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Do you dislike a character simply because of their looks?


Chiki
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If I don't have any info on their personality outside of a description (Which is no indication of actual writing quality), then naturally I go by looks, first impressions ya know.

But I'll still give characters a chance, I think Wrys face looks like shit but He's still a valuable part of the crew because I reclass Lena into a mage every time. Combat Effectiveness and good writing obviously determine the final judgement

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Looks give me first impressions, but actually knowing the character is the real deciding factor. A good example is Sully and Sumia: I like Sumia's design much more than Sully's, but Sully ended up being one of my favorite characters and Sumia ended up on the other end.

Then there's Jill, where I love both her design and character. Then there's Gaius, where I dislike both his design and character...

Then there's Camilla, where I find her design laughable in multiple ways, strangely nice at the same time, and don't know her character so am reserving final judgement until further notice.

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I like to judge based on looks initially but I always know that it's doubtful that it'll decide who I like the most. In pretty much any game I can only really decide after learning their personality since I feel the need to give them a chance before writing them off.

Though I do like to factor in looks a little bit since I'll be looking at them all game. Mostly hair style/face rather than body, I'm not really particular about character designs since I like the diversity.

Oh and voice, a good voice is always welcome.

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If a character looks like garbage to me, I'm not going to really give them a chance. I don't need to look at their stupid/generic/ugly mug every few seconds while playing.

There's not a TON of these cases for me though. A few that spring to mind: Ricken, Ross, Kellam, Donnel, the 40 year old looking generic knight type units u get in the gba games, and probably a few more. Oh. Mist.

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Really if I like a character's personality a lot but hate their design I just end up redesigning them myself anyway

it's good design practice

or hell, even if I didn't like a character's personality but I get inspirations on how to improve their shitty outfit, I do a redesign anyway

Requesting you do this for Camilla and Charlotte. If you have time/motivation.

Normally, I'd throw in Miss Kamui, but the biggest issue I have with her can be solved with a pair of pants.

As someone else who really doesn't care for most of the "little sister" characters, Lymsleia from Suikoden 5 is another rare excellent one.

Lymsleia was a princess first, and a little sister second (and I will be extremely surprised if any of the little sister's bodyguards are anywhere near as amazing as Miakis). Likewise, Arshtat (or however you spell her name) was a queen first, and a mother second, and this bothered the shit out of her. I hope Mikoto/Sakura/Elise can live up to these two!

---

Normally, I'd dislike Pieri the minute I saw her and read her bio. . .but for some really weird reason, I'm intrigued, rather than put off. Zero, on the other hand. . .his awful personality is a gigantic turn-off, even if he reminds me of a certain dude named David. I guess it goes to show that looks may not matter as much. . .

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well for me the looks are important sure but everything counts like personality if they are usable in game (good classes) or voice for exemple have you heard camilla voice ? i was expecting something different probably something more provocative perhaps oh and i have nothing againts her ...
Suzukaze , harold those are the ones i dont like the looks ;)

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I think some people get tired of the blatant fanservice simply because it doesn't make any since, especially in this context. You're wearing a suit of armor, etc. yet you're leaving part of you exposed. I think it's more that and not that people find it offensive.

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And it'd be interesting if Elise had a violent side, but everything about her bio and text so far implies she's going to mostly be a sweet, optimistic geniki girl.

Please, no. The nohrians have too many people with personality issues already...

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Lymsleia was a princess first, and a little sister second (and I will be extremely surprised if any of the little sister's bodyguards are anywhere near as amazing as Miakis). Likewise, Arshtat (or however you spell her name) was a queen first, and a mother second, and this bothered the shit out of her. I hope Mikoto/Sakura/Elise can live up to these two!

Indeed! :)

I'm a pretty big fan of Suikoden V's writing and I'd love it if FE14 can even come anywhere close.

