I do not understand the Tali fandom.

[Smooth Operator]

Because some people like furrries, didn't know that about Tali now did you

 

[Pyro Paul]

Anyone care to explain?

because she is a virgin.
others might use words like 'pure' or 'innocent' but it just comes down to the simple fact that she is a virgin.

From a psychological stand point, her naive inexperienced nature reinforces our own manhood and placiates our own sexual insecurities. the simple concept that 'No one has touched her' means that she doesn't have any preconcieved notions on our preformance or basis to compare it against.

She isn't going to sneak out so that we wake up alone the next morning nor will she roll over and reply with 'I've had better'.

some may say that the Liara was the supposed 'virgin' of ME1, but the in all honosty, that isn't true. Although she was technically one in the confines of her species, she didn't very much act like one. She was reassuring and inviting in the romance options almost determained to obtain it unlike Tali in ME2 whom bumbled around the subject, trying to work up the nerve to take that first step.

 

[kabooz18]

[sub](Alternative thread title: Ye gods! Apparently some people like something a lot more than I do. This cannot be!)[/sub]

EDIT FOR CLARITY: I am not referring to the whole should-we-see-her-face-or-not thing. I'm fairly neutral on that and it's already been better covered elsewhere.

...

Wait! Calm down. This isn't a hate thread. I'm not out to hang shit on your favourite character. I'm just... bemused is all.

In Mass Effect 1 Tali received almost zero characterization. She had lots of interesting stuff to say about Quarians in general and I was happy to listen to it, but her individual personality didn't get any attention.

And no, I'm not just pulling that out of my arse. Standard characterization test: You should be able to easily describe the character's personality without referring to their appearance or job. With Tali... I got nothing. I guess she's kinda plucky? That's really all I can come up with. With the other characters I can rattle off traits without a problem (Liara: earnest, sincere, awkward, bookish, inexperienced. Wrex: dour, blunt, taciturn, bitter, wry sense of humour, easygoing, casually violent). But Tali? There's just nothing there.

The second game was a considerable improvement in this regard. The loyalty missions allowed for a higher degree of focus on the characters and, in Tali's case, let her express a lot more emotion and become more humanized (alienized...? Whatever, you know what I mean). We learnt more about her role in her society and her concern for her people.

Oh, and then there was the romance thing, present by popular demand. No. Sorry, but... just no. That played out like an exercise in ego-stroking. "Oh Shepard, you're so wonderful but I was always too cute and shy to say so... because you're so awesome!" Yeesh.

So, in a nutshell, a very interesting species and a comfortably-above-average character (by video game standards that is). But I still don't see where the adoration comes from.

Anyone care to explain?

[sub](Alternative end line: I demand that you justify your subjective preferences!)[/sub]

hmm personal opinion? I understand and agree with you on the ego stroking in ME2 but what you say about tali in the first game just isn't true for me as I could easily rattle down a few things about her that only apply to ME1 such as nerdy, insecure, rightous and childishly happy when it comes to certain parts of space ships XD

as to finally try to explain why like her more than miranda or jacob or wrex for example... she's fascinating and kind of mysterious also more nerdy towards stuff that I like or like in the game but I also like her whole race , second only to salarians ^^, so what I'm trying to say is Tali is probably just the type of the loudest group on the interwebs that plays ME ^^

 

[Reliq]

Completely unrelated and OffTopic. But the whole talimancer thing got me thinking of this for some reason. If you missed the movie or you are to young to have seen it: Its beetlejuice

OnTopic: I never reflected on Talis character. But then i did not do that with any of the characters Played the game, shot stuff and had sex with miranda.

 

[samaugsch]

I find it kind of wierd that Tali is a romance option and Joker, who arguably receives a lot more characteristion outside of his job, isn't. I have seen Talimancers argue against Joker being a love insterest because of his illness....

Do those people even realize that Tali has almost no immune system at all? In fact, I'm a little surprised that she doesn't die after sex.

 

[KingofallCosmos]

I only noticed how she had a vague arabian accent and covers her head all the time...

