4 replies to this topic

[Anaximander]

It's very sad how everyone seems to think romance culminates in sex.

I think the amount of sexual repression we live with is sad. In my opinion, a romantic relationship without sex would be an inheirantly unhealthy one.

With Tali, it's not just that you can't have sex. It's that you can't touch her at all except through her environmental suit. No kissing, no carressing, no physical expression of intimacy at all that she can actually feel. Shepard is human. Like all humans, he has physical needs. You can ignore them for a while, but to deny them completely is unhealthy. There are plenty of other women that Shepard can touch. Whether he does so or not, Tali would envy them that. Bitterness would grow between them, and the whole relationship would eventually fall apart.

I like Tali, but unless you are also a Quarian, I don't think a romance with her is feasible.

[Kaeloree]

Not every relationship has to end on a happy note, either.

I'm not saying sex is a bad thing at all, but in Bioware games it's often the "culmination" of the relationship, the high point everything is leading up to. I'd love to see a romance that doesn't actually end in sex is all.

With Tali, I think a lot of things could be done--personally I think it'd make for one of the more interesting relationships in Mass Effect. She's got an interesting relationship with the PC, and I can see that tipping over just slightly.

(And split into a new thread).

[Anaximander]

I'm not saying sex is a bad thing at all, but in Bioware games it's often the "culmination" of the relationship, the high point everything is leading up to. I'd love to see a romance that doesn't actually end in sex is all.

I see.

As I said, I like Tali but I don't see how a romance with her would work. You can't touch her or even see what she looks like under her environmental suit. She can't safely take it off until she's back on board a Quarian ship in the flotilla, and I doubt they'd let a human on board for fear of contracting some disease.

On the other hand, there have been similar romances in other works of fiction, like Rogue and Gambit from the X-Men comics (or Rogue and Ice Man in the movies).

[Kaeloree]

I think the physical side of things would be an interesting part of the relationship to explore--the frustration, the reasons behind it etc. The very fact you can't touch her makes it an interesting and unique relationship; it'd be an extremely difficult one to maintain, if not impossible.

Tali and Shepherd get pretty close by the end of ME; I think it could have gone further, with a few more conversations and Tali admitting that she likes Shepherd, who could reciprocate. Then it'd go into the issue of her people vs. humans, how one would deal with such a relationship--she might even go so far as to say "I... like you, Shepherd, but it won't work." You'd then have the opportunity to convince her otherwise.

I'd write a Tali romance if it was possible to implement it! If only to see if it really could work. You could be entirely right.

[Caelellowynn]

I've never really understood why it seems taken for granted that Tali is stuck in her suit until she is back with the flotilla. The only conversation I remember is her talking about the flotilla being a closed environment so that they were required to take innoculations to help prevent contagions and wearing the environmental suit.

They are in space on an advanced station in the future. I would think it possible to write a scenario where a section of the living quarters are self contained and regulated as necessary for her race without having to suspend disbelief much more than usual. Shephard would obviously have to undergo rigorous decontamination and maybe even a detox sponge bath before being able to enter her living space, but hey, don't we all jump through hoops at one point or another in the name of love? And the Asari being... well, the Asari... wouldn't you think they at least would have found a way to visit the flotilla? Open minded race that they are.

Tali is personally my favorite of the female characters but that is probably because I like the gypsy mythos and she has a beautiful voice. I would have liked at the very least more depth to her character. By all means write it K'aeloree!