Mass Effect was definitely one of the inspirations in terms of alien variety and character presence, though I’m aiming to do my own takes rather than direct analogues. More alien characters with different builds and vibes will show up as the story goes on, including more masculine ones.
Yeah, those kinds of ideas are interesting, and I’ve thought a bit about things like affinities and relationship dynamics. For now though, I’m trying to keep the focus on the story and characters and not lock myself into big systems too early. I want to see how the foundation holds up first. As for Discord, I might set one up later once things are a bit more settled. Right now I’m mostly gathering feedback directly.