01.07.2024 Introduce your story as if it were a person. What is their character, style, etc.?
1/3
Hi reading person, nice to see you again, I have a friend with me, Star Ryde this is reading person, reading person this is Star Ryde.

Star Ride is a work in progress so I'm showing them around hope you don't mind?

It wants to become a full book in its future, a Sci-fi novel, with a brought inclusive spectrum. It already has some backstory and a lot of LGBTQIA+
#wordweavers 01.07.2024 #StarRyde

2/3 character interaction, including themes like *trans humanism, futurism, social progression and a galactic scale conflict. It tries to stay focused on a more realistic approach but doesn't shy's away from the fantasy aspect of a space opera, it started as a combination of fanfictions & already exists for more than ten years, in my head but last year it really started to get form. As I said it is still a WIP, but it wanted to tell you about it's universe in
#wordweavers 01.07.2024 #StarRyde

3/3 which Humanity is part of a galactic spanning Union, fighting against an enemy which motivations are unknown, if we can pull it off it will be full of consensual interactions, some fuzzy warm emotions, technological and social progressions, colorful worlds and interesting Alien worlds/societies. I hope you to will work well together.
If you two need anything or have a question, I am here, just toot.

#wordweavers 01.07.2024 #StarRyde

02.07.2024 What is the biggest sacrifice your MC is ready to make?

Well Kira lost a lot in this war already. We will see how far she goes in her future...

#WordWeavers 02.07.2024 #StarRyde

03.07.2024 MC POV: What's your most important achievement?
1/3
Kira:"Personally, on a interspecies/ relationship level, professional, physical, psychological. Gosh I dislike open questions, if you want a straight answer, please ask a straight defined question...
Okay I try...
Personal having met great people that somehow stuck around.
Professional, my file contains all necessary informations if you can't access it, it is most likely not for you to

#WordWeavers 03.07.2024 #StarRyde #KiraKnox

2/3 to know such information, relationship i'm merged with an AI & it's kinda nice? I think others may find it annoying but I kinda like it. I like Ash she is very polite & simply nice to have as a 3. or 4. thought. Still don't know how I got lucky to wake Arkham's interest, as I first met her, she was an interesting person with potential, but now she is the rabbit hole I want to get lost in."

Arkham:"This sounds naughty."

Kira:"What, why?"

#WordWeavers 03.07.2024 #StarRyde #KiraKnox

3/3 Ash:"I think the FC has different ideas about rabbit holes as her captain."

Arkham:"Maybe it's the fact you called me a rabbit hole & I thought I'ma bad flirt. I mean it's kinda nice but also kinda WEIRD you know. Couldn't you have said this about my eyes?"

Kira:"I am not allowed to lie mam, your eyes don't look like rabbit holes, they look like 2 stars, shining into my soul."

Arkham grabed Kira's face, looking into her eyes & smiled:"Slimer."

#WordWeavers 03.07.2024 #StarRyde #KiraKnox added 25.12.2024 #Arkham #AbbishekPakthi #relationship

05.06.2024 Who among your cast could become your friend?

Me as an Author maybe AJ. Their memory problems would at least make it easier for them to don't see me as the one that sets everything in motion and pulls all the strings.

As an character I would like to hang out with Kira, J. And the rest of the bunch. But damn I have to get in shape to getting into the Alliance and becoming a top soldier... My body wants me to tell you that this is highly unlikely.πŸ˜…

#WordWeavers 04.07.2024 #StarRyde

05.07.2024 Have you ever had a crush on one of your characters?

No and weirdly I don't think this could even be possible. I sometimes create characters that have all the "necessary bits" that I could find them attractive as a person, I rarely build characters to please me or my favorite visuals, but I can't imagine (despite having fictional and real crushes left and right* πŸ˜”) crushing on my own creations. Adore them to a degree maybe.

#WordWeavers 05.06.2024 #StarRyde #writing #AboutMeIGuess

* basically I crush to a certain level on my closest friends... It's not necessary a romantic or sexual crush, possible but rarely, it's more like:"Uh my freaking gosh! You are awesome! I really want to mind meld with you, letting our physical limitations evaporate, becoming one entity, to understand who you are, see you in your own picture, showing you who you are to me. Just being one.
Gosh damn the Borg would have such an easy game on me...πŸ˜…

07.07.2024 Antagonist POV: Who do you trust with your life?

AI:"No one, everyone can be manipulated, I am in this charades for longer than most. My trust to work for me has to been earned, if you not useful to our goal at least stay out of our way."

