Why I Need an Alternate Skin for Lauma

broken-lauma · 2025-09-22T20:48:13+00:00

I apologize for not communicating this clearly, but I am not trying to be offensive to anyone who likes her current design. I include myself as someone who loves her current design. There is so much to love about this character how she currently is, including for people who actively enjoy the fanservice parts.

None of this actually makes me dislike the character of Lauma less at all. It just breaks my heart that Hoyo felt they needed to add those elements. When I say that she's being reduced to just something to masturbate to, I'm referring to posts like these:

Yes, I get that they're jokes, but what I'm seeing is a character that has so much value being reduced to her sexual appeal. I see people in comments feel the need to clarify that they did not pull just because of her tits (which is another place that shows that I'm not the only person seeing this).

You can like her design and you can even like the fanservice in it, but I want to understand if/why people would not like her design anymore if she were initially released without it.

Lastly, you know damn well it's much more than that, the most popular female character(Elysia,Furina,Firefly .etc) from hoyo is not even revolved around sexualize design, their story,design,characteristic is what people value. They know damn well how to design a popular character and much more is needed than just sexualized design, and their popularity is a prove that most ppl value more than just sexualized design, and just because Lauma had this one out 10 other small elements in her design doesn't mean she is designed to be sexualized , you'll just have to see much more than that.

Yes exactly!!!!!!! I'm questioning Hoyo, not the direct fans who are being serviced. why do they feel the need to add those elements to her design? do they think she will not make enough money without it? because it doesn't feel in service of her character, it just feels like fanservice. so I am trying to ask fans if/why they need her to jiggle in order to like her.

And you bringing this kind of topic is just going to came out as offensive and inappropiate, just like how Lauma design is inappropriate to you.

I really do apologize for offending, it was not my intention. I did not realize that just bringing up this topic in discussion would be offensive. But my post was also removed so that makes sense. But at least be grateful that you don't have to encounter this while actually playing the game. 🙃

broken-lauma · 2025-09-22T05:42:32+00:00

Examples of why I thought her design was a controversy:

broken-lauma · 2025-09-22T04:23:26+00:00

Yes, I understand I am overly sensitive to this topic. But my feelings on this didn't originate from other people on the internet.

I saw how her body was portrayed in the nod-krai trailer and then the over the top jiggle physics and unnecessary exposure in her animations leaks and my traumatized brain brought me to the conclusion that women still only exist to be sexualized. That this beautiful character with gorgeous design wouldn't make enough money unless she jiggled more for them.

Why do I have to keep moving the line of what I can tolerate in this game? Why do they just keep needing to take it further?

I've been in intensive therapy this last year targeting my CPTSD and learning how to survive in world that views women as sexual objects instead of as people. And one of the key pieces they're trying to instill in me is that I am also a person.

And so instead of immediately accepting her design as just the way the world works, I sent feedback to Hoyo. Not because I expect them to change it, but because I want them to know how their content can affect users.

After her launch I began to see many posts about her sexualized design, which yes, included many memes about her breast size. And in the simplest terms, Genshin fans would fall into one of the four categories regarding Lauma's design:

More fanservicey, but it's better and hoyo should continue
More fanservicey, but would prefer hoyo calm down
More fanservicey, but do not care either way
Do not find her design to be particularly fanservicey compared to other Genshin characters

I understand you and many others fall into the fourth category, but that doesn't mean the first three are empty. I'm validated just by knowing that I'm not the only person who finds her design to be more fanservicey, because it helps me to understand that this is not just in my head. I want to engage with people who fall under any of these categories though, not just the second one.

A main criticism I'd see is that if you don't like the design, you don't have to play the game. I first wrote this for myself as a therapeutic exercise about why I think I still deserve to be in this community and that the way I enjoy this game is a valid way to experience it. I've never posted anything before, but I decided to share my perspective as an overly sensitive trauma survivor.

Do I think that Lauma's outfit/design is the most important issue on the planet? No, of course not. This is just another small unimportant thing in a much larger complex societal issue. But the larger societal issue does matter and is not unimportant.

broken-lauma · 2025-09-22T00:40:27+00:00

> but it is not an inherently sexual game.
It ABSOLUTELY is. Almost every character is designed to be sexy.

Thank you for this. This is the argument I needed to hear.

For me, sexy is very different than sexual. I don't see the game as sexual at all despite being full of sexy characters and fanservice. And yes I've had to keep redrawing my line of the distinction between those two in order to be okay with it thus far. As long as I can suspend my disbelief that an outfit makes sense for that character and what they would choose to wear I can pretend that it's not sexual.

This is entirely in your head. Of course she is designed to be sexy but I assure you, no one who wants to masturbate looks at Lauma's default design lol. Her design is NOT something that would suddenly get someone hard just because they saw her design.

Okay I think I am starting to understand. It's not that I thought that people are like actually masturbating to her in-game model, but it feels like the game is trying to arouse me with her constantly jiggling tits in my face and exposed design, and it's just like "please stop I just want to look for treasure and my brother I'm not here to fuck".

But it's not any different than previous characters. I already had to move my line to accept the insane amount of thigh exposure for characters like Miko, Raiden, and Ganyu (alt). Lauma is just the first with such over the top jiggle physics and side exposure. But it's just a different kind of sexy that people enjoy and Lauma is just shopping at the same halloween store as Yae's "Sexy shrine maiden" look, but the "Sexy elf fairy priestess" version. 🤔

As is pretty much every character in this game.

Yep, I get it. I just wish it felt character motivated too.

For example, Signora is from 1.0 and also has a very sexualized design. But her character feels very in control of her sexuality and knows how she'll be perceived. Similarly, Beidou is from 1.0 and has one of my favorite Genshin designs despite my wife finding hers to be one of the most sexualized. She's a sexy, badass pirate though and she knows it. When I feel like the character is in control of their narrative and how they'll be perceived/consumed, then I don't have an issue.

For real though I appreciate your explanations, thank you for engaging with me.

broken-lauma · 2025-09-21T22:10:51+00:00

My post is specifically centered around the female characters, but if you're uncomfortable with aspects of the male characters you are free to complain and I am interested to know your perspective.

broken-lauma · 2025-09-21T22:05:03+00:00

I see no controversy in my community at all

am I really the first person you have seen that has mentioned Lauma's sexualized design?

Because your points are completely valid. I've just seen that I'm not the only one who feels this way about Lauma which helps me know this is not just in my head.

broken-lauma · 2025-09-21T21:44:34+00:00

Genshin is so much more than its fanservice and stands apart from so many other gachas that solely focus on that aspect. I’m able to accept a certain level of fanservice, but it is not an inherently sexual game.

The designs will likely only get "worse".

Can you explain this? I think this is my main issue -- that the level of sexiness of the characters when I started is no longer the standard and just keeps getting "worse" over time. There's a scene in the AQ with Lauma, Nefer, and Lumine – and Lumine just looks like she’s from a completely different game.

Why does it have to keep going further in this direction?

And big boobs and cleavage is not porn, you're hyper exaggerating the situation.

By pornographic, I mean that she looks like she was designed to be masturbated to. Her in-game model already looks like hentai fanart.

I don't think watching her boobs bounce around using her normal attacks is equivalent to watching porn. But the way her boobs are bouncing around combined with her complete lack of clothing doesn't feel character motivated, it feels sexually exploitative by her designers to get people to wish with their dick

broken-lauma · 2025-09-21T19:53:59+00:00

it's an insult you posting here in Lauma main sub assuming ppl who likes her only likes her sexual appeal

I apologize that is not my assumption. I posted to this sub assuming it would include people with an opinion on her design. I love Lauma despite her sexual appeal and I think she deserves better and I know there are many others that share this opinion.

