Mass Effect and Pronouns

[hammerofglass]

There's actually a side NPC conversation in Andromeda where the Asari gender and pronoun situation gets spelled out:


youtu.be/NEbueLMDyZY

That clip needs WAY more views, if only so that the chuds might see it and pitch yet another fit.

There were a couple with more views but that was the only one I could find with good audio.

[CharlesPhipps]

I feel like trying to treat the Asari as a serious alien race is an exercise in futility because they're Space Amazons.

[Madner Kami]

I feel like trying to treat the Asari as a serious alien race is an exercise in futility because they're Space Amazons.

As far as I can tell, they replicate asexually through parthenogenesis. During gestation, they implant a personality construct onto their offspring, which is based on traits of the Asari mother and whatever the mother percieves from whatever the "father" is.

Logically, their replication process doesn't necessitate the exchange of bodily fluids and I very much doubt, that their "plumbing" accomodates for the needs of other species, so either sex with other species is much more messy and needs some proper hygiene afterwards, or your only choices are oral and anal. Or maybe Asari have an cloaca, which is even less fun to think about.

[CharlesPhipps]

As far as I can tell, they replicate asexually through parthenogenesis. During gestation, they implant a personality construct onto their offspring, which is based on traits of the Asari mother and whatever the mother percieves from whatever the "father" is.

Logically, their replication process doesn't necessitate the exchange of bodily fluids and I very much doubt, that their "plumbing" accomodates for the needs of other species, so either sex with other species is much more messy and needs some proper hygiene afterwards, or your only choices are oral and anal. Or maybe Asari have an cloaca, which is even less fun to think about.

By contrast, I imagine they breed by exchanging DNA because it's a space opera and that's the way I say it works.



But I understand fans who want a harder scifi.

[Madner Kami]

As far as I can tell, they replicate asexually through parthenogenesis. During gestation, they implant a personality construct onto their offspring, which is based on traits of the Asari mother and whatever the mother percieves from whatever the "father" is.

Logically, their replication process doesn't necessitate the exchange of bodily fluids and I very much doubt, that their "plumbing" accomodates for the needs of other species, so either sex with other species is much more messy and needs some proper hygiene afterwards, or your only choices are oral and anal. Or maybe Asari have an cloaca, which is even less fun to think about.

By contrast, I imagine they breed by exchanging DNA because it's a space opera and that's the way I say it works.

The game literally disagrees with you. This is from the ingame-codex:

The asari were the first species to discover the Citadel. When the salarians arrived, it was the asari who proposed the establishment of the Citadel Council to maintain peace throughout the galaxy. Since then, the asari have served as the mediators and centrists of the Council. An all-female race, the asari reproduce through a form of parthenogenesis. They can attune their nervous system to that of another individual of any gender, and of any species, to reproduce. This capability has led to unseemly and inaccurate rumors about asari promiscuity. Asari can live for over 1,000 years, passing through three stages of life. In the Maiden stage, they wander restlessly, seeking new knowledge and experience. When the Matron stage begins, they "meld" with interesting partners to produce their offspring. This ends when they reach the Matriarch stage, where they assume the roles of leaders and councilors.

But I understand fans who want a harder scifi.

Mass Effect got more space opera-y over time, but it started out as Hard SciFi. The writers went out of their way to create an internally consistent setting. This was one of the reasons for why the game got so big in the first place.

[hammerofglass]

Real-life parthenogenic species have all the same squishy bits as females in similar species.

I also vaguely remember Peebee mentioning she'd had sexual partners before Ryder but not melding partners, but I don't remember enough context to find it.