AJ:"I can't rely on anyone other than myself, I don't know why I'm telling you about this, but my memory issues make it easy for others to take advantage of me. For that reason I started only trusting myself and my notes..."

Authors note apparently my instance now supports 1000 characters per toot. Oh boy the opportunities.πŸ™πŸΎπŸ’š

Mental note to myself find out how to support my instance.

#WordWeavers 06.06.2024 #StarRyde

07.07.2024 How did you feel after your last writing session? Why?

Not very good to be honest, I dived into the backstory of my Fallout 76 cannibal/pvp/team medic and despite finding her background intriguing it felt like torturing her...

I have a sadistic aide sometimes but is more a trait I dislike and don't enjoy putting it "on display" the Fallout show and games are always tuned down from depicting what a post apocalypse society could be in its nastiest ways only mentioning it or telling it by environmental story telling. Writing her backstory is like unearthing all stuff that isn't shown and what the show showed me is that my level of graphical violence (blunt like exploding body parts or stealthy like mental abuse) limits are very low the more realistic it gets and writing it is a deep dive into a very realistic feeling for me.

#WordWeavers 07.07.2024 #StarRyde #writing #AboutMeIGuess

09.07.2024 Is there a person you'd love to show your writing to but are afraid to do it? Why?

Depends on my writing I'm doing I wouldn't put out my diary out there if I would have one. And I have no experience releasing much more than some toots and rarely a fanfiction among a small selection of people... So I think not really but time will tell.

#wordweavers 08.07.2024 #writing

09.07.2024 What are you doing differently with your story compared to your previous work?

Well it basically is my previous work I never cooked so long in something but I also never took it seriously.
I do not force myself to a PC anymore and most of what I'm doing is patchwork Chaos because that is how I am and work best. What is really different for the first time I want to finish this work somehow and I'm am using the writing prompts here on Mastodon to develop stuff further.

#WordWeavers 09.07.2024 #StarRyde #writing #SciFi #SpaceOperaVSHardSciFi?

10.07.2024 What stays the same in every story you write?

The alphabet.
Sorry this isn't ment sarcastic or hostile, I haven't shared much with many, my RPG quests have been all over the place and settings. So my response is limited to the few reactions I got which boil down to ground solid, fascinatingly creative.

So basically I always write in the same alphabet, my handwriting looks a bit different for sure, but I don't think that I have a style that is recognizable at least not yet. Maybe some sort of playing with expectations, puns or tropes but again this is an assumption not a remarkable fact people told me about.

#WordWeavers 10.07.2024 #writing

11.07.2024 SC POV: Tell us about a difficult decision you had to make.

Mondira:"Well joining the Alliance is a bit... Off for a Rim like me. You know our core worlds developed differently than humanity sorry Terrans back "Home" we had alien Tech before we had aliens, we had no home so we made a new ones and most of us are a true capitalist societies. Lot of people criticize us for this, but it's "our" Merch force that drives off most of the Eltaryn attacks. The Union always says we are part of it but most of us don't want to, not into this "Utopia" of social capitalism that hides its true nature under a benevolent face.
Every Utopia only works on a surface level... The Rim is blunt and open...
But I think, the split in societies shouldn't be that big of a deal. Not yet. Yeah most of my hums* call me a traitor, but we have the same goal. Survival.
I think for this the Alliance is a key factor."

#WordWeavers 11.07.2024 #StarRyde #SciFi #WIP #Writing #CharacterCreation
#MondiraRamann

* hums - a rim slang, short for humble or humain ones. A term used for friends and close related persons one can trust but also could mean enemy, not trustworthy etc. It all depends on the context and way of saying it.
The term is kinda specicist, at least if it is taken as humain relating to human behavior, the Rim like the Union consists of different species but political correctness and kindness are reserved for family members, friends and close ones like "the hums."

Some non humans may also use it as an insult.

#explanation #WordWeavers 11.07.2024 #StarRyde #SciFi
#worldbuilding

Technically Mondira isn't right in her statement that the Rim developed differently because they had Alientech before Aliens. Yes it changed their society they generated and gave them a development kick, but Terra also had Alientech before they had Alien's the difference is that the Rim human Colonies where settled by slower than light exploration ships that had a clear capitalist goal making a profit by claiming and using new resources. They left earth back than before the big transformation began in the society and never where attacked by the Eltaryn before the war began. Terrans had the (un)Fortune of beim warned through the Talithi, about the possible attack as an Talith space probe made first contact sending a video massage and date to Terra, it turns out the Talithi do auch thing very much every time they detect FTL communication or travel.
#explanation #WordWeavers 11.07.2024 #StarRyde #SciFi
#worldbuilding #addendum

12.07.2024 What’s the earliest version of your stories that you allow others to see?

Well basically the world has the chance of reading the Alpha 0.3 here life in development (I call it Alpha M for Mastodon version). If you want to go through all of my answers which should be around 1000+ by now it should paint some sort of a picture. As usual for me I have other "Prototype builds" like the written backstories I did for my characters, my who is who document, vox populi in which I try to develop the languages of the species in my story, my Easteregg documentation poems, song titles and lyrics, companies all exist in different documents, and my not very actual and accurate timeline. That is also the reason why I use my strange hashtag system and how I thread together my answers. And than there are the hand written notes and digital scribbles I have mostly on my old phone because it's notes system is very much top notch.

#WordWeavers 12.07.2024
#writing #StarRyde #WIP #SciFi

13.07.2025 If your MC had to make dinner for close friends, what would they cook?
1/2
Arkham:"I don't want to torture people, I don't cook..."

Kira:"You know if I wanted to torture you I simply would put a bowl of Epi Liqu in front of you with the same taste like the insects I ate in the Mojave."

Ash:"My food supply program and the Ghoz'Tarc's supply of Epi Liquid can produce any wished meal in a 99,9% accuracy including temperature, texture and taste, as long as the enzyme printer is functional."

Ark:"Or not tempered beyond repair?" Her view went to the captain.
"But despite our captain hacking our food supply, how long have you been in the desert?"

Kira:"5 days without more than a small bag of water I carried with me. If I had one of our uniforms back in the day this wouldn't had beeen a problem."

Ark:"Luckily only your taste buds died off."

Ash:"Incorrect FC the Captains taste buds are fine."

Kira:"You're always ...

#WordWeavers 13.07.2024 #StarRyde #Writing #SciFi #WIP

2/2 complain but if I cook for the crew your the biggest fan. Why is their this difference between Arkham outside my cabin and inside my cabin?

Arkham:"Ouch." Arkham's eyes fixated on her Partner, while she took a moment to think about that criticism:"Well ... Because I'm am insecure idiot sometimes... I don't want you to look bad outside. If we are alone I am not as focused on not saying something stupid..."

"So that you say something that might be considered hurtful by one, is a sign of trust? I know romance & relationship is new for you, but if this is the case we need to work on our love language hun." Kira smiled a hopefully supportive smile.

Arkham looked at her, took a deep breath & apologized:"I am sorry for my hurtful behavior, I trust you blindly. I didn't thought that my words where perceived so negative. You are a good cook & your family Chilli is fantastic."

"I love you Flight Commander Pakthi."

"I love you too."

#WordWeavers 13.07.2024 #StarRyde #Writing #SciFi #WIP

14.07.2024 Antagonist POV: What’s the most valuable thing in your life?

AJ:"My Memories. I lost a lot of them but not all. The Voice* tells me it is normal to loose memories, after what happened to me, but that the level is concerning. As I wouldn't knew that. I can still remember KJ. Her beauty is unmatched in all of known space. I still smell her if I close my eyes. A mix of human swet, armor polish and her favorite deodorant. She was an angel of death. A master of her weapon, skilled. If your society knows stories about Elves or fictional creatures like it, she could have been one.
She was my sister, I married her, she married me. Her death broke me.
No something is wrong with that, my parents adopted her?
Focus, her fire red hair, her face, remember her face, her voice."
AJ closed their eyes as they grasped onto a memory.

