Asari are, as was said many times, without a true gender. They are both. They have the characteristics of females because, indeed, most people that play these games are young men, and I, myself, would never want to romance something blue that looked like a man. A woman, however...
Perhaps they wanted to make a difference or express change, or perhaps they merely did all of this to appeal to a certain fanbase. Perhaps it's both. I have no idea, but what I do know is...
Blue women are hot.
Asari And The concept of Gender
Débuté par
Vladivindel
, janv. 26 2010 09:25
Retour en haut
#27
Posté 27 janvier 2010 - 03:29
Vladivindel
-
- Members
- 29 messages
DoctorPringles wrote...
Asari are, as was said many times, without a true gender. They are both. They have the characteristics of females because, indeed, most people that play these games are young men, and I, myself, would never want to romance something blue that looked like a man. A woman, however...
Perhaps they wanted to make a difference or express change, or perhaps they merely did all of this to appeal to a certain fanbase. Perhaps it's both. I have no idea, but what I do know is...
Blue women are hot.
Well its safe to say that the Futanari is a massive one. You may have a point.. I mean This game is marketed collage aged males.
it is no coencidence that the primary user base for futanari is collage aged males.
- BaaBaaBlacksheep aime ceci
#28
Posté 27 janvier 2010 - 03:47
Ryllen Laerth Kriel
-
- Members
- 3 001 messages
What was most peculiar to me was how they constantly refer to their diety as "Goddess" and not a non-gendered creature of divine power. I can see them calling their children "daughters" for the sake of learning a human language and needing a quick reference humans could understand.
The fact they look human just makes them more easily identifiable to the player, I kind of wish the concept artists made them a little more "alien" looking. Tweak their noses or something.
Asari are kind of like the much more appealing version of the reptilian race in the 80's movie Enemy Mine, based of the novella by Barry B. Longyear. In a way it makes sense that they have more feminine features than masculine ones. But I feel they still look way too similar to humans, so it's hard to consider them a serious game race sometimes for me.
One reason Enemy Mine keeps popping up is because, in that story, the Drak gave birth to it's own child without any DNA sampling from a human or any other creature, including those of it's own kind. Do Asari just need any genetic material whatsoever? If so, their bodies must be incredibly complex, I'd love to hear a theory on their chemistry.
If they don't need foreign genetic material, it would make their species limited in it's evolutional capabilities. The conversation about Liara's past in ME1 hints that some sort of genetic material exchange is needed. Blah, I forgot where I was going with this, interesting thread though.
The fact they look human just makes them more easily identifiable to the player, I kind of wish the concept artists made them a little more "alien" looking. Tweak their noses or something.
Asari are kind of like the much more appealing version of the reptilian race in the 80's movie Enemy Mine, based of the novella by Barry B. Longyear. In a way it makes sense that they have more feminine features than masculine ones. But I feel they still look way too similar to humans, so it's hard to consider them a serious game race sometimes for me.
One reason Enemy Mine keeps popping up is because, in that story, the Drak gave birth to it's own child without any DNA sampling from a human or any other creature, including those of it's own kind. Do Asari just need any genetic material whatsoever? If so, their bodies must be incredibly complex, I'd love to hear a theory on their chemistry.
If they don't need foreign genetic material, it would make their species limited in it's evolutional capabilities. The conversation about Liara's past in ME1 hints that some sort of genetic material exchange is needed. Blah, I forgot where I was going with this, interesting thread though.
#29
Posté 27 janvier 2010 - 04:47
Vladivindel
-
- Members
- 29 messages
Ryllen Laerth Kriel wrote...
What was most peculiar to me was how they constantly refer to their diety as "Goddess" and not a non-gendered creature of divine power. I can see them calling their children "daughters" for the sake of learning a human language and needing a quick reference humans could understand.
The fact they look human just makes them more easily identifiable to the player, I kind of wish the concept artists made them a little more "alien" looking. Tweak their noses or something.
Asari are kind of like the much more appealing version of the reptilian race in the 80's movie Enemy Mine, based of the novella by Barry B. Longyear. In a way it makes sense that they have more feminine features than masculine ones. But I feel they still look way too similar to humans, so it's hard to consider them a serious game race sometimes for me.
One reason Enemy Mine keeps popping up is because, in that story, the Drak gave birth to it's own child without any DNA sampling from a human or any other creature, including those of it's own kind. Do Asari just need any genetic material whatsoever? If so, their bodies must be incredibly complex, I'd love to hear a theory on their chemistry.
If they don't need foreign genetic material, it would make their species limited in it's evolutional capabilities. The conversation about Liara's past in ME1 hints that some sort of genetic material exchange is needed. Blah, I forgot where I was going with this, interesting thread though.