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Specifically regarding Camilla... I actually tend towards liking characters with big breasts, especially if they tend to flaunt them. As a naturally large-chested lady myself, I have to appreciate a character that represents me in some way, doubly so if they have the confidence to show them off, as opposed to me who's been trying to hide them since I was 12. I don't even really care that it's done more for fan-service than anything else; I think all people can appreciate when they have characters that represent them in some way, especially if that representation is regarding a part of them that is out of the norm in some fashion. If I can't get clothing that fits me properly, or proper back support, or a bra that's not incredibly expensive, well, at least I can have a fun character in a video game who's like me but doesn't have to worry about those problems. :p

Maybe it's just because my best friend goes through the same thing, but I found this post touching.

Normally, I'd throw in Miss Kamui, but the biggest issue I have with her can be solved with a pair of pants.

Shouldn't the same logic apply to Camilla, whoses "issue" be fixed by closing her inner thigh gap and extending her armor to her chest? Or do you consider that more complex than adding a pair of pants? (Not trying to be sassy)

BTW Thor I'd also love to see a redesigned Charlotte, even though I've attempted to defend parts of her design before.

Please, no. The nohrians have too many people with personality issues already...

Good point. Maybe Sakura can be the one who's secretly not just the sweet, timid moe girl. (I don't have a problem with that trope at all, but Sakura looks annoying for some reason.

Edited by BlueL
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I don't usually dislike a character JUST because of their looks, no, but if I really can't stand the design, it will does play a role as to how much I like the character overall. I also might be more influenced to use units that look appealing, because I don't have any other impression of them until I get to the know their character.

In the case of Camilla, I don't like her design because it's ridiculously and unrealistically oversexualized. The same goes for Charlotte, who I like even less, and unlike Camilla who at least sounds nice, Charlotte doesn't sound likable at all, so she's already my least favorite character revealed so far. The oversexualization of female characters is common in Japanese media, and I for one don't like it because it objectifies women as sex objects. I might be more okay with it if there were more muscled-up, hunky, scantily-clad men in the game, but I don't think the fanservice between genders is on equal footing. That being said though, Fire Emblem isn't one of the worst offenders, and the majority of the female characters are pretty tame looking, so it's not the end of the world if a small handful of the girls are designed as fanservice, especially in a game that's likely to feature the return of the waifu system.

Other than Camilla and Charlotte, I'm not a fan of Luna, Lazward, and Odin. I wasn't the biggest fan of most of the Nohr character designs to begin with, but these three really make me want to play Hoshido. They don't look bad per se, but I can't unsee their Awakening counterparts, and I would prefer fresh new faces over the same ones I saw in the last game.

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Shouldn't the same logic apply to Camilla, whoses "issue" be fixed by closing her inner thigh gap and extending her armor to her chest? Or do you consider that more complex than adding a pair of pants? (Not trying to be sassy)

Yes, a pair of pants would help greatly. The other thing that's a huge no-no are those things by her hips - notice how they're clawed and pointing towards her thighs? Leon's got something similar, but it's much more practical. Replace those pointy-things on her hips with something like what Leon has, and that should solve most of the issues. As for her chest. . .if I wanted to be fully realistic, it would be something like "bind your girls, because you're getting a slightly curved breastplate to accommodate them." If I wanted to emphasize Camilla's looks, I'd have her wear some sort of low-cut shirt underneath her current get-up (a la Vaida).

Those of you who wanted to see my Charlotte redesign, here it is

http://cuniculosus.tumblr.com/post/121652782911/redesign-of-fe-ifs-charlotte-regarding

I have a couple of Camillas in the sketches but none of them really stands out to me yet

I'd say that captures the gold digger part of Charlotte well, while capturing both the fact that she's on a battlefield, and the creepiness. Oh gosh, the creepiness just oozes out of that picture. . .nicely done~!

Can't wait to see Camilla!

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While looks do add to the first impression, I feel it's more the personality that I dislike or don't dislike. I can easily headcanon that a person is wearing something else (Example: Giving Camilla some shorts), a personality can't be changed as easily.

This is why I'm not too fond of Charlotte. I have no issues with her clothes cause most fighters hardly wear anything, it's her personality that bothers me. Maybe it's just me, but I simply don't like characters who use other people. It rubs me the wrong way.

