As a feminist and gamer, Mass Effect’s been all-in-all a wet dream for me. Whether you play as male!Shep or fem!Shep, they are both respected figures serving in the military, and they are both lauded and reamed out based on their collective skills, talent, and experience—not because your Shep is a queer woman of color or a white cis-hetero dude (or vice versa!). It’s not so much about most of the ME universe regarding Shepard as gender neutral, although it’s refreshing and exceedingly rare to encounter in games (especially in shooters, and especially as a non-male character), as it is that Shepard commands respect—and so do I, and it’s something I look up to and I love that.
As if that weren’t enough, Mass Effect is a great story. But then it’s not just a great story, it’s a great SCI-FI story, and I love space and aliens just as much as I love great stories. And for those who like a little romance in their stories, Mass Effect delivers on that front too. I am a complete sap so it played a huge part in my being swept away by this universe.
I didn’t mean to turn this into a quasi-review so CUTTING TO THE CHASE, we decided on getting the N7 symbol because it’s largely synonymous to Commander Shepard, who received the designation (“N” designates special forces and the “7” refers to the highest level of proficiency) after graduating from the Interplanetary Combatives Training program within the Systems Alliance military. It’s not the easiest thing to achieve and very prestigious. In-game, it’s emblazoned on their armor for the most part and serves to enhance Shepard’s larger-than-life reputation.
I’m the fem!Shep on the left and the male!Shep on the right is my friend, Hector. =)
Ink by Krystel Ivannie from Color Conspiracy in San Juan, Puerto Rico. They do some very impressive work in color (which ours sorely lack!) so give their FB a look if you wanna be blown away.