You make a valid point. According to the game lore it is frowned upon for an asari to mate with another asari due to there being no new genetic information. When they mate with other species they gain genetic code and information pregnancy is not required to gain this evolutionary advantage. It is culturally expected for them to mate with a different alien the more rare or different the better due to the new genetic information and bonus to thier abilitys.
They are like a computer program that is constantly reciveing updates that are meant for other programs. These updates add functionality and understanding beyond what the base "program" has. The goddess thing is interesting but keep in mind the definition of female when an asari uses it is not the same as female when a human is useing it. You can say that somebody is sick or you could say you have a sick video card.. Do they mean the same thing? Nope lol.. I think its similer with asari.
#30
Posté 19 avril 2010 - 04:40
AVALONSOLDIER
-
- Members
- 1 messages
Asari has mystery of biological evolution.
"Turians fringe", "Human body and face", "Salarian skin color(*)", "Long life (like Krogan)"
(*Most of Salarian skin color is Blue,Green,purple)
Asari has a lot of other species physical personality. By MassEffect setting, origin of Asari is
very old. "Now, Let's think!" (1) Asari is one of ancient race. Their origin must be older than other race.
(2) Asari can't inherit other species DNA. Asari can't bear except Asari female.So, Asari's body is original.
"Conclusion" Asari may be ancestor of four race In ME world. Amazing!
"Turians fringe", "Human body and face", "Salarian skin color(*)", "Long life (like Krogan)"
(*Most of Salarian skin color is Blue,Green,purple)
Asari has a lot of other species physical personality. By MassEffect setting, origin of Asari is
very old. "Now, Let's think!" (1) Asari is one of ancient race. Their origin must be older than other race.
(2) Asari can't inherit other species DNA. Asari can't bear except Asari female.So, Asari's body is original.
"Conclusion" Asari may be ancestor of four race In ME world. Amazing!
#31
Posté 19 avril 2010 - 04:42
Ryzaki
-
- Members
- 34 395 messages
Asari are female.
I do think they do have at least a basic understanding of gender though (seeing as how they interact with other races that do have more than one). Seeing as how Liara says they fulfill female roles.
I do think they do have at least a basic understanding of gender though (seeing as how they interact with other races that do have more than one). Seeing as how Liara says they fulfill female roles.
#32
Guest_Maviarab_*
Posté 19 avril 2010 - 04:44
Guest_Maviarab_*
Guest_Maviarab_*
-
- Guests
and the point of this thread is...........
#33
Posté 19 avril 2010 - 04:55
vhatever
-
- Members
- 1 822 messages
Boys have a penis, girls have a vagina.
#34
Guest_yorkj86_*
Posté 19 avril 2010 - 05:04
Guest_yorkj86_*
Guest_yorkj86_*
-
- Guests
Oh, dear. There is a bit of tacit and implicit misogyny in this thread. I hope that none of it is intentional.
To start, Vladivindel, you make the enormously presumptuous and deeply offensive assumption that being in a position of power is a distinctly "masculine" state. Again, I doubt that you intended to actually offend anyone.
The Asari don't morph or change to mate. If they are viviparous mammals, or viviparous mammal analogues, they must, at the least, have birth-canals. Strictly speaking, the Asari initiate their own pregnancy. They don't require any physical genetic material - gametes. At best, we have a very vague notion of how Asari genetics and reproduction work.
We do know that the Asari don't use chemicals or mechanical processes to reproduce. It's done through the duplication and transmission of nervous signal activity back and forth between the Asari and her partner using a wireless neural link. Thus, she feels her partner, she feels what her partner feels, and she feels her partner feeling her. We know that they "scan" their partner's genetic history and...that's where our understanding cuts off. The rest is speculation.
We do know that an Asari passes on two sets of genetic material on to her child - one that is uniquely Asari, and one that is somehow "changed" by the father. This leads me to believe (my speculation) that because an Asari daughter will always be an Asari, no matter who the mother mates with, the mother, during the process of reproduction, adapts any favorable traits that the father contains in his genetic material and transcribes it on to the immutable Asari genetic template. I have no actual in-game evidence of this, this is just my interpretation of what's written in the Codex.
As for canon: In ME1, Liara tells us that Asari daughters receive the best traits of the father species in a pairing, but then in ME2, we are told that Asari only use alien DNA to randomize the genetic material of their own child. This is a retcon. Whether or not any genetic information from the father is used isn't mentioned. If they don't actually take any genetic material from the father, then the Asari superstition concerning Purebloods is superstition.
To start, Vladivindel, you make the enormously presumptuous and deeply offensive assumption that being in a position of power is a distinctly "masculine" state. Again, I doubt that you intended to actually offend anyone.