 

[Easton Dark]

It gets creeier. Before there as a pic of a Tali doll around the BW forums...

I probably would get one if the price wasn't too outrageous.

... You realise it was a lifesize Tali, that was likely a sex doll right ?

I can believe that is was life-size, but sex doll? Doubt it.

If there was a mini-Tali though, that'd be cool.

Edit: dang messed up quotes.

 

[silasbufu]

I never got what this love for Tali is about. I really never found her character interesting.
Also, chicken legs.

 

[Moonlight Butterfly]

I find it kind of wierd that Tali is a romance option and Joker, who arguably receives a lot more characteristion outside of his job, isn't. I have seen Talimancers argue against Joker being a love insterest because of his illness....

Do those people even realize that Tali has almost no immune system at all? In fact, I'm a little surprised that she doesn't die after sex.

If you point it out to them they actually struggle to see the irony in their argument....Apparently since it's canon it makes perfect sense. :/

(I realise I'm generalising but its somthing that has shocked me a little)

 

[Brian Hendershot]

She's the awkward nerd girl who's good in a fight, but clumsy with social matters. Nerds eat that shit up.

Plus, she wears a helmet which adds another element of mystery and projection.

Yep, this guy nails it on the head. Plus she has low self esteem about herself but is kinda awesome. I am sure that appeals to some people as well.

What I don't understand is that stupid Tali verging on fetish love that people have for her. There is a difference in liking her in a video game and wanting to wank off to her in real life..

 

[K_Dub]

You bring up a really good point. I suppose that the reason most people adore Tali is because that along with having an interesting story and background, we have no fucking clue what she looks like. There's an air of mystery about Tali that just intrigues gamers.

And if there is something that gamers cannot see or immediately understand, then they become curious to delve into that mystery and attempt to solve it. That's just how we operate.

 

[Jake the Snake]

I never have actually been that fond of Tali myself, and I am perplexed by her fandom as well. Does anyone else find her awkward babblingness extremely annoying? I don't know...I think the problem is she reminds me of someone I know who I can't stand.

 

[Penitent]

I like Tali, and I was really glad to see her in ME2 and how she had matured from the inexperienced-yet-dedicated pilgrim we had in the first game.

...Yet whenever I see threads like these, I really ask myself if her fandom even knows what she's about or if they're just infatuated. D:

 

[DustyDrB]

I like Tali. She's loyal, practical, and a bit daring. She's pretty much the character type of Kaylee from Firefly. The whole "she's racist" argument doesn't fly with me. I'm willing to bet none of the people making that case sympathized with the geth before playing up to a certain point in Mass Effect 2. And by that time, we are revealed information that (as far as we know) no one else knows or would have reason to suspect. Did the Quarians attempt to kill the Geth as soon as they started to show signs of sentience? Yes. But the Geth are Quarian creations. It would be hard to see anything you build yourself as anything more than an object. I would likely also try to destroy all Geth, because I'd have the view of "I'm destroying a flawed and dangerous machine".

It's not just the Quarians who have that viewpoint either. After the events of the first game, the Alliance sends the Normandy on a mission to find and kill any remaining pockets of Geth. Every mention of the Geth is met with total disdain and disregard for their sentience. The view that the Geth are nothing more than advanced renegade machines is one that is reinforced all throughout the Galaxy.

 

[Murderiser]

Actually i think a lot of Mass Effect teammates could've afforded more characterization. Ashley Williams has daddy issues and a sister who could kick Wrex's ass, Tali has daddy issues and is caught in the middle of a political spat of whether or not the Quarians should commit mass suicide in a war against a machine race they made, Garrus has daddy issues and became Shepard II until his team got slaughtered, Wrex has daddy issues and murdered his daddy over them, Miranda has daddy issues and a habit of shooting every single guy she meets, Jacob has daddy issues and really likes to savor the priiiize, and finally Mordin has no daddy so he kills remorselessly and sings Gilbert and Sullivan.
Yeah, real depth. Still though, Mass Effect gives the effort which is more than i can say about Halo. They could still do a better job though.

