Yeah, those lazy developers, JRPGs should be all about realism.

Look, if you can't do it, then you can't do it.  That's fine with me.  With the rest, though, I don't even know what you're talking about anymore and it sounds like you're making it a lot more convoluted in order to create more justifications.  If you can only play a He-man character, then more power to you.

They should be! We can believe the impossible, but not the improbable. And unfortunately, JRPG developers often expect us to believe the improbable.

However, my complaint relating to lazy devs in that particular post had nothing to do with their lack of realism and everything to do with their use of clichés.

I'd really like to know what you think I said, because it's probably very different from what I actually said.

Who said I can't do it?

I'm not talking about myself. I'm merely hypothesising about what other people's motivations for saying they're too manly to play as a feminine male might be. Which is exactly what you're doing, too. I'm just trying to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Because it's shitty character design. Looks like they don't know what they are doing for the most part; don't know the characters mindset. People get the whole gay vibe, and lets admit it, gay people aren't looked upon well in society, but many negative aspects are the fault of gay people themselves. People don't want to play with characters they don't understand, and it's that simple.

Honestly, I don't really know what you're talking about anymore.  You're not talking about what I or the OP are talking about and seem to have created your own direction.  That's fine but why you're using my posts for that, I don't really understand.

First, this idea you have that androgynous male characters shouldn't be powerful, I don't really understand it.  Being a pretty guy doesn't mean you can't be skilled in combat or have a gruff personality.  Your stereotyping there makes no sense to me.

Related to that, you keep talking about "feminine" male characters instead of androgynous male characters.  If you want to talk about that, go ahead, but I don't really know what that has to do with what I'm saying.

This is why Surgeon Simulator is my GOTY for 2013. Never have I been able to relate to an MC on so many levels.

Yes, that's quite clear.

Unfortunately, that doesn't stop you from trying to argue with me. Why would you argue with someone if you don't understand what they're saying? That can never end well.

It's society's stereotyping. Society is the one that has a problem with androgynous male leads.

However...

...While it may be plausible for a skinnier man to be good at combat, it's not plausible for him to swing around a sword that weighs more than he does; that's improbable. And while it's not hard to believe that someone who takes care of their appearance might also want to fight, it's hard to believe that someone who spends a lot of time fighting will remain pretty for very long. That's improbable, too.

As for not having a gruff personality, I was making an observation. Pretty guys in fiction usually don't have gruff personalities. That doesn't mean they shouldn't. Maybe they should. But they usually don't. If you want to see pretty guys with gruff personalities, talk to the people who make the games and ask for characters who are like that.

If a man is androgynous, then he's more feminine than the average man, correct? Most men look like men. An androgynous man is feminine compared to the average man. The two terms are almost interchangeable.

That's Japan, though.  They depend heavily on standardized character types.  You can look at a character design and pretty much know their personality.  Tsundere, yandere, and all the dozens of other -dere are some examples.

Pretty guys go beyond just Japan, though, as Korean seems to love that type, as well.

Again, what on earth are you talking about?  You replied to me, therefore you started arguing with me.  Right?  Yes, I know you were trying to insult me with that statement but at least get the order right.

As far as society having a problem with androgynous characters, I seem to remember that guy in your signature being pretty popular.  Look you're just making up stuff based on how you think it should be, not how it actually is.  Does it really bother you that Cloud and Sephiroth used impossible swords?  Okay, cool.  Maybe you should just avoid JRPGs that aren't realistic?  I don't even know what you want anymore.

Seriously, I don't know what to tell you at this point.  JRPGs are usually not very realistic.  If you can't handle that then don't play them.  Problem solved.

What about women that look like men? Are they in rpgs?

Why don't characters in final fantasy look japanese? Maybe some do?

Why do 16 year olds save the world all the time in those games?
Why cant they be 28 for once?

I started it and you continued it.

Not at all, but if that's how your mind works, then it explains a lot of the problems we're having. Don't assume everyone is always being hostile.

He wasn't quite so androgynous back in the day. If you cast your mind back, he had very masculine features back in the original game; it's only in the sequels and prequels that he became girly looking.

And he was pretty damn muscular. I can easily imagine him wrecking shit up.

Care to give examples?

Only a little bit, and it was mostly explained by the story. A lot of other JRPG's don't give us such convenient explanations for how the skinny dude is so fucking strong.

I want a double quarter-pounder with cheese. And a nice joint.

Again, you seem to think that I'm talking about my own preferences. Maybe I like weird stuff, but recognise that lots of people don't and also recognise why they don't? As it happens, I have a moderate amount of tolerance for JRPG weirdness. I can handle a little bit of it, but not too much.

That only appeals to a niche  market.

Japanese beauty standards.

Although they don't look completely white either. Maybe half- or quarter-Asian.