*Is AI because AJ seemingly also never met this entity.
#WordWeavers 14.07.2024 #StarRyde #writing #SciFi

15.07.2024 How clever is your MC? Are they cleverer than you?

I find this question very flawed.
Their is no scale that isn't kind of arbitrary to measure intelligence, how smart or clever one is, that isn't flawed, we fail on determination anything that isn't our general knowledge.
Even our holy IQ system has to be redefined over an over again, back in the day people assumed that a big skull would house a big brain which would have led to a smarter brain. Which can be true on an evolutionary scale but not on a species specific level in which socialisation & culture play a big role.
How do I scale fictional characters into our scales, how do I scale my self to that. Is speaking several languages a sign of intelligence?
Then, as an bilingual person, I am smarter than every monolingual.
Do we take specific knowledge into account? Than every monolingual Dr is smarter than me.
I don't know how to survive in a SciFi war does this makes my MC smarter???

#wordweavers 15.07.2024

16.07.2024. How do your characters feel about the ocean?

Dangerous, Oceans are a free area, your are visible KMs away if you catch a quiet day, on a stormy day it's hell itself, you can swim in it but you can also drown. And for a Spacecraft it's even more dangerous, because it's one thing to withstand atmospheric pressure outside and land on a planet but submerging the ship that is build to not burst from the inside pressure being dipped in a liquid resistance a giant pressure from the outside it will most like end up like a tin can under an elefant foot, if it isn't flooded which will most likely drown the crew.

Edit -- and don't forget that you get UV bombed on water too while water washes away sun protection...
And that's only the danger of H2O Oceans. Imagine a planet wich liquid metal oceans. -- Edit end

That said laying on a save beach can still be very comfortable and nice.

#WordWeavers 16.07.2024 #StarRyde #SciFi #writing #WIP

17.07.2024 What is your MC's ideal vacation?

I mentioned some beautiful waterfalls before but for the hack of it I can't remember where I put the note or the prompt...πŸ˜…

Basically for Kira it will be everything involving Arkham and Ashlei at this point. A nice beach vacation, going hiking, Lasertag (Turns out some soldiers, in the future, enjoy the team building and strategic thinking if their lives aren't on the line, that said non soldiers prefer to not fight to often against them...).
Still no one for sure knows how Kira's body will react if Ash isn't around and having a freaking scout space vessel playing Lasertag or go swimming is surely a sight to be seen.

Arkham would love to visit some races with Kira but Kira doesn't seem to share her excitement for speed and control of fast objects.

Ash well as the A.I. of a warship... scout vessel... doesn't really need vacation but why not. Get the Bikini for the space ship out!

#WordWeavers 17.07.2024 #StarRyde #writing #WIP #SciFi

18.07 2024 Did your SC attend school? Where and how?

Yes, the whole crew of around 40(+/-) people, counting MC's and SC's, went through Union standard education only Mondira (SC) got her base education on a Rim world, but went through the Alliance Training. Even Arkham (MC) with her shorter military training made it through the alliance military training.
Some few like Kira (MC) had Alliance Preparation & Education (the APE program), a sort of High School that provides specialized education & training for the potential later military interested persons) before they entered the military training.
Minus A.S.H.L.E.I. (MC) of course as an A.I. she was programmed and trained via Data.

#wordweavers 18.07.2024 #StarRyde #writing #SciFi #WIP

19.07.2024 What is the role of trade in the economy of your world?

Trade is still very common, some planets have less resources as others some have more than others, the common goal inside the union to reach an core world like equilibrium on all worlds where all people have the same qualities and commodities of an advanced civilization. Some Rim worlds are on a more medieval level only able to participate thanks to other traders visiting them and some rim world's are the equivalent of the wild West or the pinnacle of unbound capitalism, while the union has a social capitalism approach. Their goal is to one day get away from money but that's easier said than done and as long as demand exists people will most likely trade something for resources, services etc. That said hording unnecessary amounts of resources is at least in the union strictly regulated.

