Most disturbing monster designs
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[quote/]My honorable mention goes to Berserk, which has buttloads of wacky and freaky creatures
What ultimately keeps it down is the fact that most of the monsters are still fairly standard; just claws, fangs, teeth, tentacles and mouths in places where they shouldn't be.
Your picks?[/quote]
Yeah, Berserk had a sort of existential horror to it. I've never seen anything as horrifying as the eclipse, the entire concept was just nauseating. Roving bands of monsters wandering an empty hellscape, massive creatures that changed their shapes and sizes at will, the whole thing was terrifying. The soundtrack in the Anime was magnificent, with the cries and screams of creatures hunting in the night. It's not that the monsters were so horrifying in themselves as it was the situation and the presentation of the story. I mean, they managed to make weird fairy things terrifying. It wasn't the monsters themselves, it was all the horrible implications of the Eclipse, on top of the deaths of 95% of the cast.
Your picks?[/quote]
Yeah, Berserk had a sort of existential horror to it. I've never seen anything as horrifying as the eclipse, the entire concept was just nauseating. Roving bands of monsters wandering an empty hellscape, massive creatures that changed their shapes and sizes at will, the whole thing was terrifying. The soundtrack in the Anime was magnificent, with the cries and screams of creatures hunting in the night. It's not that the monsters were so horrifying in themselves as it was the situation and the presentation of the story. I mean, they managed to make weird fairy things terrifying. It wasn't the monsters themselves, it was all the horrible implications of the Eclipse, on top of the deaths of 95% of the cast.
Actually, it's more like Game of Thrones on steroids (and maybe hallucinogens). Definitely a brutal series, though the characters and the story are brilliant, much better than GoT in my opinion. Not for everyone though, rather dark and depressing.Elfgore said:
That thing's adorable. I'm not a great judge though, as I always thought the xenomorph in Alien was cute. I even have a few models of it.xPixelatedx said:As someone who browses Tumblr and DA quite a bit, 'I've seen some shit', as they say.
Here is one of my favorites:
There is something very subtle and unassuming about it, which I love in monster design. After learning more about this thing, I discovered they don't even attack you outright. That really bothers me for some reason. Monsters like that, as rare as they are, freak me the hell out. It's like having a giant spider on your ceiling, waiting and watching as you fall asleep.
o.oxPixelatedx said:As someone who browses Tumblr and DA quite a bit, 'I've seen some shit', as they say.
Here is one of my favorites:
There is something very subtle and unassuming about it, which I love in monster design. After learning more about this thing, I discovered they don't even attack you outright. That really bothers me for some reason. Monsters like that, as rare as they are, freak me the hell out. It's like having a giant spider on your ceiling, waiting and watching as you fall asleep.
there's more to those beside being looking creepy as fuck?
Bah! That is far from the worst pics of the Synx! Hell, there is even one of the Synx raping a guy after "it" just dismembered and cauterised him.xPixelatedx said:As someone who browses Tumblr and DA quite a bit, 'I've seen some shit', as they say.
Here is one of my favorites:
There is something very subtle and unassuming about it, which I love in monster design. After learning more about this thing, I discovered they don't even attack you outright. That really bothers me for some reason. Monsters like that, as rare as they are, freak me the hell out. It's like having a giant spider on your ceiling, waiting and watching as you fall asleep.
The synx are a genderless, parasitic eel from an uncharted area of space. As you would expect from a parasite or an eel, they are cold blooded, energy conserving and possess strength and speed quite unimpressive by the standards of apex predators. Even so, these creatures are quite efficient predators of intelligent life, particularly humanoids. This however does not mean that synx are confrontational or violent. Being keen survivalists, these eels avoid conflicts they cannot win. This leads to a rather un-admirable diet consisting of the most helpless and defenseless individuals any society can produce. As you can imagine this makes synx quite an unpopular species throughout the grand diversity of the cosmos, and because of that any individual or species versed in this animal will usually kill it on sight; with extreme prejudice.
Characteristics: Synx generally appear as large, unnaturally white humanoids. This however is quite the farce. What you are essentially looking at is a giant eel shaped to divert attention away from itself. The abdomen extends down quite far, but due to clever positioning and a natural fold, synx are mistaken for having a tail. This setup allows a synx to pass through an assorted crowd without most getting wise something just slithered past them. The limbs they possess are just tentacles with nubs at the end. The thick tuft they have on their bodies and neck makes these animals easily mistaken for mammalian, but this is also folly. This supposed "hair" is sticky and pulls off quite easily. The substance is similar to spider webbing, but has a unique reaction with moisture. When wet it clumps very quickly and becomes an adhesive. Unsurprisingly, these creatures don't move like humanoids either, and anything they do that's similar is usually an expended effort to further the illusion of their appearance. The entire body of these animals possesses the same kind of muscle found in octopi, worms and even your tongue: it's called a hydrostat. Their bones consist of a cartilage frame only. The purpose of this frame is to act like a spring, allowing synx to quickly bounce back into their humanoid shape, even after the most extravagantly awkward positioning.
The closest thing to actual hands this creature possesses are it's jaws, which possess dexterity and movement comparable too human hands. Their heads can also collapse and separate even more easily than a snake's, thanks to this unique skull. The two horns all synx have are actually modified fingernails protruding from the back of their top jaws (thumbs?) that have been allowed to grow over time. When parasitically invading the body of an animal, synxes break their horns off, leaving only nubs. These horns can come in any color, as can their eyes. Synx do not breathe, however a stationary synx is anything but. The thick and clear fluid they use for blood takes six hearts to slowly pump through their innards. A resting synx can be seen pumping in slow waves that travel through it's body. These creatures also do not heal from injury anymore impressively then any other animal, but they possess one excessively regenerative component.
Under the eyes of a synx is another partially developed set of eyes. Like a shark losing it's teeth, synx have to biologically keep spares of what they are guaranteed to lose, and given the violent nature of their feedings they all lose eyes. If a synx doesn't lose it's eye, at some point it will have to shed the old one to make way for the new. This is even more unpleasant than it sounds...
The closest thing to actual hands this creature possesses are it's jaws, which possess dexterity and movement comparable too human hands. Their heads can also collapse and separate even more easily than a snake's, thanks to this unique skull. The two horns all synx have are actually modified fingernails protruding from the back of their top jaws (thumbs?) that have been allowed to grow over time. When parasitically invading the body of an animal, synxes break their horns off, leaving only nubs. These horns can come in any color, as can their eyes. Synx do not breathe, however a stationary synx is anything but. The thick and clear fluid they use for blood takes six hearts to slowly pump through their innards. A resting synx can be seen pumping in slow waves that travel through it's body. These creatures also do not heal from injury anymore impressively then any other animal, but they possess one excessively regenerative component.
Under the eyes of a synx is another partially developed set of eyes. Like a shark losing it's teeth, synx have to biologically keep spares of what they are guaranteed to lose, and given the violent nature of their feedings they all lose eyes. If a synx doesn't lose it's eye, at some point it will have to shed the old one to make way for the new. This is even more unpleasant than it sounds...
Origin/habitat:An inconceivable distance from most sapient life resides a galaxy completely devoid of inhabitable worlds; a galaxy most star faring vessels cannot reach. Taking up two quadrants of this galaxy is a nebula of incomprehensible scale. This mass varies in density and composition, but the most notable quality is the apparent conditions for life to exist. This is not space-dwelling life, but life that evolved and exists only here; treating the space of the nebula like a galactic fish bowl. Fish is quite the appropriate word to use since this ecosystem greatly resembles the beginnings of life on so many worlds, or perhaps the more familiar dark abyss of modern day terrestrial oceans. The only difference is the scale, and as you can imagine a galactic sized ocean = galactic sized fish. Some of these fish have equivalent mass of small planets, and even generate their own gravity. The movement of these animals is also unapparent to most eyes, and can easily be compared to the movement of clouds. Much like any life form you are familiar with, these animals have much smaller animals existing on top of them; microscopic in comparison. By our perception and scale, this would be a separate ecosystem of life existing on (and in) these gargantuan beasts. These ecosystems have their own environments, thick bacteria ridden atmospheres and even a familiar food-chain of predators hunting prey. Like with our world, one particular animal in these food-chains stands out.
Unlike earth, this was not a primate giving the other wildlife trouble, but instead an anaconda sized parasitic worm with a nasty and unpredictable temperament. Through circumstance of survival and intelligence, this parasite became the dominate animal on most of the nebula dwelling fish, and like a nasty case of lice, these worms spread to each larger animal their host came in contact with. Their comparably microscopic existence was also one of parasitic nature, as they lived in the entrails of the predatory species that inhabited the gargantuan fish. Obviously this was destructive to the predators they inhabited, and eventually the existence of this worm was put in jeopardy due to the high fatality rate their gluttony spawned. Parasites are not symbiotes, parasites are destructive. Eventually, out of much needed necessity, these worms adapted to survive in conditions outside of a body. They still existed as parasites, but they were no longer sentenced to death when the host died. They instead became predators themselves, but only till they could find another body to live in. Given their unimpressive physical status, their menu was limited to the most helpless and weak of animals. This turning point was early in their evolution, so their body had lots of opportunity to adapt to better traverse the solid 'outside world', but still retain the soft flexibility needed to worm through flesh. Eventually this comfortable position gave them the leeway needed to evolve further, and at some point they were no longer worms, but eels, and they were now predators in their own right.
TravelIt is unknown how synxes get from their nebula to inhabitable worlds, as they possess no technological capabilities. Even so, they can be found on most civilized and even pre-industrial worlds. Many of these planets have but a few synxes, but some unfortunate worlds boast a few hundred thousand. Synx populations on alien worlds seem completely random and without pattern.
Unlike earth, this was not a primate giving the other wildlife trouble, but instead an anaconda sized parasitic worm with a nasty and unpredictable temperament. Through circumstance of survival and intelligence, this parasite became the dominate animal on most of the nebula dwelling fish, and like a nasty case of lice, these worms spread to each larger animal their host came in contact with. Their comparably microscopic existence was also one of parasitic nature, as they lived in the entrails of the predatory species that inhabited the gargantuan fish. Obviously this was destructive to the predators they inhabited, and eventually the existence of this worm was put in jeopardy due to the high fatality rate their gluttony spawned. Parasites are not symbiotes, parasites are destructive. Eventually, out of much needed necessity, these worms adapted to survive in conditions outside of a body. They still existed as parasites, but they were no longer sentenced to death when the host died. They instead became predators themselves, but only till they could find another body to live in. Given their unimpressive physical status, their menu was limited to the most helpless and weak of animals. This turning point was early in their evolution, so their body had lots of opportunity to adapt to better traverse the solid 'outside world', but still retain the soft flexibility needed to worm through flesh. Eventually this comfortable position gave them the leeway needed to evolve further, and at some point they were no longer worms, but eels, and they were now predators in their own right.
TravelIt is unknown how synxes get from their nebula to inhabitable worlds, as they possess no technological capabilities. Even so, they can be found on most civilized and even pre-industrial worlds. Many of these planets have but a few synxes, but some unfortunate worlds boast a few hundred thousand. Synx populations on alien worlds seem completely random and without pattern.
Behavior/Intelligence: The behavior of a synx will greatly depend on the environment it is inhabiting. On worlds where a single sapient race exist, synx forever remain in the shadows, as there is no feasible way to pass for any one single native species. Of course they are eventually seen, and then usually killed. Such encounters are sporadic and end quickly, becoming merely exaggerated stories or fairytales thereafter. In places where multiple species gather, a synx will usually forgo it?s sneaking lifestyle in favor of much more open hunting. These synx can usually be seen in crowds, draped with something to avoid attention and maintain UV protection. They will stay in the largest crowds possible, scouting for smaller races or unattended children, usually while oblivious to everything else. Confronting one will usually only get you an unsettling stare and an eerie silence. They are generally slow moving creatures, but have the capacity for random quick movements. Their face remains expressionless, aside from their impervious grin, and their eyes give no indication of motive or thought. Most synx can speak, but this is mimicry befitting of a parrot, not actual speech. The voice these creatures possess sounds appropriately avian, alien and even childlike. Some synx are capable of recognizing the patterns of speech, and do comprehend what they speak, but they won't say anything you want to hear. The mimicking ones are even worse, and just repeat whatever they hear most: the pleas and anguish of the people they eat.
The synx that are capable of understanding speech can also be reasoned with (loosely speaking), but what that means isn't necessarily what you think. They only want one thing, and if you are willing to supply that, then they will do just about anything asked of them. Given the horrifying nature of what synx want, it takes quite a shady and distasteful individual to commune or bargain with them. The benefit to trying is that synx have no ego, shame or conceptual grasp of morality, so the array of startling things they will do is quite expansive. However, given the nature of everything involved, this is not a species to turn your back on. This animal will go after anyone the first opportunity they make themselves available, even individuals supplying them with food. This is not because synx are dishonest; they don't understand concepts like truth or lies, and they aren't creative enough to fabricate a story. However just because this creature agrees to something one day does not mean it will keep to it the next. They are animals of opportunity, and they are only thinking about their own caloric needs at any given moment. To make a contract with a synx is to make a contract with a shark, because the end result would be identical.
The most impressive display of intelligence this creature shows isn't its ability to accept disturbing offers, but its ability to make them. A potential prey item; gravely wounded - far from civilization or help - looks forward to a long and horrible death. If a synx is nearby, it will examine this prey to see if it's weak enough to consume. If it isn't, the synx will wait the creature out, following it step for step while keeping a safe distance, like a vulture. Though rare, the sharper synx try and communicate with their delayed meal. It is said they will make an offer to end that person's suffering, and the synx will make the deal appealing by touching that person; showing that it can alleviate pain. If refused, the synx will simply go back to following this wounded individual until they agree, or are too weak to fend off an attack.
The synx that are capable of understanding speech can also be reasoned with (loosely speaking), but what that means isn't necessarily what you think. They only want one thing, and if you are willing to supply that, then they will do just about anything asked of them. Given the horrifying nature of what synx want, it takes quite a shady and distasteful individual to commune or bargain with them. The benefit to trying is that synx have no ego, shame or conceptual grasp of morality, so the array of startling things they will do is quite expansive. However, given the nature of everything involved, this is not a species to turn your back on. This animal will go after anyone the first opportunity they make themselves available, even individuals supplying them with food. This is not because synx are dishonest; they don't understand concepts like truth or lies, and they aren't creative enough to fabricate a story. However just because this creature agrees to something one day does not mean it will keep to it the next. They are animals of opportunity, and they are only thinking about their own caloric needs at any given moment. To make a contract with a synx is to make a contract with a shark, because the end result would be identical.
The most impressive display of intelligence this creature shows isn't its ability to accept disturbing offers, but its ability to make them. A potential prey item; gravely wounded - far from civilization or help - looks forward to a long and horrible death. If a synx is nearby, it will examine this prey to see if it's weak enough to consume. If it isn't, the synx will wait the creature out, following it step for step while keeping a safe distance, like a vulture. Though rare, the sharper synx try and communicate with their delayed meal. It is said they will make an offer to end that person's suffering, and the synx will make the deal appealing by touching that person; showing that it can alleviate pain. If refused, the synx will simply go back to following this wounded individual until they agree, or are too weak to fend off an attack.
Diet/Feeding: Like hagfish, synx are parasites who will also eat any animal weaker then they. However, unlike hagfish, synx do not rank as 'opportunistic parasitoids' because they actively hunt. There are many creatures that exist as both active predators and active parasites in their nebula, and given the lack of vegetation such a place possesses, this is as close to being "omnivorous" as their specialized food chain gets.
As a predator a synx is not the most physically capable animal, so they instinctively and intelligently go after the weakest of the herd: the young. When unable to ghoulishly envelop these perfectly packaged meals, they seek larger animals who show visible signs of illness or injury. If too large or cumbersome to cram inside, the synx will externally digest this food or pull it apart; like a child dismantling a doll. If the later, the limbs are eaten first so that the torso can be kept alive for a second meal. To call this death traumatic is an understatement, but the younger meals don't have it any easier. Seeing a large, horrifying white eel swallow down a screaming child is the most abominable and horrific scene one can imagine, an act made all the more gruesome by it's seemingly cartoonish appearance. Given their draconian preference for food freshness, it should come as no surprise that any synx dispatched after a recent feeing usually has a live (albeit not intact) occupant inside it.
Understandably, these eels have a great deal of trouble fleeing after engorging themselves. Like a small bird with a large fish inside, a synx will periodically pause in movement and collapse around itself to try and settle it's animated gut. Being so inelegant, this is when synx are caught and slain the most. The digestive secretions of a synx are nearly identical to what you would find in a terrestrial shark, which isn't very impressive in the scale of galactic fauna. It is however more then enough to deal with a human body, skeletal remains and all (given time).
Once the food has adequately stewed in gastric soup, their appendage that resembles a tail wraps around and constricts their own abdominal cavity: compacting, crushing and kneading any solid material left into paste. What remains in the stomach thereafter is then fed into the same "tail", which is actually an extension of their abdomen; housing all their intestines and other entrails.
As a parasite a synx can survive in the entrails of nearly any large predator that has a preference for live or otherwise fresh meat. The synx will steal the largest portion of the predator's intake, and like the ghoulish things they are; eat any live food that happens to be sent down. Depending on the size of the predator the synx is inhabiting, the detrimental health effects that come of this may arrive sooner then later. In either case, once it becomes clear the predator can no longer be used as a host, the synx will consume the host itself, from the inside. With jaws not having the capacity to chew and being relatively inadequate at tearing, the synx burrows into muscle tissue and folds its own stomach inside out; slowly liquefying all the soft flesh making contact with this organ. The exposed and tubular digestive cavity also acts as a straw which they use to drink the spoils of their efforts. When hunting, synxes will use this method to consume un-ingestible or unreachable food items. An anxious or starving synx will exhibit this behavior out of sheer excitement or jubilation, involuntarily and reflexively expelling their stomachs during the feeding process.
This internal/external digestion continues until the predator dies. Once decomposition has begun, the synx immediately vacates the hollowed body to avoid the coming dangers. The bacteria inside the gut of every synx is the most important component to making alien flesh safe for them to eat. These microbes evolved over millions of years along their synx hosts; which jumped from one colossal life-form to the next, always encountering strange new aliens as their only food source. However in the nebula of synx origin, the decomposition of animal life is very different from life outside the nebula. The natural decomposition process of most world's biota is simply too alien for a synx's biology handle, and can be lethal to the organisms that live in their gut.
Any organic matter a synx consumes must be submerged in their stomach bacteria before it has begun to rot, otherwise the flesh will not properly digest and the synx will experience toxic reactions of various degrees. It should be noted that these eels have an equally violent reaction to rotting flesh on the outside of their body as well.
When first arriving in new intolerable environments, it is common for a synx to be draped in dead animal tissue. In a display of genuine ingenuity, this flesh was swallowed before rotting and regurgitated before mastication. Aside from protecting against sunlight and air contaminants, these coverings are soaked with their own gut bacteria, giving them biological shields to drape themselves in. This helps synx progressively adapt to the more minor threats around them, essentially making their wardrobe a natural immunization. This adaptation is not lost on the sapient species aware of synxes, and many scientific and medical breakthroughs have been achieved from harvesting the organisms that live inside the gut of these creatures.
As a predator a synx is not the most physically capable animal, so they instinctively and intelligently go after the weakest of the herd: the young. When unable to ghoulishly envelop these perfectly packaged meals, they seek larger animals who show visible signs of illness or injury. If too large or cumbersome to cram inside, the synx will externally digest this food or pull it apart; like a child dismantling a doll. If the later, the limbs are eaten first so that the torso can be kept alive for a second meal. To call this death traumatic is an understatement, but the younger meals don't have it any easier. Seeing a large, horrifying white eel swallow down a screaming child is the most abominable and horrific scene one can imagine, an act made all the more gruesome by it's seemingly cartoonish appearance. Given their draconian preference for food freshness, it should come as no surprise that any synx dispatched after a recent feeing usually has a live (albeit not intact) occupant inside it.
Understandably, these eels have a great deal of trouble fleeing after engorging themselves. Like a small bird with a large fish inside, a synx will periodically pause in movement and collapse around itself to try and settle it's animated gut. Being so inelegant, this is when synx are caught and slain the most. The digestive secretions of a synx are nearly identical to what you would find in a terrestrial shark, which isn't very impressive in the scale of galactic fauna. It is however more then enough to deal with a human body, skeletal remains and all (given time).
Once the food has adequately stewed in gastric soup, their appendage that resembles a tail wraps around and constricts their own abdominal cavity: compacting, crushing and kneading any solid material left into paste. What remains in the stomach thereafter is then fed into the same "tail", which is actually an extension of their abdomen; housing all their intestines and other entrails.
As a parasite a synx can survive in the entrails of nearly any large predator that has a preference for live or otherwise fresh meat. The synx will steal the largest portion of the predator's intake, and like the ghoulish things they are; eat any live food that happens to be sent down. Depending on the size of the predator the synx is inhabiting, the detrimental health effects that come of this may arrive sooner then later. In either case, once it becomes clear the predator can no longer be used as a host, the synx will consume the host itself, from the inside. With jaws not having the capacity to chew and being relatively inadequate at tearing, the synx burrows into muscle tissue and folds its own stomach inside out; slowly liquefying all the soft flesh making contact with this organ. The exposed and tubular digestive cavity also acts as a straw which they use to drink the spoils of their efforts. When hunting, synxes will use this method to consume un-ingestible or unreachable food items. An anxious or starving synx will exhibit this behavior out of sheer excitement or jubilation, involuntarily and reflexively expelling their stomachs during the feeding process.
This internal/external digestion continues until the predator dies. Once decomposition has begun, the synx immediately vacates the hollowed body to avoid the coming dangers. The bacteria inside the gut of every synx is the most important component to making alien flesh safe for them to eat. These microbes evolved over millions of years along their synx hosts; which jumped from one colossal life-form to the next, always encountering strange new aliens as their only food source. However in the nebula of synx origin, the decomposition of animal life is very different from life outside the nebula. The natural decomposition process of most world's biota is simply too alien for a synx's biology handle, and can be lethal to the organisms that live in their gut.
Any organic matter a synx consumes must be submerged in their stomach bacteria before it has begun to rot, otherwise the flesh will not properly digest and the synx will experience toxic reactions of various degrees. It should be noted that these eels have an equally violent reaction to rotting flesh on the outside of their body as well.
When first arriving in new intolerable environments, it is common for a synx to be draped in dead animal tissue. In a display of genuine ingenuity, this flesh was swallowed before rotting and regurgitated before mastication. Aside from protecting against sunlight and air contaminants, these coverings are soaked with their own gut bacteria, giving them biological shields to drape themselves in. This helps synx progressively adapt to the more minor threats around them, essentially making their wardrobe a natural immunization. This adaptation is not lost on the sapient species aware of synxes, and many scientific and medical breakthroughs have been achieved from harvesting the organisms that live inside the gut of these creatures.
Longevity/Vulnerability: The exact lifespan of these creatures is unknown, and probably immeasurable since none ever live long enough to die of age. Synx get themselves killed quite often, and given the dangerous nature of their preferred prey, it is amazing synx live as long as they do. The only synx who have an impressive lifespan are usually the ones in captivity of some kind, or synx surviving as incredibly resilient weepers. Relatively speaking, these animals can be killed as easily as any person, with the exception of decapitation. Their brain is located in what we could consider the chest cavity, so no vital organs reside inside the head. Like a cockroach, a beheaded synx is guaranteed to die of starvation, unless someone feeds it. When captured for scientific experimentation, it is often procedure to remove their heads as a safety precaution. On advanced worlds where synx are both prevalent and well known, they are slaughtered quite a bit for medical benefits. Many useful and unique things can be manufactured from their bodies, and it doesn't hurt to thin the numbers of such a dangerous animal.
In the place of synx origin, the gargantuan creatures that inhabit the sea-nebula often collide. The comparatively microscopic life forms that inhabit each of these creatures are self contained to the species they evolved on; excluding a few, like synx. Synx willingly move between these creatures when they touch, like ticks moving from person to person. This means that most animals synxes encountered - even from the beginning - were biologically alien. Because of this synx evolved to be very adaptive to a plethora of biota: as both food and shelter. This however does not work both ways, and when on an actual planet, a synx death can be quite unwelcome to an alien ecosystem, particularly the flora. Dead synx flesh is technically edible, but the same could be said of aspirin. The damage these bodies do is comparable to their weight pharmaceutical waste; killing plant life in a small circle. When witnessed by more simple species, the scene is often interpreted as supernatural. Synx are equally intolerant of flora, and will even regurgitate this substance if it resided in their previous meal. Vegetation is the only type of organic matter that does not exist in the nebula of synx origin, and they can barely tolerate even the most benign dangers this material possess.
Their biology cannot tolerate too much sun exposure either; they die quite horribly and slowly if forced in direct contact with it for long periods of time. Even if this exposure is avoided entirely, a synx will still be exposed to all the other contaminants of an outside environment. This eventually leads to massive infections, many of which spread to vital systems and also result in slow death. Synx who are unusually strong and resilient become classified as weepers, however these individuals are very much atypical and present the smallest population of synx.
If such otherwise benign things as Sunlight and Plant Life weren't comically awful enough, Decomposing Flesh seems to have an adverse reaction to synx biology as well. Likely tied to the freshness they prefer in food, a rotting carcass is even more dangerous to a synx then any plant or sunshine. The natural decomposition process of most animals on most worlds isn't like the decomposition process of animals in the synx nebula. In fact, it is so alien, it is damaging for a synx to make extended skin contact with rotting flesh, and even lethal if it cannot break contact. Species aware of this will use their own dead as weapons and barriers against these animals, especially if they are lacking in advanced weaponry. Pre-industrial worlds are especially fond of this tactic if they are observant enough to know it works.
All Natural dangers aside, it should come as no surprise that the biggest cause of synx death is violence. Most civilized species who are aware of synx kill them on sight. Less developed races who don't know how to cope suffer more and have to live with this horrifying nuisance, losing children regularly in the dead of night. On most worlds where synx are prevalent, it's a common sight to see a mob surrounding a captured synx and proceed to gut it; retrieving the remains of a loved one. A synx heavy with food cannot escape effectively, and if not careful (or just unfortunate) they get noticed and caught. Another big cause of death are the individuals who make it their profession to eradicate this slithering menace. Often these groups are made of up adults who were attacked as children, or parents who lost their own. These are extremists effected by trauma, and they usually spend the remainder of their lives hunting and killing these animals.
In the place of synx origin, the gargantuan creatures that inhabit the sea-nebula often collide. The comparatively microscopic life forms that inhabit each of these creatures are self contained to the species they evolved on; excluding a few, like synx. Synx willingly move between these creatures when they touch, like ticks moving from person to person. This means that most animals synxes encountered - even from the beginning - were biologically alien. Because of this synx evolved to be very adaptive to a plethora of biota: as both food and shelter. This however does not work both ways, and when on an actual planet, a synx death can be quite unwelcome to an alien ecosystem, particularly the flora. Dead synx flesh is technically edible, but the same could be said of aspirin. The damage these bodies do is comparable to their weight pharmaceutical waste; killing plant life in a small circle. When witnessed by more simple species, the scene is often interpreted as supernatural. Synx are equally intolerant of flora, and will even regurgitate this substance if it resided in their previous meal. Vegetation is the only type of organic matter that does not exist in the nebula of synx origin, and they can barely tolerate even the most benign dangers this material possess.
Their biology cannot tolerate too much sun exposure either; they die quite horribly and slowly if forced in direct contact with it for long periods of time. Even if this exposure is avoided entirely, a synx will still be exposed to all the other contaminants of an outside environment. This eventually leads to massive infections, many of which spread to vital systems and also result in slow death. Synx who are unusually strong and resilient become classified as weepers, however these individuals are very much atypical and present the smallest population of synx.
If such otherwise benign things as Sunlight and Plant Life weren't comically awful enough, Decomposing Flesh seems to have an adverse reaction to synx biology as well. Likely tied to the freshness they prefer in food, a rotting carcass is even more dangerous to a synx then any plant or sunshine. The natural decomposition process of most animals on most worlds isn't like the decomposition process of animals in the synx nebula. In fact, it is so alien, it is damaging for a synx to make extended skin contact with rotting flesh, and even lethal if it cannot break contact. Species aware of this will use their own dead as weapons and barriers against these animals, especially if they are lacking in advanced weaponry. Pre-industrial worlds are especially fond of this tactic if they are observant enough to know it works.
All Natural dangers aside, it should come as no surprise that the biggest cause of synx death is violence. Most civilized species who are aware of synx kill them on sight. Less developed races who don't know how to cope suffer more and have to live with this horrifying nuisance, losing children regularly in the dead of night. On most worlds where synx are prevalent, it's a common sight to see a mob surrounding a captured synx and proceed to gut it; retrieving the remains of a loved one. A synx heavy with food cannot escape effectively, and if not careful (or just unfortunate) they get noticed and caught. Another big cause of death are the individuals who make it their profession to eradicate this slithering menace. Often these groups are made of up adults who were attacked as children, or parents who lost their own. These are extremists effected by trauma, and they usually spend the remainder of their lives hunting and killing these animals.
Extended Anatomy: A jarringly impressive ability for concealment and blending makes synx exemplary stealth hunters, but this is not the defining characteristic of their disingenuous nature. Once enough physical contact has been made, any animal or person finding themselves in a violent altercation with these creatures will quickly notice they have been robbed of the most vital survival component a life form can have: pain. The ability to cause great harm to a victim whilst they remain unaware is a dastardly ability, one that could be analogous to disarming a security system before robbing a vault. This is done through quite a potent and nasty toxin, one located in all bodily mucus glands and solidified skin flakes. This toxin does not numb the body, it instead disrupts the signals that would otherwise make you suffer, causing actual nerve damage in the process. The effect of exposure can take hours to subside, but once over can leave the affected feeling raw and more responsive to suffering then before. This is usually not an issue though, as most people who come in contact with this toxin are eaten alive anyway. Depending on fear, most prey items a synx consumes remain passive throughout the ordeal. The experience lacks the violent spasms agony calls forth, and the adrenaline regular physical altercations would spawn. As pleasant as this is for the synx, it is far from intentional.
Bonding: Synx cannot help but share this toxin with whatever they have distinguishable contact with, it is part of their biological makeup. The biological purpose of this anatomy is parasitic, and they posses it to incite similar lax responses in the animals they burrow into. Though synx are very malleable animals, they are still organic, and therefore limited in how much stress they can take. Having an elephant sized beast thrashing around violently as something crawls into it's body wouldn't be very safe; the muscle spasms alone might crush a vital organ of the intruder. With their toxin synx can burrow into any soft flesh without this worry, and often the animal - though uncomfortable - has no idea what transpired. Most of a synx's skin feels somewhere between peach fuzz and the texture of a marshmallow. What you're actually feeling is millions of tiny tendrils along it's body, similar to the stingers of a jellyfish but some degree smaller. When active these tendrils utterly destroy soft flesh, and with the use of the more narrow parts of their body, they can worm their way through meat quite fluently. This ability has its limitations as well, and when a synx finds itself de-limbing a person, they have to severe the limbs between the bones, as they cannot go through them.
Home sweet home
Thankfully when inside large carnivores there usually is nothing too dense between a synx and the beast's entrails, it's just a matter of finding them. Once inside this parasite will make itself a little home, stealing quite the large portion of it's hosts intake. It's worth noting that this is a synx's natural environment. While sunlight and allergens kill these critters like a cancer, the most typical of digestive acids, airless depths of blood and crushing muscle don't affect synx in the slightest; they thrive in it. Unfortunately the life of a parasite is a destructive one, and in a matter of months the host will die a slow death of mal-nutrition. Unable to live in a dead body, the synx will tear it's way out, use organ and skin tissue to protect itself, then look for another suitable host or some helpless prey item.
