“I know I can make this prettier! Maybe I need to lengthen the nose ridge…”

  • MudMan@fedia.io
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    1 month ago

    I wonder if shapeshifters would struggle with profile shots since they mostly see themselves head-on.

    Two hours refining the eye size, then turning around to find your nose is twice the length it should be and your cheekbones are concave, somehow.

    • Rhaedas@fedia.io
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      1 month ago

      They would certainly have a trifold mirror setup at a minimum, if not a mirror on the other side of the room. Character creation is the most crucial part of playing a role.

    • smeenz@lemmy.nz
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      1 month ago

      They could just form another eye on the end of their arm and hold it out in front

    • Ledericas@lemm.ee
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      1 month ago

      in ds9, the changelings can partially read minds so they would be able to adjust thier form very easily, also capable of changing thier mass and storing it in a pocket dimension, according to trek sources.

  • TranquilTurbulence@lemmy.zip
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    1 month ago

    Next step: choose a name

    The shapeshifter lets out a deep sigh filled with dread and anxiety, knowing it’s going to take the whole day.

  • FriendOfDeSoto@startrek.website
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    1 month ago

    That presupposes though that a shapeshifter would need to see their own reflection to judge the look. If you have developed over millennia the ability to change your appearance at a molecular level, or physically speaking thereabouts, you probably have developed the ability to judge the look without having to look at it. You would be a rock who knew how to become Michelangelo’s David.

    I’d be amazed to hear that chameleons practice at a puddle before they try to blend in with the jungle. But I was sick a lot when they taught biology in school.

    • chaogomu@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      Chameleons don’t actually change color the way people think they do.

      First off, the natural state of a chameleon is green, which blends in to the forest fairly well. Their color change is a mating tactic, and so favors bright and vibrant colors.

      A chameleon changing colors isn’t hiding, they’re horny.

      Or angry. Or scared, or well, any strong emotion. Basically a chameleon is a living mood ring.

      Now, if you want true instant camouflage, that’s an octopus. They can not only change colors, but their own surface texture. In their case, they get the info about what to look like from their numerous suckers alone their legs.