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I don't give a damn about looks to be honest. If a character looks awesome, but has a horrible personality (Tharja) or sucks as a unit (Ymir), then I'm not going to give them much of a try. If they look goofy or ugly, that's fine. If they look sexy and charming, that's fine.

I don't understand people who put Charlotte and Camilla's design down. If people like Vaike and Largo can survive lethal weapons hitting exposed skin, who gives a **** about the aforementioned two having (significantly less upper body skin showing by the way) being revealing. Enough with double standards. Fire Emblem has had wonky designs before, and have had horrible personalities before. Lifis and Tharja have very questionable traits, but they are either ignored (Lifis) or have a fanbase large enough to not care (Tharja).

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Those of you who wanted to see my Charlotte redesign, here it is

http://cuniculosus.tumblr.com/post/121652782911/redesign-of-fe-ifs-charlotte-regarding

I have a couple of Camillas in the sketches but none of them really stands out to me yet

I wish that Charlotte's design was like that instead.

It's perfect and much cuter.

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I wish that Charlotte's design was like that instead.

It's perfect and much cuter.

I'm a terrible judge of art, but while her redesign was good, I don't think it'd fit within If's designs. It looks more like Valkyrie Profile (Covenant of the Plume) and Castlevania (Harmony of Despair)'s art styles. It'd be like mixing a swan with a group of ducks.

It could be justified by just saying it's her full body design, though. Looking forward for the Camilla redesign.

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I explicitly don't use characters because of appearance. The issue for me is less if I "like" the way they look, and more about believability.

I tend to stray away from characters wearing skimpy armor (Camilla) or sporting crazy aesthetics (Pieri). I find that designs like that really break the immersion of the game. On the other hand, a character like Nyx doesn't bother me. Nyx wears a very revealing outfit but it fits with her occupation (a mystic) and she isn't a frontline fighter so she doesn't need as much protection. Mages in general don't wear armor and so a mage wearing revealing clothes doesn't seem too ridiculous to me. Camilla is supposed to be royalty, and seems to be a front line fighter, so reasonably modest and protective attire would make a lot more sense.

I also really don't like characters that aren't built to be their class. I don't use characters like Ross, Amelia, or Kjelle because their physique doesn't match their stats or class (especially berserker ross and general Amelia). A 120lbs little boy just couldn't rule the battlefield with a man sized axe like Ross does. On the other hand, I don't mind using Ewan, Rolf, or Serra. They are all small in stature, but they go about combat in a way that is believable. I can imagine a 12 year old magical prodigy owning like Ewan, or a small boy making himself useful with a bow like Rolf.

I understand that I am playing a fantasy game, but I still like the game to be realistic within its own context.

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I'm a terrible judge of art, but while her redesign was good, I don't think it'd fit within If's designs. It looks more like Valkyrie Profile (Covenant of the Plume) and Castlevania (Harmony of Despair)'s art styles. It'd be like mixing a swan with a group of ducks.

It could be justified by just saying it's her full body design, though. Looking forward for the Camilla redesign.

If you mean it wouldn't fit simply because of my artstyle, well, Kozaki drew Ike in his style and he fits well enough into If. If we wanted to fit with the portrait styles of If then either Kozaki or someone who can pull off the Kozaki style will have to make it into FEIF portrait style anyway and just copy over the same outfit.

My artstyle is more painterly since I just kinda hate working with lines lol

Since it was just trying to get a design and not actually trying to match it to the FEA/IF art style I didn't think it was necessary to also copy Kozaki's style, as it won't be in the actual game anyway.

Edited by Thor Odinson
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The Charlotte redesign is great. It keeps the same aesthetic while not looking too stupid. It still looks a little dumb in the sense of not looking right for her class and the setting, but that dumbness is part of keeping the aesthetic so it's a good dumb. Just the right amount of dumb, so to speak.

I mean, I'm not judging Charlotte yet, but I think I'd be more inclined to like her with that design.

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