#WordWeavers 19.07.2024 #StarRyde #SciFi #writing #WIP

20.07.2024 If your MC received flowers as a gift, what kind would they like? Why?

Hopefully some with it's root work still intact. Kira doesn't like life ending, regardless if it is a simple flower or a mushroom or an animal or sentient beings. The Alliance also has strong regulations against alien Flora on board (alien as in not planned on board do to contermination concerns) it's the captains call at last.
Arkham knows what flowers mean in a social way but she never had the option to give some away or receive some.
Ashlei can't give flowers because of lack of manipulation devices inside. She has some repair drones but they are not ment for decoration transfer well maybe she can repurpose them.

Funfact SC Rose likes Roses but she prefers orchids.

#wordweavers 20.07.2024 #StarRyde #writing #SciFi #WIP #KiraKnox

21.07.2024 What foods are considered fashionable in your world?

Fashionable? None I know of but my universe is big 72 Union member worlds (core and associated) somewhere surely someone or some folks find their food fashionable. I expect especially the Rim in which Medieval looking societies exist next to Cyberpunk Dystopian ones would have people that see their food as an accessoire.
Rather than food.

In my more solarpunk inspired core worlds people eat extremely healthy and mostly vegan thanks to advanced synthetic food production.
Basically meat exist lab grown or synthesized from plant/mushroom material. On material poor worlds that life away from a regular scheduled trading route another option exist most people don't want to talk about. Trash/Waste reconfiguration. Which is actually very close to the Enzyme Printer on military ships that almost perfectly copies everything you want from EQil.* That stuff Kira drinks.

#WordWeavers 21.07.2024 #StarRyde #writing #SciFi #WIP

*EQil a product that is basically like every other Enzyme Food Liquid. But it's name goes back to the introduction of Enzyme Liquids. Some people had very unpopular opinions about such products as they swayed the broader perception they contered with a simple add campaign with people eating delicious looking foods and the slogan: "Ifit's (If it's) isn't fresh, it's equal good Enzyme Liquid. It's EQil good."
Where EQil is just a rearranged short of E.Liq which stands for Enzyme Liquid. Today there is a wide range of producer's but EQil still hold the majority of Union government and Alliance military contracts and hack, if they knew Kira drinks that stuff pure, they would pretty much try to make a campaign out of it.
"No time to waste? EQil pure drink, so good S.H.A.D.E.S. love it." or something like this.

#wordweavers 21.07.2024 #StarRyde #writing #SciFi #WIP #extra #explanation

22.07.2024 Do(es) your SC(s) drink alcohol? What kind? (Prompt altered)

Alcohol, the drug that made humanity thrive, has found its ways to the stars, interestingly only about half of the known species have a concept of alcohol but they had to learn quickly to understand what alcoholism is, if it isn't simply neurotoxic to them. The Somwhar have a similar history like Terrans if it comes to alcohol. Somwhar tend to take great stress to make sure an good amount I around their folks.
Alcohol addiction is still a problem in the future because as long humans don't mutate to withstand mind altering drug effects there is no chance that we will ever become free from addictions. However good education & general empathy has almost eradicated most causes for alcoholism.

William Troika enjoys the smell of a good Somwhar Moon hunt a traditional alcohol brewed after a successful moon hunting session but the taste is awful for Terrans.

#wordweavers 22.07.2024 #Writng #StarRyde #SciFi #WIP

23.07.2024 Authors may write to explore their philosophy. Any revelation you wish to share?

No, I don't think I explore my philosophy anymore. For the rest I take a skip because I don't like being political/ethical inside my answers more as I already are.

#WordWeavers 23.07.2024

24.07.2024 Do your MCS have colours associated with them on page or off?

1/2
All of them have a mostly black uniform (due to the fact that this also survival suits are almost nanotechnology like wonders, which material is fused with a sort of solar panel technology to power it longer as 5 minutes) they come with an overlaping "Flap" on the breast similarly to The 23th century Star Tek Uniforms (visible in Star Trek movies 2-7) which has a colored edge that indicates the role of the individual (heavily inspired by ST and the Orville)

Kira has fiery red, orange gold and dark red. This is due to her natural hair color being fiery red, she dyed it dark red a long time ago and kept it ever since, the gold is basically her body hair being lit from a certain angle reflecting in a orange gold (despite body hair having the same issues like today soldiers rarely take the time to remove it despite having access to more advanced tools as

#WordWeavers 24.07.2024 #StarRyde #writing #Scifi #WIP

2/2 have today. This shi... still takes time and is a ton of work extra too, some take hormon pills to suppress their hair growth other just go with it in between there are million ways..