Bonding: Synx cannot help but share this toxin with whatever they have distinguishable contact with, it is part of their biological makeup. The biological purpose of this anatomy is parasitic, and they posses it to incite similar lax responses in the animals they burrow into. Though synx are very malleable animals, they are still organic, and therefore limited in how much stress they can take. Having an elephant sized beast thrashing around violently as something crawls into it's body wouldn't be very safe; the muscle spasms alone might crush a vital organ of the intruder. With their toxin synx can burrow into any soft flesh without this worry, and often the animal - though uncomfortable - has no idea what transpired. Most of a synx's skin feels somewhere between peach fuzz and the texture of a marshmallow. What you're actually feeling is millions of tiny tendrils along it's body, similar to the stingers of a jellyfish but some degree smaller. When active these tendrils utterly destroy soft flesh, and with the use of the more narrow parts of their body, they can worm their way through meat quite fluently. This ability has its limitations as well, and when a synx finds itself de-limbing a person, they have to severe the limbs between the bones, as they cannot go through them.
Home sweet home
Thankfully when inside large carnivores there usually is nothing too dense between a synx and the beast's entrails, it's just a matter of finding them. Once inside this parasite will make itself a little home, stealing quite the large portion of it's hosts intake. It's worth noting that this is a synx's natural environment. While sunlight and allergens kill these critters like a cancer, the most typical of digestive acids, airless depths of blood and crushing muscle don't affect synx in the slightest; they thrive in it. Unfortunately the life of a parasite is a destructive one, and in a matter of months the host will die a slow death of mal-nutrition. Unable to live in a dead body, the synx will tear it's way out, use organ and skin tissue to protect itself, then look for another suitable host or some helpless prey item.
Weepers: Synx grow throughout their entire lifespan, and this is directly proportional to how much and at what frequency they are feeding. Much like a snake, synx bodies seem rather good at evenly distributing weight. One that overeats will not simply become obese, it will actually get larger. At this point, a synx usually dies if outside of it's nebula, because they cannot feasibly exist as a parasite anymore. Synx can cope with the innards of alien animals much better than an alien environment, however there are some exceptions to this rule. Particularly resilient and lucky synx - as few as they may be - manage to survive this ordeal, then continue their existence as a predator exclusively. These individual synx still grow ill, but they are strong enough to live through the initial infections, then survive with them perpetually. This is a Weeper, and while more formidable than a regular synx, these animals deal with quite a bit of ailment and misfortune for the rest of their lives. The colorful name 'Weeper' is derived from the infections these synx accumulate: infections that cause blood to seep out from every orifice, most notably the eyes.
Weepers are also distinguishable by elongated jaws and graspers. This is a trait regular synx can have, but all weepers possess them since they are obtained by the physical stress of fighting and consuming large animals consistently. Even in this state, these creatures may not be as quick or strong as lions, but a weeper knows how to use it's size and weight effectively. An efficient weeper can eat an unarmed adult human with the equivalent ease a regular synx consumes a child, but this luxury is often short lived.
Synx exist in a state of nature where size is not a benefit. For a parasite: the bigger an animal is, the less threatening it is. A synx would always be more cautious of a human than an elephant, even if possessing prior knowledge of neither. It is perhaps fitting that a synx becomes more vulnerable when they themselves become larger. A weeper cannot hide as easily as a regular synx, and they quickly become the target of attack by natives and wildlife alike. Weepers are also much slower, so there is much added danger in their intrusions and escapes. Worse yet, the benefit of being able to eat people more effortlessly makes these animals more naive and complacent with hunting. Forgetting the hazards their diet represents can be instantly fatal for a synx. UV exposure also becomes more problematic for a weeper. The more surface area a synx gains, the more it has to protect from this light. If exposed, the harmful effects a weeper experiences will also be hastened, making sunlight an increasingly dangerous obstacle.
Because of this unfortunate position, weepers often live short lives. If their circumstance and surroundings don't kill them, their own metabolism will. Even if one can successfully evade dangers, that hesitance assures starvation will reach them instead. Weepers simply need to eat too much to keep up with their energy usage.
Weepers are also distinguishable by elongated jaws and graspers. This is a trait regular synx can have, but all weepers possess them since they are obtained by the physical stress of fighting and consuming large animals consistently. Even in this state, these creatures may not be as quick or strong as lions, but a weeper knows how to use it's size and weight effectively. An efficient weeper can eat an unarmed adult human with the equivalent ease a regular synx consumes a child, but this luxury is often short lived.
Synx exist in a state of nature where size is not a benefit. For a parasite: the bigger an animal is, the less threatening it is. A synx would always be more cautious of a human than an elephant, even if possessing prior knowledge of neither. It is perhaps fitting that a synx becomes more vulnerable when they themselves become larger. A weeper cannot hide as easily as a regular synx, and they quickly become the target of attack by natives and wildlife alike. Weepers are also much slower, so there is much added danger in their intrusions and escapes. Worse yet, the benefit of being able to eat people more effortlessly makes these animals more naive and complacent with hunting. Forgetting the hazards their diet represents can be instantly fatal for a synx. UV exposure also becomes more problematic for a weeper. The more surface area a synx gains, the more it has to protect from this light. If exposed, the harmful effects a weeper experiences will also be hastened, making sunlight an increasingly dangerous obstacle.
Because of this unfortunate position, weepers often live short lives. If their circumstance and surroundings don't kill them, their own metabolism will. Even if one can successfully evade dangers, that hesitance assures starvation will reach them instead. Weepers simply need to eat too much to keep up with their energy usage.
