311 réponses à ce sujet

[DaemionMoadrin]

Asari don't actually take alien DNA though, they just use their empathic link to randomize specific hormones that affect the fetus during gestation that mimic some of the farther's character traits.

 

That makes even less sense.

[Pasquale1234]

Yep. Liara's half sister. Does that in any way mean she didn't have sex with an Hanar?

It says nothing about whether she did or didn't have sex with a hanar.

Asari don't need physical contact to reproduce.

[WildOrchid]

She had a child with a Hanar.

 

 

Yep. Liara's half sister. Does that in any way mean she didn't have sex with an Hanar?

 

 

 

Though, Aethyta could only just meld with hanar for a kid.

Bc the idea of Aethyta with a hanar is... i can't even form a word to explain it.

[Han Shot First]

I think the problem lies with us. We only meet a handful Asari, we have no idea what the other billions of them do. There are several hardworking Asari on Illium who are no-nonsense and don't seem like the slinky dancer type.

 

I think it's entirely possible that most Asari lead ordinary, boring lives (as boring as rich, sexy blue lesbians in space can be anyhow) and we met the extreme wild girls.

 

The stuff about all maidens running off to be dancers or mercenaries couldn't be true, or Asari civilization have long before collapsed. Also the demand for either dancers or mercenaries can't be so high as to accommodate billions of Asari. There shouldn't be anywhere close to enough job openings in either of those two fields to account for most maidens, even ignoring that Asari civilization couldn't exist if its young adults were near entirely channelled into two completely non essential fields. If literally true it would be one of the more ridiculous aspects of the Mass Effect series.

 

I just chalk that up to being a common speciest/ageist stereotype in the game universe. There might be some element of truth to it in that perhaps Asari maidens are overrepresented as both mercs or dancers throughout the galaxy, but that kernel of truth ends up being greatly exaggerated by aliens or older Asari with the 'damned kids' outlook.

[Xen]

Mates aren't required actually. I can't recall now whether it was one of the codex entries, or dialogue with Liara in ME1, but somewhere in the series it was mentioned that Asari reproduction can also be triggered using radiation. A medical procedure can stand in for mates. Some are apparently strong independent Asari who don't need no mate. 

 

 

Given the bit about radiation also being a means to trigger reproduction, I think that's what the writers had in mind. The Asari don't need mates to reproduce but often choose to go that route for social or cultural reasons rather than biological necessity.

I remember the comment from the racist Asari in the Illium sidequest with Shiala saying something about radiation, but It was vauge and I don't think it mentioned anything about not needing at least another asari to trigger reproduction. She was more arguing against the stigma against "purebloods" and the practice of interspecies mating IIRC, but I could be wrong.

[DaemionMoadrin]

The stuff about all maidens running off to be dancers or mercenaries couldn't be true, or Asari civilization have long before collapsed. Also the demand for either dancers or mercenaries can't be so high as to accommodate billions of Asari. There shouldn't be anywhere close to enough job openings in either of those two fields to account for most maidens, even ignoring that Asari civilization couldn't exist if its young adults were near entirely channelled into two completely non essential fields. If literally true it would be one of the more ridiculous aspects of the Mass Effect series.

 

I just chalk that up to being a common speciest/ageist stereotype in the game universe. That might be some element of truth to it in that perhaps Asari maidens are overrepresented as both mercs or dancers throughout the galaxy, but that kernel of truth ends up being greatly exaggerated by aliens or older Asari with the 'damned kids' outlook.

 

It also depends on their birth rate and a few other factors. It's not like there are actual billions of Asari maides in existence at the same time. I'd also imagine that most mercs don't survive their maiden years.

But yeah, you're right.

[DaemionMoadrin]

Bc the idea of Aethyta with a hanar is... i can't even form a word to explain it.

 

That's exactly why I put that mental image out there.

[Jayce]

That makes even less sense.

 

Yup, but that's what they do.

[DaemionMoadrin]

Yup, but that's what they do.

 

So... genetically the kid is the same as the mother? And her mother before her? Oo

[Pasquale1234]

That makes even less sense.

Okay, this is my understanding of the process.

Asari supply both sets of genetic material. They use some other stimulus (a partner's DNA or, apparently radiation) to randomize one set of the material. Otherwise, I suppose they would be birthing self-clones.

They don't need physical contact to do this. It is a mental exercise.

[DaemionMoadrin]

Meh, I'll just go back and say: The biology of ME makes no sense. It clearly isn't based on science.

 

Unless Asari are all naturally occurring clones that only look different on the outside, depending on some random factor during conception/gestation.

 

I blame the Protheans.

[daveliam]

Meh, I'll just go back and say: The biology of ME makes no sense. It clearly isn't based on science.

 

You don't say......  In my science fiction?  Never! 

