Guild Wars 2

How would the Asura handle learning disabilities?

If we look at the other races we can probably link them to different cultures that have existed in our own world, and thus possibly apply the sociological cultural norms of those cultures to the GW2 races. For example, I’d link the Norn’s spirituality to North Euopean/American Shamanistic cultures…

But as far as I can think, I don’t know of a human culture (from our world) that has put such an importance on education and intelligence as the Asura from GW2 other than far right wing fascists. So, how would they handle things such as learning disabilities?

I would like to say they would do the smart thing and be intelligent enough to help, be understanding and empathetic in anyway they could to the “weaker” members of their society. But their culture has intelligence on such a pedestal to the point where every insult they have seems to be about stupidity, it’s even indoctrinated into the children if you listen to their conversations about each others parents. It does make me wonder how they would handle it. I’m imagining indignant Asura parents hiding children away and all sorts? o.0

Not all Asura are geniuses. If you look around you’ll see Asura dock workers, miners, soldiers, peacekeepers, krew assistants etc. Being smart for Asura is like being physically fit for humans. Kids laugh at and often beat up weaker kids. Grown ups look at those perfect figures of movie stars in envy. Yet we (well, most of us) don’t laugh at and insult people with a disability. So, I guess, the same principle applies to Asura when it comes to intelligence.

First, thanks for taking the time to respond.

Secondly, I don’t really know enough about Asuran culture to comment on what you’ve just said. Number 1 it could be that work such as a dock worker is considered to have some sort of worth and or relevance towards Asuran intelligence in much the same way it is said the council members don’t like serving on the council, they do it because they have to.

Or it could be that the Asuran culture is such that they might discriminate against such manual tasks and give them, or even force them upon the less intelligent. The society might be forcing people with learning difficulties to be dock workers as “that’s all they’re good for”. Unlike our society where such treatment would be abhorrent, or at least I’d hope so.

Are you able to expand on that point for me, give any clarification? It’s all pure curiosoty from my point. I’m sure the lore writers haven’t even considered it. I’m just interested in what people think the Asura would do?

Though I don’t recall it ever being treated as such in-game, I’d imagine amongst Asura, being a manual labourer is a ridiculed position in their society.

Asura have custom-designed golems for most forms of manual labour, and for the tasks they haven’t built a suitable golem for, they can surely outsource to the other, less intelligent races. With the profits the Asuran race like get from the waypoint system and Asura gates, as well a selling (likely vastly overpriced) technological products to other races, it’s more or less certain that labour is incredibly cheap from their perspective.

So an Asuran manual labourer? He must be so worthless, he’s the equivalent of a golem… or a Norn…

(cough) Pol. (cough)

They have addressed the issue of asura who are not geniuses or who care about different things before.

If you remember Plunka from the early part of your personal story, she makes a comment to the effect of “not all of us are geniuses like you, some of us have to hitch a our wagons to a star and hold on for dear life”. So, basically, a lot of asura are just outright faking it. A lot of asura are riding on the coattails of people smarter than themselves (i.e. their mentor or krewe leader).

When Jeff Grub, the main lore writer for GW, was asked about what happens to asura who may not be as smart as others, he said they usually work in lower positions such as lab assistants. He didn’t really talk about how they’re viewed by society.

As for an asura that is outright born with actual learning difficulties? No clue.

In the asura “jail” in the lowest level of Rata Sum, I saw an interesting conversation between two NPCs – a prison warden and an imprisoned asura.

Zaiyah: (sigh) Can I go home now?

Prison Warden Zikki: Have you figured out the solution for the quadratic matrix of a cubic paradigm when used in a flux inhibitor yet?

Zaiyah: No.

Prison Warden Zikki: Well, when you can answer that simple math problem, I’ll let you out.

Sometimes Zaiyah answers “Um, yes?” instead, and Zikki replies “Nice try, Zaiyah. You’re going nowhere.” (Paraphrasing, I don’t have a screenshot of that particular exchange.)

When you talk to Zaiyah, his dialogue is: “Why won’t anyone tell me why I’m in this cell?”

The containment plaque outside Zaiyah’s cell reads:

“Stated name: Apprentice Zaiyah, also known as Zaiyah the Blundering Idiot.

Reason for Stasis: Too stupid to be left alone.

*Warning: Stay back, or you’ll catch his stupid."

So…yeah. The conversation may be taken out of context, but it seems to imply that less intelligent asura aren’t treated very well, to say the least. As much as I love the snarky little guys, I can’t imagine they treat the mentally challenged members of their society humanely. They’re cruel enough to those they consider equals.

Asura who are merely a bit slow can probably manage to scrape out a living in the asura equivalent of minimum wage burger-flipping jobs, but outright mental disability probably leads to a very miserable existence.