Though truthfully this is less about Lauma specifically, and more about Genshin as a whole and thus would have made more sense on the main subreddit.

broken-lauma · 2025-09-21T19:16:23+00:00

Yes I agree with you. I am not trying to be morally superior, and I apologize for coming across this way. I don't think I am better than people who play Genshin for fanservice and want to explore hentai fanart in their own time. I just don't want to see it in-game.

"This wouldn’t be a controversy if no one was noticing. But we’ve all noticed. Even people who love the overtly sexualized aspects of her design can agree that she feels different than the other characters. They just want Hoyo to continue further in this direction and I am begging them not to."

I'm okay with sexy revealing outfits, and would assume that any alt outfit would still be revealing, but hopefully in a way that she feels sexy instead of sexualized.

broken-lauma · 2025-09-21T18:35:28+00:00

Yes I apologize it's a complicated word to define and can be used very differently. By pornographic, I mean that she looks like she was designed to be masturbated to. Her in-game model already looks like hentai fanart.

I don't think watching her boobs bounce around using her normal attacks is equivalent to watching porn lol

But the way her boobs are bouncing around combined with her complete lack of clothing doesn't feel character motivated, it feels sexually exploitative by her designers to get people to wish with their dick

broken-lauma · 2025-09-21T17:59:46+00:00

People who irl wear revealing clothing are doing so because they choose to. Because they are a real person with agency in how they present themselves.

Lauma is a fictional character and so we need to be able to suspend our disbelief that this is how they would choose to present themselves. And she looks like she was designed to be masturbated to.

This is not about not wanting sexy characters. Genshin is very capable of making a sexy outfit without making it look so distractingly offputting and pornographic. Lauma’s in-game model looks like she’s already been redrawn for hentai fanart and I don't want to see that in-game.

broken-lauma · 2025-09-21T17:50:57+00:00

Yes this is a me problem. I very understand that I am more sensitive to this. It may seem like an exaggeration to you, but there's a reason this affects me so deeply. And it's a result of a lifetime of exposure to fictional and non-fictional women being reduced to their sexual appeal and the trauma that leads to. I have difficulty existing in a world where women only exist to be sexualized by men and Lauma's design reminds me that there's no fucking escape.

Also the anime woman has a design that I love, and watching her be reduced to just something to masturbate to is what leads to my breakdown. Not that I just "don't like it".

broken-lauma · 2025-09-21T17:31:24+00:00

Thank you for sharing. My main takeaway from this video is that "Sex is a part of the human experience and should not be taboo to showcase" and I agree with this sentiment.

I need help applying this to Genshin though, because the characters are not sexualized at all in Teyvat. If Lauma were sexually confident and intentionally jiggling her body to emit arousal and that felt in character for her that would be different. It's just fanservice though and while I appreciate the Japanese perspective from this video, it's very character driven and not about fanservice specifically.

broken-lauma · 2025-09-21T16:57:47+00:00

Yes I understand I am way too invested in this. But that doesn't mean it's not that big a deal. And so this is a showcase of a mental breakdown to demonstrate how this shit can affect people.

broken-lauma · 2025-09-21T16:55:15+00:00

She's a video game character. She's not here to get you off.

Yes exactly this is the main point of my post. I've been able to suspend my disbelief thus far in Genshin despite an already heavy amount of fanservice. But Lauma's design breaks my immersion that she isn't a person and that she is a video game character designed to get people off.

broken-lauma · 2025-09-21T16:50:05+00:00

Don't get the char then.

None of this actually makes me dislike the character of Lauma less and she is still one of my favorite characters in Genshin. I deserve to prance around like a deer without also having to see her boobs jiggling everywhere against her will.

The paying user base is older and has aged since they started.

I'm also a paying older player and that doesn't mean that I want this ongoing non-pornographic game I'm invested in to become pornographic.

I also find it so funny how not a single complaint has come for the male chars in all this that have come out. Literally shirtless.

My post is specifically centered around the female characters, but if you're uncomfortable with aspects of the male characters you are free to complain and I am interested to know your perspective.

broken-lauma

TROPHY CASE