@ellieandmiaandlily So my read tends to be that strength - whether physical or otherwise - is typically far more to do with things like aetheric density and one's ability to channel determination and willpower into akasa than with things like size and muscle mass. There's plenty of suggestions peppered throughout the game to suggest that aether is directly responsible - or at least heavily involved - in making people able to move about and do things in general, and that running critically low leaves one exhausted and struggling to move about on one's own, as well as several mentions that one of the most common ways of replenishing one's aether is simply to consume and digest food.
side note: one might hypothesise that life on Etheirys utilises aetheric energy rather than chemical energy like ATP to power itself; this in turn suggests that the cells of etheiryan organisms might lack the mitochondria so common to eukaryotes on Earth, as they might simply have no need for them. Either that, or they might have an equivalent but rather different structure that provides the cell with the ability to draw on and utilise the body's aetheric reserves to power itself rather than needing to convert glucose to ATP as is the case with terrestrial life.
From this perspective, there is absolutely nothing to prevent a Lalafell or, say, a Miqo'te of unusually short stature, from being every bit as physically strong as the largest and mightiest of Hrothgar or Roegadyn - and exceptional individuals in particular are clearly not really held back all that much by petty little details like physical limitations.
side note: of course, by being a fictional world, the setting inevitably also operates at least partially on fictional logic - much like how Roger Rabbit could easily escape his handcuffs "but only when it was funny", I'd argue the physical strength of a character in XIV has far more to do with whether said strength is narratively or thematically appropriate, or simply whether "it would be funny" or not, than it does any physical properties of said character
This is not to say that size and/or muscle mass serves no purpose within the setting - there's clearly still a degree of general correlation between physical strength and factors like size and muscle mass, but it's clearly quite diffuse, and might possibly be more as a signifier of people who deliberately train themselves to get stronger. It is entirely possible that some people might find it easier to mobilise their inner strength into physical strength simply by growing and using their muscles, while others might have an easier time shuffling their aether around more directly - that at the end of the day, it might be as simple as just being different strategies of utilising your own aetheric reserves, or even a degree of bolstering your own confidence and belief in yourself. Considering the presence of forces such as akasa in particular, I'd argue it's entirely consistent with the setting that simply convincing yourself of your own strength - believing that you are physically strong - might actually make you physically stronger simply through that conviction alone. And I mean, why not? Why shouldn't it make sense for a person who feels more confident in, and secure in, themselves and who they are might also be more capable of utilising their body to its limits, if not beyond? Much like how the setting recognises the power of hope and friendship, it also very much recognises the power of being confident in yourself - it's not even subtext so much as just straight up text.
side note: seeing how aether can have a very significant effect on how an organism both appears and functions, and knowing that a sizeable number of etheiryian organisms are or have evolved from abstract concepts given existence and life through creation magic, one might also hypothesise that heredity amongst etheiryan life is far more memetic than genetic in nature - ie. the form and function of an organism is not encoded in molecular genes but rather within memetic structures of its aether: its flow and composition and, for lack of a better term, "colour". That organisms inherit from their forebears not through genetic material but rather by their aether being at least partially shaped by that of their parents, while clearly also affected by external factors both local as well as internal to the lifestream itself. It is entirely within the realm of possibility to argue that beings on Etheirys could quite literally be made up of concepts and narratives given life through aether - even on an explicitly cellular level - suggesting not only a mechanism through which alterations such as those brought about by aetheric imbalances or things like Fantasia might operate, but also the possibility that an individual might be able to directly affect and change their memetic code through choosing to be and act differently, thereby altering their own concept.
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