Otherwise Ashlei has a bright blue and wight which goes back to a scene in which I played around with holographic interphases which are still part of the universe but differently.

AJ has something old, dusty, sandish about them but in greyish white with a tint sepia maybe.

The Eltaryn come in all shapes of blue (shapes of blue? okay Anna let's run with it...*talking to myself*)
From a sicklish pale blue skin to a vibrant royal blue hair or feather like structures, into midnight blue body own armor plates, or if visible inside their bodys, with a strange greyish sticky film over them, their eyes are also glowing sort of blueish.

Otherwise for Rose I always feel like she is a pretty green vibe character. (Poison Ivy like from Batman but nice).
#WordWeavers 24.07.2024 #StarRyde #writing #Scifi #WIP

25.07.2024 What percentage of your worldbuilding or MC background info makes it into stories?

So far Zero, my aim is at 63.79%.πŸ€ͺ
Honestly I think it's very hard to measure. I build on this world for over a decade, I developed and develop the characters on the way as I did & do with the world.
This is mostly unnecessary for one story so only parts will be used however for me it's easier to tell Storys in a more consistent way. I still take liberties from my own boundaries if needed or if I feel a character acts wooden, unnatural than I change something. As long as I'm on my first Story with this universe I'm free to do so. Later I want to avoid this or at least give a damn (good?) reason why.
I wanted to write a accurate more Hard SciFi story but that is out of my capabilities as it seems, so I at least try to base it on facts and some sand for the eye of the beholder...

#WordWeavers 25.07.2024 #StarRyde #writing #SciFi #WIP

26.07.2024 If your antagonist and MC had to civilly eat together, who would find it harder?

Arkham if Kira would sit Next to AJ.

#WordWeavers 26.07.2024 #writing #SciFi #WIP #StarRyde

28.07.2024 Do your MC’s dreams change during the story? (Ketchup game)

Dreams at night yes dreams on a bigger scale maybe, well at least for Kira they definitely will have changed and she will more/other dreams than before.

#WordWeavers 27.07.2024 #StarRyde #wrtiting #SciFi #WIP

28.07.2024 Are any of your characters ever pregnant or nursing on page? (Ketchup Game)

No not planned at all at this point of story development, despite my universe having no problems with same sex pregnancy, solutions exist that allow cis female woman, trans* men and enby persons to "father a child" and there are options for cis male, trans* woman and enby persons to "mother a child."

The, jurisdictional and socially broadly accepted, term father applies to the one spending genetic material but not carrying the child while mother refers to the person spending genetic material and carrung the child, while they are pregnant until the child is born.

There a also couples that prefer to call both parents father or mother which has no broader jurisdictional relevance other than referring to them as such in official communication or social communication.

And if you find this confusing wait til we get to the non human species. :D

#wordweavers 28.07.2024 #StarRyde #writing #SciFi #WIP

29.07.2024 Are your MCs conflicted with their religious beliefs?

No but their philosophical, ethical & moral beliefs will be challenged.

#WordWeavers 29.07.2024 #StarRyde #writing #SciFi #WIP

30.07.2024 Which of your characters would die first in a horror movie?

Horror Movies, in which people die are way to often boring, yes it can happen, but I find it more intriguing to change them, mentally, physically.
Have you ever thought about what is going on in Ripley 8's mind discovering what she is?
And questioned yourself, why she said Sorry as she killed the Albino Hybrid and if you would have act the same? That is more the Horror I like.

#WordWeavers 30.07.2024 #writing #Alien4

31.07.204 Which of your characters would be the last survivor in a horror movie?

Survivor? No, last taken/changed, more likely, the first person viewer. As I said before I don't like the 0815 basic horror movie formula even to a point that I don't want to think about it to much because I get angry remembering the times I already wasted watching such movies...

I guess I skip future "Horror" movie questions...πŸ˜…

#WordWeavers 31.07.2027 #writing

@AnnaSaultron I love this as a system!