 

Seriously, though, it's why I find all of the 'realism' arguments to be lame.  There are bigger 'realism' fish to fry in this series than the number of male/female aliens and the questionable functionality of boob plate armor.

[DaemionMoadrin]

You don't say......  In my science fiction?  Never! 

 

Seriously, though, it's why I find all of the 'realism' arguments to be lame.  There are bigger 'realism' fish to fry in this series than the number of male/female aliens and the questionable functionality of boob plate armor.

 

Science fiction, exactly. The genre is about science.

[Shechinah]

Science fiction, exactly. The genre is about science.

To be fair, science fiction is a genre of fiction and a science fiction genre is subgenre within science fiction;

 

Hard science fiction- a particular emphasis on scientific detail and/or accuracy

Soft science fiction - focus on human characters and their relations and feelings, while de-emphasizing the details of technological hardware and physical laws.

Social science fiction - concerned less with technology and more with sociological speculation about human society.

 

Source: "Outline of science fiction" from Wikipedia

[Shechinah]

I think Mass Effect is more of a soft science fiction work.  

[Xen]

 

Now there is a way to subvert this. Just make male quarians go absolutely insane for human women, or we get an all male species like the asari (will never happen) that can best a human in all aspects and have a weakness for human women and, on top of that, can breed conventionally with us without causing acute toxicity or injury. If that happens, look out N7 guy I am jumping on that hunk of manari meat.  

 

Phew, so many emotions!  

 

There's little reason they shouldn't since they look largely the same as quarians apart from limbs, digits, eyes, ears and skin tone.

Honestly, the fact that not a single male quarian made a pass at my femshep was rather insulting. My hips not luscious enough for you or something? Then again, hardly anyone makes a pass at femshep. You have to sexually assault most of the male LI's to get them interested, so maybe I should have just asked to see Reegar's rocket launcher or something else that totally isn't creepy.

[daveliam]

 

 

There's little reason they shouldn't since they look largely the same as quarians apart from limbs, digits, eyes, ears and skin tone.

Honestly, the fact that not a single male quarian made a pass at my femshep was rather insulting. My hips not luscious enough for you or something? Then again, hardly anyone makes a pass at femshep. You have to sexually assault most of the male LI's to get them interested, so maybe I should have just asked to see Reegar's rocket launcher or something else that totally isn't creepy.

 

 

Liked for the reference to Reegar's 'rocket'......

[Beren Von Ostwick]

Yeah, that made me think of that line from MoS' "Shooter Guy" video.  

 

"Boom goes the rocket that I pulled out of my pocket, got an infinite stash and no armor's gonna block it"

[OhNoWhyHow]

Does anyone else dislike the concept of the Asari being monogendered?

 

I just dislike asari in general.  Any alien who is basically a human turned a different color with wrinkly forehead/tentacle hair gets on my nerves.  (To be fair Star Trek had some budget, special effects things to consider but in today's CGI age I see no need for silly aliens like this or this).

[Han Shot First]

 

Now there is a way to subvert this. Just make male quarians go absolutely insane for human women, or we get an all male species like the asari (will never happen) that can best a human in all aspects and have a weakness for human women and, on top of that, can breed conventionally with us without causing acute toxicity or injury. If that happens, look out N7 guy I am jumping on that hunk of manari meat. 

 

 

 

A species that is all male is biologically impossible. They'd be incapable of reproduction. 

 

You could maybe have hermaphrodites, or a species that can change its biological sex for the purpose of reproduction, or a completely asexual species...but none of those would accurately be an 'all male' species. 

[Beren Von Ostwick]

A species that is all male is biologically impossible. They'd be incapable of reproduction.

 

*cough*

 

[FKA_Servo]

I just dislike asari in general.  Any alien who is basically a human turned a different color with wrinkly forehead/tentacle hair gets on my nerves.  (To be fair Star Trek had some budget, special effects things to consider but in today's CGI age I see no need for silly aliens like this or this).

 

I wrote the asari off as blue space elves, but I ended up liking certain asari characters so much that I mellowed on them a lot. I wouldn't want ME without them. In any case, it's a deliberate call back to those things, which is silly but has a certain amount of charm.

 

I could go for some really alien aliens this time around though. I recently read China Mieville's excellent Embassytown - would love to see something like that.

[Shechinah]

A species that is all male is biologically impossible. They'd be incapable of reproduction. 

 

You could maybe have hermaphrodites, or a species that can change its biological sex for the purpose of reproduction, or a completely asexual species...but none of those would accurately be an 'all male' species. 

There seems to be an all-male species of minnow which reproduces with hybrid-fish but the offspring from the union is male which continues the purely-male lineage while the hybrid-fish otherwise reproduces hybrid fish. While their reproduction is dependant on another sort of fish, they seem to remain an all-male species.

 

It's a bit... complicated so I'll just leave the reading material here for those interested; http://web.archive.o...m-all-male.html