanservice, and it kills me.

And you don't even need coarse fibers, but I just took a course on Andean archaeology, and I could talk for hooouuuuurs about this topic. XD

[fuyu]

Geah, given that Square isn't USUALLY known for sloppy race building, it's like a slap in the face. The bangaa are believable! The moogles are believable if you ignore their tiny wings, wing-things get automatic suspension of belief anyway! The seeqs are believable! Chocobos are believable! There are all these perfectly credible races! Hell, I like the detail that some bangaa wear blindfolds as a fashion statement because they don't depend on their eyesight. That's a cool detail, and does make sense because, hey, if their hearing and smell are good enough, and if their eyesight is really bad...

I mean, man, look at races in other games, too. 8, 9, 10 - god I love 10 - all those have really cool damn races! Aside from FF11, which doesn't exist to me, we've never had anything as... blatant, and awful, as the viera. >:( I mean, why couldn't the viera have been more like the Burmecians? The Burmecians are FUCKING AWESOME RAT PEOPLE. I feel cheated out of my FUCKING AWESOME RABBIT PEOPLE.

Ooooh. XD Without writing a thesis, could you elaborate a bit? :D I looove anthropology.

[dragovianknight.livejournal.com]

because if they're rabbits, they have to be vegan

I used to have a rabbit who would steal hamburgers if they were left low enough for her to get at them (free range housebunny, you know).

And rabbits will eat their young, of course. So, you know, the viera don't have to be as vegan as all that.

[fuyu]

Ooooh. Corrected I stand. Hmm, and they do have those big bows...

Okay, I can buy omnivorous bunnies. They can have leather and bone.

[dragovianknight.livejournal.com]

*grin* I don't necessarily claim Turbo was a NORMAL bunny, of course. (She would also dance on her hind legs for cheese, no high heels required.)

[pyrasaur.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I can see how the viera fail pretty hard in some ways. Canon flaws are an invitation to find clever fanon workarounds, though -- humans have done some unusual things throughout their history and there's no reason fictional races should be any different. Maybe the vieras' heels and balance issues are an intentional modification, like humans' foot binding or neck extention? Maybe they're increasing their height to mimic trees, practicality be damned? I haven't played FF12 myself, I've just watched my roommate's play a little, but I bet a race so secluded and so devoted to their faith could start practicing some pretty farfetched things.

[fuyu]

That would be a fantastically interesting idea, but the given anthropology is that that's just how their feet are structured. It's not something the viera do to themselves, it's how they are. Unless there's some Lamarckian evolution going on there... :/

You're right there, about canon flaws, but I think this is one flaw for which no fanon workaround will satisfy me. :/ It's just too much of a flaw, on too many different levels, and... I feel like the burden of justification should have been on Square for this crap, not us.

[pyrasaur.livejournal.com]

It's actually stated that they just evolved that way? I'd have to see the context, but I'm imagining it as the viera copping out because humes are annoying. "WE'RE JUST LIKE THAT GTFO."

And yeah, it is canon's responsibility to develop this stuff properly. Squeenix probably just cut corners they thought no one would consider anyway. My inner worldbuilder just finds it hard to believe that flawed-designed fanservice would be in a world as intricate as FF12's. FF7's, sure, because Red's race doesn't even have a frickin' official NAME, never mind any development. FF9's, absolutely, because there were tons of cool anthromorphs wandering around for no apparent reason. But FF12? No, Inner Worldbuilder insists, there must be some really cool cultural motivation there. Even if I have to completely make it up! (This is what high fantasy worldbuilding does to your brain after a year or three.)

[fuyu]

I haven't seen any mention of it in the game; I've only seen it, so far, in the info blurb for the viera in the official strategy guide. Which, I would assume, has some source considered canon... But yes, at least there, it's actually said they wear the heels to maintain balance because THEIR FEET ARE LIKE THAT.

I find it hard to believe too, but apparently it is so. And it enrages me, because Squenix is usually so very good about this kind of thing. Hello, plethora of strong female characters! Hello, fascinating variety of races that all make sense in context without a plot-crowbar! Hello, badly-thought-out sexy bunnygirls-- wait, what?

[pyrasaur.livejournal.com]

Yeah, pretty lame. Guess it can be counted as another race getting the shaft -- vieras were much less fanservicey in FFT:A, and nu mou had an actual significant role. I'll never really forgive FF12 for taking the cool magic-wielding intellectual doggypeople and stuffing them into the background of temples.

[bassclefsolo.livejournal.com]

Unless there's some Lamarckian evolution going on there... :/

That's how Pokemon breeding works in the games; the baby is born with skills the father knows, even ones he wouldn't normally have learned (TMs, etc.)

VIDEO GAME SCIENCE. :D

[vanilleon.livejournal.com]

Heh, wow. I haven't played FFXII yet, but now I know to brace myself for annoyance when I meet the viera. The rest of the game sounds great, though.

Oh, and hi! I don't know if you'd remember me, but this is Aja from NSA -- I was there for part of Ye Olde Freshman Year. We were in this group that would have lunch in the left hallway, draw Pokémon fan art, talk about ElfQuest, and that sort of fun thing. Anyway, I had the urge to look up some old friends a while ago, and found my way over here.

**waves**

How do?

[fuyu]

The rest of the game IS great. :D It's part of what makes the viera so disappointing, because Squenix has proven they can do so much better. XD

AJA! Holy crap, I do remember you! :D Yeah, I remember all of that! OMG, hi. :DDD How're you these days? Wow, it's been so long...

[vanilleon.livejournal.com]

Woo! I'm remembered! Yeah, it's been ages. I remember visiting with you guys over e-mail for a little while, but then my communication procrastination set in, and everything trailed off. Sorry about that. >_<

But hey! It's good to talk to you again. I started browsing around your dA gallery, and your art is looking great. :D

I've been doing pretty well. How about you?

[fuyu]

Yeah, I've got a pretty good memory. ♥ Hey, it's all right. :D

It is! I'm sort of impressed you found me. :3 Oooh, and thank you.

I've been doin' all right. Beating my head against college, and a little bit against the job market, but I'm good~

[vanilleon.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm kinda surprised myself. XD It was like, "Sure, I'll just look on Google. THAT'll work. ...Hey, what?"

Glad to hear you're doing all right. I haven't had any first-hand college experience, but I can agree that the job market is not exactly a super-special-awesome place to navigate. Managing both at once sounds daunting, but I'm sure it can be done. :D

I'll certainly wish you luck! And hey, maybe I'll actually keep track of my contact list this time... ^^;

[fuyu]

XD! What were you Googling with?

My college isn't too hard, it's just... I've been doing it since I graduated high school, I'm getting tired of it XD And man, the job market scares the crap out of me. I'm thinking I'll have to hit up my college for an internship before anyone in my field will even hire me...

Thank you! And yay. :3

[vanilleon.livejournal.com]

Four or five friend names I remembered from junior high and high school. ^^ Alas, most people use only first names or aliases online. (I do the same, though, so I can't complain.)

If it makes you feel any better, I've found that jobs are not so different from school, and that most employers are more eager to hire people than they try to let on. Though I suppose that varies with the type of work. Which field are you studying for?

Also, hooray for the viera developing personalities after all!

I'm really looking forward to playing that game and seeing more of Ivalice. FFT is one of my Favorite Things Ever. :)