(07-20-2013, 07:30 AM)Aysun Wrote: I think this is just too much. As a scientist myself, I groan. xD It's a fantasy setting, with its own rules, and often trying to apply our rules to it makes things even more weird. Easier to just roll with the lore. Plus some of the lore you've cited is incorrect. It is suggested that there IS interbreeding between the clans (as well as the other races) just that it is rare.I was ready to agree with you, but I gave the post a more careful read and found that:
While I tip my hat at the effort, I just don't think it was necessary.
A.) Callipygian does not get the lore incorrect. This is what they wrote:
"The lore indicates that it doesn’t happen, but this is a simplified response. In a true, living system, this would be seen as a pressure against breeding across clans rather than an impenetrable barrier.  The idea that one is nocturnal and the other diurnal is frankly laughable as a hard barrier."
This is correct in the lore. Additionally:
"Cross-racial – This seems even less likely, but there has been a little developer discussion that it could happen, so I’ll consider it for the sake of completeness."
This is also correct. They go on to speculate the unlikelihood of other pairings on a logistical level, while not calling them impossible, and speculates that from a biological standpoint the offspring of cross-racial unions would likely be sterile.
Now, of course this is a fantasy setting, and since SE is considering adding cross-race character options to the game in the future, it's dubious that they would let their fertility options be so bleak. But as Callipygian stated:
"Little of this information is official lore, but it is informed by modern biological research into species with similar reproductive strategies.  You are free to use or disregard this information as you see fit when developing your own Miqo’te backstory."
Which brings me to:
B.) This information is incredibly informative, I think, if only for the purposes of psychologically and sociologically characterizing a Miqo'te roleplaying character or the entire Miqo'te race in contrast with our own.
While biological factors might not be fully accurate, utilizing a real-world perspective when considering Miqo'te allow us to understand better how a strange social and cultural system like the Miqo'te race could function, and what sort of mentality and emotional nature and desires and perspectives on life a member of such an inhuman species could have.
I think that such a perspective on norms is valuable for character creation. Because, and I really want to stress this, despite the fantasy nature of settings like this one, roleplayers commonly apply their personal, human views of morality, ethics, ideals, love, sex, sexuality, gender, biology, chemistry, religion, attraction, desire, psychology, sociology, philosophy, history, measurement, physics, magical lore, social structure, law, justice, civil rights, social justice, politics, political correctness, personal perspectives, lifestyles, and other social constructs and perceptions exclusive only to us real people.
How is it any less fair to the fantasy setting to consider these factors for non-human creatures?