Wow.

Thanks for the replies guys, I’d completely forgotten about the jail conversation, I remember laughing at it early game but come to think of it, yeah, it’s terrible! o.0

I’m going to take a guess and say Asura with disabilities are frowned upon like the inferiors of their race, sometimes even discriminated against by the harsher Asura (heck, Inquest wouldn’t think twice of using even smarter Asura as lab rats, they probably wouldn’t even want to use the ones with learning disabilities as they are probably considered ‘defects’ and would present unintended variables in their experiments).

The asura with straight out mental disabilities are probably used for labor if they aren’t fit for lab work. Either that or they’d have to stand out in other ways to gain respect or prestige by their peers.

IMO, I think Efut probably has some learning disabilities just by going on the things she says. But she’s definitely got respect and prestige as a warmaster of the Vigil.

Warmaster Efut: Leave that part to me. The Vigil may not understand your boo-boo-matic wheeze calculator, but we know plenty about killing undead.

I wouldn’t say those things she says have to do with learning disabilities. It’s rather dismissive talking about something the priory has brought up. It rather reveals some sort of competition or even jealousy about an idea by a competing order. So even though she has to admit it might be usefull she doesn’t want to give it full credit.

About the learning disabilities I have no idea, but I think many asura who do not like this strict asuran society leave metrica province and live in lions arch for example. Also I wouldn’t say that asura never work as manual workers but in general their attitude towards their jobs is different. For example there is a dialog in Gendaran-Fields where an asura is working as a farmer. He is talking to someone of another race about doing an experiment in his “lab” and then he recognises his mistake and says something like “oh I mean in my barn.”

So even if they are manual workers they try to make some inventions.

Leo G.4501:

IMO, I think Efut probably has some learning disabilities just by going on the things she says. But she’s definitely got respect and prestige as a warmaster of the Vigil.

I wouldn’t say that reflects learning disabilities. I think it’s more her intellect is directed to a different subject, eg. tactical warfare… It’s like a physicist dismissing a biologist because they have no interest in the field.

I stand by my opinion. An Asura shouldn’t be capable of so aptly simulating an imbecile.

I have decided that if i make a physical damage profession (Warrior, Thief, Ranger) He is going to be mentally handicapped as a part of my made-up storyline for him, and his rise to greatness is a result of his desire to prove he isn’t worthless to the Asura Society. His name will probably be Doltt

I think “Doolt” would be more fitting for an Asura.

But yeah, Asura place a high value on intelligence, but not every Asura is capable of genius. Plus, not all Asura buy into the “someday I will establish my prominence” mindset. There’s a female Asura in Rata Sum who confides to you that she doesn’t care about fame or making scientific breakthroughs; she just wants to move to Lion’s Arch and sell baked goods. (As an aside, a tiny female Asuran baker would be absolutely adorable.)

Rilke Cadmus, that idea is genius.

I don’t get the impression that Efut has any kind of mental disability. She seems more like she’s just not very brainy/interested in scholarly pursuits, like the asura in Rata Sum who wants to move to Divinity’s Reach and sell baked goods.

Or maybe she wasn’t raised among her own race – there’s a place in Gendarran Fields where an orphaned asura child is being raised by a human, after all.

We don’t really know what Efut’s deal is. I would like to see more official backstory for her. She’s an interesting character.

Did.2683:

Or maybe she wasn’t raised among her own race – there’s a place in Gendarran Fields where an orphaned asura child is being raised by a human, after all.

We don’t really know what Efut’s deal is. I would like to see more official backstory for her. She’s an interesting character.

Really? I need to check this out now. That’s similar to my character Annachponae’s story (raised by humans, doesn’t act very asura). I’d like to see what those NPCs say.

I agree, from what little we’ve seen of Efut, she is interesting. Very unusual asura.

@Dinny: The NPCs are just south of Applenook Hamlet waypoint. There’s also a charr and norn orphan, and a human boy who acts as the leader to their little “gang”. (I guess the nice lady who fosters them all wanted the full set. :P) They have some very cute dialogue.

Here in Lake Wobegon, all the Asura are above average.

It is nice to see one of my back stories, which has a reference to a Asura “institution” for Idiots, turns out to be true!

Leo G.4501:

IMO, I think Efut probably has some learning disabilities just by going on the things she says. But she’s definitely got respect and prestige as a warmaster of the Vigil.

What did you just say about my Efut?

And on the subject of Efut’s childhood, I imagine that it was spent saving entire civilizations from certain doom, slaying monsters, and (literally) taking the heart of every young man she would come across.

I was wondering when you would find this thread….

It took me too long. I am amazed that Efut-related discussion happened WITHOUT me initiating it. I seem to be infecting.