Couple of things wrong with that statement: namely that Garrus and Wrex don't really have 'daddy issues'. Garrus mentions his father a grand total of ONCE during the entirity of BOTH games, and even then only in a sense of 'my parents don't approve of me running around with
a SPECTRE'. Wrex barely mentions his parents as well. Garrus is clearly far more driven by his irritation with what he sees as regulations inhibiting the course of justice (his father is the antithesis of this) and Wrex is a nihilistic arsehole with an anger management problem.

I will admit though that Bioware maybe overuses the 'parental issues' thing a tad too much (Liara, Jacob, Tali, Miranda, Grunt, Ashley, Samara in a reserve kind-of-way). However, seeing as parents have a HUGE effect on our personalaties, perhaps this is not too surprising.

 

[Wuggy]

Standard characterization test: You should be able to easily describe the character's personality without referring to their appearance or job. With Tali... I got nothing.

ME1: Naive, immature, confused, often abashed, somewhat inward

ME2: Altruistic, matured up, experienced, more capable to express opinion and emotion

For me, my liking of Tali is not because she's been great all along. It's because she's had actually has plausible character development.

 

[Dr Pussymagnet]

I would answer but

Spoiler: I think Shamus Young put it best

We joke about wanting to romance Tali, but I have the sense that this is a pretty common preference among male gamers. Tali seems to be a lot more popular than either Liara or Ashley. And I think she's more popular because she's simply more interesting. Liara is smart, Ashley is capable, but Tali is both. Yes, she has a skin-tight body suit, but so does just about everyone else in the game. More importantly, she's got chicken feet and you never see her face. So I think her popularity is due to her personality far more than sex appeal.

 

[Bara_no_Hime]

In Mass Effect 1 Tali received almost zero characterization. She had lots of interesting stuff to say about Quarians in general and I was happy to listen to it, but her individual personality didn't get any attention.

And no, I'm not just pulling that out of my arse. Standard characterization test: You should be able to easily describe the character's personality without referring to their appearance or job. With Tali... I got nothing.

For your second point, with only ME1: Socially awkward, ear for music, daddy issues (yes, in game 1), independent, and melancholy. She's also kinda bouncy and excitable, in a very cute sort of way, which is one reason why I liked her so much in ME1.

As for the main question - because Tali is just so sad. Her race has lost everything - their home, most of their numbers (the Migrant Fleet is like 1% of their original population), and even life's simple pleasures. Tali can't stop and smell a rose - it would probably kill her. She can't eat anything but tasteless paste. Tali's life is AWFUL. And yet she keeps going, trying to make her daddy proud and help her people. She talks about bringing music back to her fleet to make their lives suck slightly less. It's SO SAD. It makes me want to hug her and tell her it will all be okay.

Tali is clinically designed to appeal to the kind of person who wants to protect and help the sad girl. Tali has lived with all the worst shit in life, and she keeps pushing on, trying to make things better. She is beautifully written to appeal to that sort of person... and someone who doesn't feel that way probably won't feel a thing for her, because her entire character is geared towards that.

Anywho, there's your answer.

I'm not a rabid fangirl as you have probably seen by my comments in some other ME threads. I suspect Tali sets off my mothering instincts that I must have somewhere. In Mass Effect 2 though she's clearly grown up alot and doesn't need Shep holding her hand anymore.

Okay, I wasn't going to mention my maternal instincts, but yeah... poor girl, I just want to give her a hug. I just want to give her SOMETHING nice that's just for her, and not to save her people.

And if that's me, then I'm okay with that. ^^;;

... too bad I can't as FemShep. Stupid straight Shepards. ME3 will fix that, though, so all I need to do is wait. ^^

 

[Sehnsucht Engel]

I don't understand it either. I found her to be a great character, but there were always others that were more interesting in both mass effect games.

 

[MaximillionMiles]

I honestly have no idea, there is even a name for the people that are obsessed with tali, their'e called TALIMANCERS.

Do not DARE googling that in images with safe search off.

You do know that when you tell people not to do something, they will do it right? Anyways, not really anything bad as far as I saw. Most images were pretty much SFW or just tali in a sexy pose.

Although I did find this: