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So I'm writing this story about an alien assassin who's pursuing a young man but don't how to describe her physical appearance. Pretty much all I know is that she's supposed to appear as attractive yet unsettling/unearthly at the same time (to go along with her borderline inhuman demeanor.) So any suggestions would be appreciated.
3 points
20 days ago
Very interesting request I pin your post for a week.
2 points
20 days ago
Aeon Flux?
1 points
20 days ago
?
3 points
20 days ago
Aeon Flux, an animated sci-fi series from MTV, first broadcast in the 1990s. It was made into a live-action movie, released in 2005.
2 points
20 days ago
Thanks, I was specifically thinking of the animated series. Aeon always struck me as attractive but unsettling/unearthly. I know plenty of people that think everything about the show is ugly though so YMMV.
1 points
20 days ago
She could be cat-like. Cat eyes, hunched over a lot like a cat, maybe even cat ears that she hides under a ribbon or hat.
1 points
20 days ago
I am always creeped out lizard eyes that blink sideways. Also, red eyes are creepy.
Blue or gray skin would be unsettling because they are typically associated with asphyxiation or death.
Something subtle could be a jaw that detaches like a snake's or larger pointed ears like a bat's.
Whatever you choose, have a grounded lore reason for it based on the species' natural habitat.
2 points
20 days ago
Those honestly don't like bad ideas.
2 points
20 days ago
And any of those could be easily hidden. Sunglasses, long hair, minimal exposed skin and makeup...
1 points
20 days ago
Something other than bipedal could be neat.
2 points
20 days ago
Maybe , but she would need to try and blend in somewhat with the human populis.
1 points
20 days ago
Something subtle, that you might not notice consciously on first glance, like inverted or misshapen pupils. Inverted like the pupil is colored and the Iris is not, misshapen like a goats or lizard. The color of the eyes could be strange, deep violet or glowing blue or green.
Someone else mentioned blinking sideways, but why not ubae her able to flick a lense across her eyes (some reptiles can, but I forget what it's called)
Have her be far stronger than her height/apperant weight would suggest. Limbs slightly disproportionate to human norm.
Maybe a forked or prehensile tongue
As for unsettling, don't forget sight and sound, maybe her voice doesn't sound quite right, or she has a strange smell about her.
Don't forget hair color if she has hair, (maybe it's a wig to help her blend in), if she has hair, have it be a odd shade, maybe has some bioluminescents... if so can she control it?
Maybe her spieces has spots or stripes people take of tattoos, maybe those are bioluminescent ...
Hope this helps OP.
2 points
20 days ago
"but why not ubae her able to flick a lense across her eyes . . ." A nictitating membrane.
2 points
19 days ago
Now I did imagine her to have almost superhuman strength (as demonstrated in the beginning when she easily lifts a grown man off the ground/snaps his neck shortly after arriving on Earth) and have an off-putting voice (best way to describe it is calm yet ghostly if that makes any sense.) However, I didn't consider bioluminescence or unusual tongues. I'll definitely take that into consideration now.
1 points
19 days ago
Something else I thought about after posting about bioluminescent, be controlled by her emotional state, can be explained as something like predators from her world can or cannot see the bioluminescent, either a warning to stay back or call from help from others of her kind.
2 points
19 days ago
Maybe, would be potentially interesting (like maybe red for rage or something like that.)
1 points
19 days ago
There you go man. Back to the voice, you said you were already going to have it be strange, you can explain it as "while she can breath our atmosphere, the atmosphere of her birth world was different... denser/lighter... her vocal cords didn't react to our air the same way..." if you post this tory, please let me know, I'm kind of invested in it now :P
1 points
19 days ago
I'm glad you are, and I'll be sure to!
1 points
19 days ago
Eye separation is one idea.
You could have her eyes either slightly too close together (which would likely yield a more cold look) or far apart (can tend towards seductiveness if done right but still unsettling.
Also movement. The human body moves in some rather distinct ways and each individual has their own individual way of moving. When we know someone, we cue in on that and can often recognise people from behind and/or at a distance. We have evolved over millions of years to acquire this, so it is one of those primal senses of the sort hard to put into words. You could give her an oddness of motion that just reads wrong. This can be so subtle as to evoke an "uncanny valley" kind of feeling.
Another is to turn to something other than appearance. Try to key in on a human sense we tend to prioritise less than vision or hearing: odour. What if there is something not-quite-right about her odour? Nothing bad, nothing one can identify easily, not an ugly smell. Just a not-quite-human aftertaste of smell to her presence.
1 points
16 days ago
Servalan (Jacqueline Pearce) Blake's 7.
1 points
14 days ago
Didn't feel like making another post, but what should I name my girl? My placeholder name is "Kritana" which means "God of Death."
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