@RubyJones thanks I put a lot of thoughts into this topic because especially German struggles with terminology for enby people or how to call people, if their social role seemingly doesn't align with their biological or juristical role.
In my mind this solution boils down to freedom of choice, that parents can decide willingly to which role they devote their life at that given point, while on the other hand paying tribute to the role of the individual and the historical context of parenting.

How this is perceived by others I can't tell exactly. πŸ˜…

Thank you for your feedback. πŸ™πŸ’š

@AnnaSaultron ah alien reproduction ! It can b far more interesting than the one depicted in the Alien franchise. I remember an alien species with 3 sexes (they need 3 biological parents to create a child)
@nautilebleu I absolutely agree, I can remember a similar story from Star Trek Enterprise or a 4 Gender Species from an old Star Trek TOS Novel (they merged into a collective meatball... I guess that's how Killertomatoes come to be), I liked the Asari from Mass Effect as a monogender species (which are quite disturbing if you look closer into the lore, because they look like attractive females to all other species and their offspring always an Asari), a weird Star Trek Voyager Species that was born old and died young and the Kobali, also from Voyager, that reproduced through revival of dead body's from other species or the Orks from Warhammer 40K that grow as fungus"tumors" and bring their whole ecosystem with them, infestating a world by simply being there, even if it only is one dead member of that whole ecosystem.
I have some weird plans for some of my species too. 
@AnnaSaultron there’s a Benjamin Button specie? Ah nice πŸ‘Œ
@nautilebleu yes I sadly can't remember their name or in which episode they where shown. I remember that they started to loose their memories over time...
In the Elder Scrolls Games and Stories the Khajiit are Desert living cat species, they have several different subspecies ranging from humanoid cat people to feral wild cat beast to speaking house cats sized members and everything in between, depending on the two moons that surround Nirn.
Just imagine that you adore someones housecat only to be corrected by it that it is indeed their Grandfather.
@AnnaSaultron even if the origin of the form is different, it’s not to different than insects: a dragonfly larva is a subaquatic animal while the imago is aerial for example
@nautilebleu for me this is a bit easier to grasp as to imagine a house cat and a beast of burden having a humanoid child πŸ™ˆπŸ˜…
@AnnaSaultron (IDK if I already tell you but I have a master in biology/ecology, with a specialisation in parasitology, so weird biological cycles are not something unknown)
@nautilebleu I don't remember that you told me that before. Hm maybe I can ask you some questions if I come across some parasite inspired aliens ideas in my worldbuilding?
@AnnaSaultron sure! We studied especially parasitoids, insects that lays eggs in caterpillars/spiders so their larvae can eat them from the inside, because parasitoids can be used in organic farming. Brrr even if these caterpillars are dangerous for cultures, it seems a very horrible way to die.
@nautilebleu my goosebumps, while reading your answer, agree. I may have just found a possible solution/in universe theory on how the Eltaryn in my Universe pull of their nasty little habit of dissolving themselves in death or before being captured.πŸ€”
Thanks for the inspiration.
πŸ™πŸ’š
@AnnaSaultron I just noticed that in fact the evil thing that devours Esther from the inside (physically but also mentally) acts exactly like a parasite, which makes a connection with my studies that I never thought about until now πŸ™Œ
@nautilebleu hm interesting maybe some knowledge found its way into your story in an unexpected part like a parasite chewing on it's host? :D
@AnnaSaultron exactly what I think ! Everything is useful to create the story!
@AnnaSaultron a mono gender specie is probably how would appear a simultaneous hermaphrodite no ?

@nautilebleu I think they can but don't need to.
W40K Orks are genderless hairless green gorillas, in case of the Asari from Mass Effect, they are depicted as very female almost human looking blue aliens and their whole deal whas that Star Trek had the Orions, this "make males crazy green skin woman everyone would like to stay with at night" and they wanted to have a blue version of it...
At a point, in the 2. game it is revealed that at least three species (Humans, the Bird/cat like Thurians and the Gekko like Salarians) perceive them to look like them despite all of this species haven't a male/female reproduction system and they attract both genders a like, the NPCs talk briefly about it before dismissing the topic because it's males them uneasy.

I have an Alien Spezies that looks very Androgynous to all other species to a point that they just look like softly build male persons to others.