affinity for biotic abilities. While the asari mostly closely resemble humans in terms of biology, their blood color is markedly different due to the presence of Element Zero, which causes a violet-blue coloration at a molecular scale. The asari have been variously described as all-female and mono-gendered, or hermaphroditic and sexually ambiguous. Most asari choose to use feminine third-person, singular personal pronouns as an efficient means of conversing with gender binary species on terms they could understand. The asari are evolutionarily conditioned to be pansexual and panromantic, biologically capable of procreating with any sentient life form, and can reproduce with any known sex, gender or species—their offspring are always asari, regardless of their "father's" genetic species, which has led to in-universe claims of asari promiscuity. Instead of trading cellular material directly like other biological organisms, asari reproduce by "melding": linking their nervous systems with their partner's and utilizing the electrical pattern of their partner's system to provide a template for half the DNA of their resulting child. A small section of the asari population is affected by a genetic condition which manifests at sexual maturity and develops over time, causing the death of whomever the individual mates with instead of reproducing offspring. Known as Ardat-Yakshi or "demon of the night winds" in the asari language, these individuals are offered the chance to accept a monastic life of supervised asceticism upon diagnosis in order to overcome the psychological needs of their condition, but some are addicted to the “ecstasy” that advances with each fatal union. In Mass Effect 3 the Ardat-Yakshi serve as a basis for the Banshee, synthetic-organic creatures described in designer notes as "the Reaper version of an asari Matriarch". The Banshee's silhouette is wispy and intimidating as a result of being stretched taller by the Reapers' conversion process. Asari can live for over a thousand years, and go through three developmental psychology stages of life: the Maiden stage, where they explore the world out of curiosity and restlessness, with many trying their hand at dancing in bars or working as mercenaries during this time; the Matron stage, where they begin to feel the desire to settle down to raise children; and finally the Matriarch stage, where they are often elevated as leaders of their communities, dispensing wisdom from centuries of life experience. Culture The asari's long lifespan makes them comfortable with observation and centuries long planning, and influences