The Asari don't morph or change to mate. If they are viviparous mammals, or viviparous mammal analogues, they must, at the least, have birth-canals. Strictly speaking, the Asari initiate their own pregnancy. They don't require any physical genetic material - gametes. At best, we have a very vague notion of how Asari genetics and reproduction work.
We do know that the Asari don't use chemicals or mechanical processes to reproduce. It's done through the duplication and transmission of nervous signal activity back and forth between the Asari and her partner using a wireless neural link. Thus, she feels her partner, she feels what her partner feels, and she feels her partner feeling her. We know that they "scan" their partner's genetic history and...that's where our understanding cuts off. The rest is speculation.
We do know that an Asari passes on two sets of genetic material on to her child - one that is uniquely Asari, and one that is somehow "changed" by the father. This leads me to believe (my speculation) that because an Asari daughter will always be an Asari, no matter who the mother mates with, the mother, during the process of reproduction, adapts any favorable traits that the father contains in his genetic material and transcribes it on to the immutable Asari genetic template. I have no actual in-game evidence of this, this is just my interpretation of what's written in the Codex.
As for canon: In ME1, Liara tells us that Asari daughters receive the best traits of the father species in a pairing, but then in ME2, we are told that Asari only use alien DNA to randomize the genetic material of their own child. This is a retcon. Whether or not any genetic information from the father is used isn't mentioned. If they don't actually take any genetic material from the father, then the Asari superstition concerning Purebloods is superstition.
Modifié par yorkj86, 19 avril 2010 - 05:06 .
#36
Posté 19 avril 2010 - 05:09
Garuda One
-
- Members
- 1 037 messages
Before Posting your Theorys and Speculations Thread
Videos
Asari, skip to 4:00
Liara explains the birds and the bees, skip to 4:57
Watch these two videos
Videos
Asari, skip to 4:00
Liara explains the birds and the bees, skip to 4:57
Watch these two videos
Modifié par Garuda One, 19 avril 2010 - 05:13 .
#37
Guest_yorkj86_*
Posté 19 avril 2010 - 05:11
Guest_yorkj86_*
Guest_yorkj86_*
-
- Guests
As for the Asari and gender as a social construct:
The Asari are mono-gendered, as we're told. They lack the concept of male and female. They are both, and have never distinguished between the two, because, as far as we can tell, they've always been a sexually binary species.
I think that, instead of male and female, the Asari have adapted a completely different definition of "gender". They have the Huntress, and they have the Diplomat. The Huntress is the warrior. The Diplomat is the politician. Humans might say that the former is distinctly masculine and the latter is distinctly feminine. The Asari would just give you a weird look.
All social analysis of the Asari has to be done very carefully, as to avoid ethnocentrism. Because of this, I'm having trouble even finding a place to begin.
The Asari are mono-gendered, as we're told. They lack the concept of male and female. They are both, and have never distinguished between the two, because, as far as we can tell, they've always been a sexually binary species.
I think that, instead of male and female, the Asari have adapted a completely different definition of "gender". They have the Huntress, and they have the Diplomat. The Huntress is the warrior. The Diplomat is the politician. Humans might say that the former is distinctly masculine and the latter is distinctly feminine. The Asari would just give you a weird look.
All social analysis of the Asari has to be done very carefully, as to avoid ethnocentrism. Because of this, I'm having trouble even finding a place to begin.
#38
Posté 19 avril 2010 - 05:13
ImperialOperative
-
- Members
- 1 774 messages
yorkj86 wrote...
All social analysis of the Asari has to be done very carefully, as to avoid ethnocentrism. Because of this, I'm having trouble even finding a place to begin.
That's because it's fiction and Asari are the designated "sexy blue alien chicks."
#39
Posté 19 avril 2010 - 05:20
Garuda One
-
- Members
- 1 037 messages
If OP has anymore questions ask me, or I can find it for you. I am a sucker for lore and story and BioWare games like other certain games peek my interest and I sadly know every single piece of information or a general idea.
Also ask the Liara Fan Threads or Samara Threads for more finer details on Asari as a whole. I know there is even more information if you try to romance both of them.
Also ask the Liara Fan Threads or Samara Threads for more finer details on Asari as a whole. I know there is even more information if you try to romance both of them.
#40
Posté 19 avril 2010 - 05:21
vhatever
-
- Members
- 1 822 messages
They actually eat their males. they keep them locked up on the Asari homeworld. They drain their life force and that's why they live so long. Ardpt yakshi are just Asari that break the code and soul suck anyone they want to.
#41
Guest_yorkj86_*
Posté 19 avril 2010 - 05:21
Guest_yorkj86_*
Guest_yorkj86_*
-
- Guests
ImperialOperative wrote...
yorkj86 wrote...
