Trans characters in Mass Effect Andromeda

JayKay
N3

Games: Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquistion, Mass Effect Andromeda
PSN: JayKay91939
Posts: 666 Likes: 1,405

Trans characters in Mass Effect Andromeda Dec 30, 2016 19:57:33 GMT Draining Dragon, Catilina, and 4 more like this

Post by JayKay on Dec 30, 2016 19:57:33 GMT

Basically, from what I've read of the subject, it's a little more than "I was born a boy who likes to play with dolls so I must've meant to have been born a girl." Research has shown that men and women have different brains--nothing too big, but on the average a man's brain is going to have different parts of the brain that are bigger or have more connections flowing into it. When they've examined the brain of transgendered people, they've seen that more often than not their brain patterns match up with those of the genders they believe they're meant to be.

So when they're saying that they were "born in the wrong body," they're not being overly dramatic, it's likely that it was a biological accident that caused the brain to not match with the body, and this can cause severe psychological problems if not treated, or at least acknowledged.

JayKay
N3

Games: Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquistion, Mass Effect Andromeda
PSN: JayKay91939
Posts: 666 Likes: 1,405

Trans characters in Mass Effect Andromeda Dec 30, 2016 20:04:05 GMT

Post by JayKay on Dec 30, 2016 20:04:05 GMT

Dec 30, 2016 19:21:58 GMT sageoflife said:

From what I see, the cries of "retcon" regarding the Aqun-athlok have more to do with player assumptions than with actual in-game contradictions. We assumed, because that's how we would do it, that gender determines role, but Sten never actually said that. Bull was correcting an incorrect assumption on the part of the players. Another thing worth noting is that Sten and Bull are part of different castes. Priests like Bull will by default know more about the finer details than soldiers.

Bull isn't a priest, though. He's a spy. He even says as much to Varric at one point.

Varric: Is the Qun some kind of big secret? How come no Qunari I've met would explain it even slightly?

Iron Bull: It's not a secret. It's just too big for a quick chat. "Tell me about the Qun," is like saying "Tell me about economics." Most Qunari know just enough to get by. It's like blind dwarves trying to figure out a dragon by touch. Only the priests really have the whole picture, and they spend their whole lives figuring the crap out.

Varric: Well, I'll leave them to it then.

hammerstorm
N4

Lightning Conductor

Games: Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, Mass Effect Andromeda
Origin: Hammerst0rm
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Trans characters in Mass Effect Andromeda Dec 30, 2016 20:08:17 GMT dalinne and Vall like this

Post by hammerstorm on Dec 30, 2016 20:08:17 GMT

Dec 30, 2016 19:57:33 GMT JayKay said:

Basically, from what I've read of the subject, it's a little more than "I was born a boy who likes to play with dolls so I must've meant to have been born a girl." Research has shown that men and women have different brains--nothing too big, but on the average a man's brain is going to have different parts of the brain that are bigger or have more connections flowing into it. When they've examined the brain of transgendered people, they've seen that more often than not their brain patterns match up with those of the genders they believe they're meant to be.

So when they're saying that they were "born in the wrong body," they're not being overly dramatic, it's likely that it was a biological accident that caused the brain to not match with the body, and this can cause severe psychological problems if not treated, or at least acknowledged.

Shh. You confuse them, they don't like when you confuse them with information and god forbid "science".

On a more serious note, I'm impressed by people like you and @daveliam that are able to actually be reasonably and try to explain what the difference is. Good work guys! :thumbsup:

When you let yourself believe or disbelieve, and the truth turns out to be the opposite of what you thought, your reactions become sluggish - Roronoa Zoro

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What's the point of a pig being able to talk - Ban, Fox's Sin of Greed

sageoflife
N4

Games: Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, KOTOR, Mass Effect Andromeda
Posts: 1,576 Likes: 3,438

Trans characters in Mass Effect Andromeda Dec 30, 2016 20:09:53 GMT

Post by sageoflife on Dec 30, 2016 20:09:53 GMT

Dec 30, 2016 20:04:05 GMT JayKay said:

Dec 30, 2016 19:21:58 GMT sageoflife said:

From what I see, the cries of "retcon" regarding the Aqun-athlok have more to do with player assumptions than with actual in-game contradictions. We assumed, because that's how we would do it, that gender determines role, but Sten never actually said that. Bull was correcting an incorrect assumption on the part of the players. Another thing worth noting is that Sten and Bull are part of different castes. Priests like Bull will by default know more about the finer details than soldiers.

Bull isn't a priest, though. He's a spy. He even says as much to Varric at one point.

Varric: Is the Qun some kind of big secret? How come no Qunari I've met would explain it even slightly?

Iron Bull: It's not a secret. It's just too big for a quick chat. "Tell me about the Qun," is like saying "Tell me about economics." Most Qunari know just enough to get by. It's like blind dwarves trying to figure out a dragon by touch. Only the priests really have the whole picture, and they spend their whole lives figuring the crap out.

Varric: Well, I'll leave them to it then.

Spies are part of the Qun's priest caste.

Sifr
N5

Champion of Kirkwall

Games: Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquistion, KOTOR, Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Jade Empire
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Trans characters in Mass Effect Andromeda Dec 30, 2016 21:18:10 GMT hammerstorm, dalinne, and 4 more like this

Post by Sifr on Dec 30, 2016 21:18:10 GMT

Regarding the "retcon" regarding the Qunari;

I always wonder why players never consider that Sten might be someone who does not accept transgendered individuals, making him extremely biased and unreliable when discussing this facet of Qunari society?

Throughout Origins we see that Sten has an extremely rigid and unwavering view of the Qun that prefers to put everyone and everything into neatly labelled boxes that cannot be altered. Trans individuals don't fit into the worldview and paradigm he believes the Qun to represent, thus he does not agree with the Qunari's acceptance of Aqun-Athlok, because in his mind, the role of the Qun is to sweep away "false illusions".

Alternately, Sten's confusion might simply have been because he thought the female Warden was Aqun-Athlok, only to get confused when the Warden insisted that she was a "woman", but denied wanting to become a "man" to fight? It could have been a cultural misunderstanding on both sides, because the Warden lacked the context for the question he was trying to ask, while Sten lacked an understanding of non-Qunari society to try to convey himself in terms she'd understand?

Or perhaps the answer is somewhere in the middle?

Last Edit: Dec 30, 2016 21:21:19 GMT by Sifr

"So... care to explain your particular brand of crazy?" - Snarky Hawke

SofaJockey
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Not a jockey. Has a sofa.

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Trans characters in Mass Effect Andromeda Dec 31, 2016 11:19:11 GMT Catilina, hammerstorm, and 3 more like this

Post by SofaJockey on Dec 31, 2016 11:19:11 GMT

We're just going round in circles here.

If/when we actually have confirmation of a trans character in Mass Effect Andromeda, then we can continue to discuss the matter. :mellow:

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