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Asari
Jan 16, 2014 16:57:38 GMT -6
Post by Game Master on Jan 16, 2014 16:57:38 GMT -6
I'm playing through Mass Effect 2 in order to review it for my blog when I noticed (for the first time) the conversation that occurs during the bachelor party on Illium. The Salarian, Turian, and Human said the Asari looked like their species. The Salarian's quote stood out to me more as he claimed he didn't know how other species could find the Asari attractive because they resembled Salarians so much.
So what do you think? Do Asari have some sort of telepathy to project something of an ideal image of themselves to others? Or it is because they are attractive to every race naturally?
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Asari
Jan 16, 2014 17:32:20 GMT -6
Post by dargene on Jan 16, 2014 17:32:20 GMT -6
I actually thought they looked like a cross between human and turian, the humanoid shape and features yet the "hair tentacles" resemble the turian facial structure, No idea how the salarians do though..
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Asari
Jan 16, 2014 20:08:41 GMT -6
Post by Maelstrom on Jan 16, 2014 20:08:41 GMT -6
I doubt they have anything so advanced as projecting themselves in an ideal form to all aliens. That would take an understanding of each race's subconscious and an active effort to influence their neural patterns in different ways. If it is anything beyond their inherent appearance, my guess would either be some form of pheromone or a generalized sort of electrical field projected from their bodies that affects other races in such a way as to pacify or arouse them.
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Asari
Jan 16, 2014 23:44:07 GMT -6
Post by Shala'Bekk vas Neema on Jan 16, 2014 23:44:07 GMT -6
I like the pheromone idea, that makes the most sense.
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Asari
Jan 17, 2014 0:20:50 GMT -6
Post by Maelstrom on Jan 17, 2014 0:20:50 GMT -6
Don't discard the idea of electrical fields, though. A number of species on our own planet use them as a form of sixth sense or as offensive/defensive weapons. People just don't think about them much because we can't perceive them in the same way.
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Asari
Jan 17, 2014 15:59:23 GMT -6
Post by grandest on Jan 17, 2014 15:59:23 GMT -6
Keep in mind, though, that they consciously "interbreed" with other species to have their DNA and "further" the Asari race. That combined with their ability to read or impress upon others memories/feelings/etc. (Ala, "Embrace the Goddess.") I think it's perfectly viable that they are capable of something close to telepathically influencing their appearance so as to attract other races.
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Asari
Jan 29, 2014 0:17:07 GMT -6
Post by Iregos on Jan 29, 2014 0:17:07 GMT -6
I like the electrical field idea. Considering their natural biotic ability, it lines up nicely. It also makes their biotic ability a natural part of attraction and thus, reproduction.
In real life, is there any example of a life form with universal pheromones, even among life forms of Earth?
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Post by Maelstrom on Jan 29, 2014 2:11:27 GMT -6
Not pheromones exactly, but scent provoking a universal response... we have the skunk.
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Asari
Jan 29, 2014 14:15:07 GMT -6
Post by Iregos on Jan 29, 2014 14:15:07 GMT -6
It's interesting, the only problem with the pheromones and the electrical field ideas is that both tend to be universal warning systems. Our minds are structured almost universally to respond to danger. It seems like indoctrination uses that danger response, which is guaranteed to exist in some form in all viable organic lifeforms. Although they are a minority, Ardat-Yakshi do something like indoctrination to their victims, and it seems they are fascinated by the fight or flight response in other creatures, toy with it, romanticize it, and use it to control their victims; and their victims romanticize them in turn.
Reproduction instincts are also guaranteed to exist in all viable lifeforms, although cross-species contact for it is, as far as I can think of, unheard of. That's what the Asari do, though.
Living in dire conditions affects how human beings think about copulation. Even though fear resists sexual interests. There is likely to be mechanisms like this in other races, although it seems like it might be slightly different depending on how they reproduce. This could have some weird implications for how Asari can be attractive to other races. Moving on.
For sure, when melding takes place there's an electrical component, as the neurochemicals themselves will differ. Which brings another interesting point, how can they record the neurochemical responses of other creatures which have fundamentally different but functionally similar chemicals in their brains? All races will have variances in electrical currents to function, whatever the exact components that produce them, and these variances are apparently what the Asari must be sensitive to, and have the ability to process. This knowledge of electrical currents is something that helps their innate ability to use biotic powers; although this requires exposure to element zero as well.
Some of this is pretty interesting for a race that is supposed to be "space babes."
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Post by Maelstrom on Jan 29, 2014 15:05:23 GMT -6
There is always the possibility that their electrical fields function in such a way that it somehow affects the charge potential in the subject's cell. This would, if I understand the science right, at low levels make a subject more consciously aware of their senses and environment, and possibly even affect how easily certain thoughts occur. At higher levels, such a field might allow for the asari to more easily project their own mind into the minds of others and sense the other's thoughts. Your suggestion regarding the differences in biology might be part of the reason Liara states that the human subconscious resists joining.
This would also potentially explain the Ardat-Yakshi. If their fields were naturally higher, their presence may always project a limited extent of the meld, and for an Ardat-Yakshi to experience the fullness of the meld for themselves, the electrical field would strengthen to an extent that it would burn out the subject's nervous system.
Just a thought.
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Asari
Jan 29, 2014 22:00:41 GMT -6
Post by Iregos on Jan 29, 2014 22:00:41 GMT -6
It's pretty interesting.
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