All social analysis of the Asari has to be done very carefully, as to avoid ethnocentrism. Because of this, I'm having trouble even finding a place to begin.
That's because it's fiction and Asari are the designated "sexy blue alien chicks."
There's a little more to it than that. There can be more to it than that. If not, there's speculation, which is allowed, provided that it has some educated basis.
Modifié par yorkj86, 19 avril 2010 - 05:21 .
#42
Posté 19 avril 2010 - 05:24
Darkhour
-
- Members
- 1 484 messages
The Demonologist wrote...
In all honesty, I believe they were made with the whole 'swings both ways blue alien chick' mentality in mind. I like Asari lore, but it seems pretty clear that that was part of if not -the- base idea of them.
What I've always found a tad quirky though is that they, socially, have the concept of calling their off-spring 'daughter' or 'she.' Since those are terms referring to the female and the Asari lack gender, I expected something more... middling?
I don't know. Is it true that characters in Mass Effect utilize some kind of translator? It seems like it would interpret whatever word they're using as 'she' or 'her' or things of that nature.
I understand the cinematic need for everyone to speak english/whathaveyou if the translator thing isn't true, but shouldn't they have referred to themselves by something more gender neutral?
Not outraged or nothing, just confused. Having had no dealings with an asexual culture that displays gender biased physical attributes, I just don't know.
In a universe where very single other species recognizes them as female it would be seen as culturally delusional to try and keep up a presense of being non-gendered.
#43
Posté 19 avril 2010 - 05:26
binaryemperor
-
- Members
- 781 messages
vhatever wrote...
They actually eat their males. they keep them locked up on the Asari homeworld. They drain their life force and that's why they live so long. Ardpt yakshi are just Asari that break the code and soul suck anyone they want to.
#44
Posté 19 avril 2010 - 05:26
Tirigon
-
- Members
- 8 573 messages
Maybe Asari reproduce in the same way as reapers?!
#45
Guest_yorkj86_*
Posté 19 avril 2010 - 05:28
Guest_yorkj86_*
Guest_yorkj86_*
-
- Guests
Darkhour wrote...
In a universe where very single other species recognizes them as female it would be seen as culturally delusional to try and keep up a presense of being non-gendered.
They are unique and defy classification.
If you'd like to brave the cries of "cultural relativism", then you'd need to assert and prove the way in which their insistence of being mono-gendered is in some way detrimental to themselves and to others. Lastly, it would have to be convincing to the Asari, who as we know, sometimes aren't open to radical social change, as the bartender on Illium tells us.
Modifié par yorkj86, 19 avril 2010 - 05:37 .
#46
Posté 19 avril 2010 - 05:29
wizardryforever
-
- Members
- 2 826 messages
I believe the main reason the Asari are referred to a female 90% of the time would be because of the fact that all Asari can be mothers (except Ardat-Yakshi), but only Asari mated with another Asari can be fathers. Thus it only makes sense in the modern day, where purebloods are becoming more rare, to refer to Asari as female in popular culture, despite the fact that they aren't really. As for the Asari calling their children "daughters," it goes along the same lines. Also consider that in cell reproduction (mitosis), the offspring cells are always called daughters, despite them not having a real gender. Food for thought.
#47
Posté 19 avril 2010 - 05:30
Tirigon
-
- Members
- 8 573 messages
Being mono-gendered is actually a great advantage. You would have no suppression of gays for example...
#48
Posté 19 avril 2010 - 05:30
Inquisitor Recon
-
- Members
- 11 795 messages
Clearly the Asari have an evil plot to eliminate the other races by being more attractive than their women. And they are clearly woman. They may only have one gender, but it is still a gender.
#49
Guest_yorkj86_*
Posté 19 avril 2010 - 05:32
Guest_yorkj86_*
Guest_yorkj86_*
-
- Guests
wizardryforever wrote...
I believe the main reason the Asari are referred to a female 90% of the time would be because of the fact that all Asari can be mothers (except Ardat-Yakshi), but only Asari mated with another Asari can be fathers. Thus it only makes sense in the modern day, where purebloods are becoming more rare, to refer to Asari as female in popular culture, despite the fact that they aren't really. As for the Asari calling their children "daughters," it goes along the same lines. Also consider that in cell reproduction (mitosis), the offspring cells are always called daughters, despite them not having a real gender. Food for thought.
I'm cautious about all of this because we have no indication of how much the Asari have felt compelled to adopt the binary-sex classification used by other species due to translators and simply co-existing with them.
#50
Posté 19 avril 2010 - 05:41
ImperialOperative
-
- Members
- 1 774 messages
Tirigon wrote...
Being mono-gendered is actually a great advantage. You would have no suppression of gays for example...
You fool, the concept of "gay" wouldn't exist.