Also the original artist can be found here: http://rainbow-apocalypse.deviantart.com/gallery/ and http://www.furaffinity.net/user/chimerasynx/
I fucking hate organic things and blob monsters. That said, anyone who's seen Akira knows what the culmination of my nightmares looks like.
Lunar Templar said:
Read my post above, it includes every last, nasty, horrifying detail.Stasisesque said:
Also this is the site of the artist who invented them.
http://rainbow-apocalypse.deviantart.com/gallery/
http://www.furaffinity.net/user/chimerasynx/
http://rainbow-apocalypse.deviantart.com/gallery/Lunar Templar said:
If you have a DA account that can see mature labeled images, there is some sick shit in there.
What I've gathered:
-Eats children and babies. Will even eat the latter right out of a mother's stomach.
-Can fold inside-out (eww)
-Moves all weird like Voldo
-Stalks people in their own homes
-Always has same happy expression
Just, just no...
well, that's not fucked/unnerving up at all. There something wrong with who ever made them up or something?Saulkar said:
^^xPixelatedx said:
I am SO not touching that link, I'd like to sleep again.
Oh god, I don't have the attention span to read all that tonight, but what I just skimmed is already worse then anything I imagined. I definitely stand by my choice lol. Now I want to see one of these things as the monster in a live action horror movie.Saulkar said:
Wow, just wow. It's good to know that no matter how much you think you've seen it all, there is always something new around the corner. How did you find all this stuff, do you follow/know the artist?
NOPE! Just creative, at least that is what his online journals and my own conversations with him have led me to believe. In fact he is downright baffled, amused, but baffled by the amount of porn people draw of his creation then send to him as he created the synx to be as appalling and revolting as possible while not being campy.Lunar Templar said:
Yes and no. I follow his work because as an artist myself I find it very inspirational when it comes to unrestrained horror, in fact all of his erotic stuff (not even fucking close to the right word) is done entirely in satire, more often than not to spite the people who draw sexy images and porn of the creature which was designed to be as unappealing as possible(seriously messed up stuff!).xPixelatedx said:
Also while I do not know him I have had several conversations with him relating to the physical, psychological, and social abilities of the Synx, his inspiration, copyright allowance, and when he will finally post some new work! It has been three years already, dammit!
Well, mission fucking successful then, those things where creepy before I knew what there deal was.Saulkar said:
You should source your images sir. That is a Synx.xPixelatedx said:As someone who browses Tumblr and DA quite a bit, 'I've seen some shit', as they say.
Here is one of my favorites:
There is something very subtle and unassuming about it, which I love in monster design. After learning more about this thing, I discovered they don't even attack you outright. That really bothers me for some reason. Monsters like that, as rare as they are, freak me the hell out. It's like having a giant spider on your ceiling, waiting and watching as you fall asleep.
http://www.furaffinity.net/user/chimerasynx/
Dude, you are really late to the party. I copied the entire synx wikia on the previous page and lurk this forums as I paint to make sure people know it and feel all the more terrified, or mildly annoyed. ^^;BaronUberstein said:
I love creepy shizz. I find the manga creatures less disturbing than anything I've seen in movies or gaming because, well...I can't hear them, and when something's a mishmash of body parts or made of separate parts it kind of loses its structure. Even so, I like monsters so much I'm using one as my avatar and username right now, my favourite playable character from my favourite game: TImesplitters: Future Perfect. This game's horror levels had loads of creepy imagery. Masion of Madness and What lies Below respectively, the latter being Headsprouter's dwelling.
Well, there's a couple of theories as to what it is, my own is that it's a failed Berzerker Splitter, they have several similarities, others say it's a parasite that "sprouted" out of a decapitated zombie. Anyway, pretty creepy peice of phallic imagery, makes hissing and guttural sounds while growing out of ceilings and trying to take your clavicles.
And then there's the stuff from Amnesia, I'm not including the Brutes because frankly, they weren't scary to look at, but they were scary to run from.
I find the flayed parts of him most disturbing, his hand and his poor legs.
Considering each one is quite possibly a living man, each with their own unique personas and voices, albeit sharing a character model, each one madly in love, vengeful or hungry, respectively, that makes their predicament all the more haunting. These men have been tortured into madness by a psychopathic narcissist, and are unable to sleep thanks to the metal cog around their heads. I think by the one-hit deaths and no-save as well as the situations you're put into with these guys makes these monsters the scariest Amnesia has given us as of yet.
That's all that I can remember, I'm trying to play more Horror, because I love this kind of stuff.
Well, there's a couple of theories as to what it is, my own is that it's a failed Berzerker Splitter, they have several similarities, others say it's a parasite that "sprouted" out of a decapitated zombie. Anyway, pretty creepy peice of phallic imagery, makes hissing and guttural sounds while growing out of ceilings and trying to take your clavicles.
And then there's the stuff from Amnesia, I'm not including the Brutes because frankly, they weren't scary to look at, but they were scary to run from.
I find the flayed parts of him most disturbing, his hand and his poor legs.
Considering each one is quite possibly a living man, each with their own unique personas and voices, albeit sharing a character model, each one madly in love, vengeful or hungry, respectively, that makes their predicament all the more haunting. These men have been tortured into madness by a psychopathic narcissist, and are unable to sleep thanks to the metal cog around their heads. I think by the one-hit deaths and no-save as well as the situations you're put into with these guys makes these monsters the scariest Amnesia has given us as of yet.
That's all that I can remember, I'm trying to play more Horror, because I love this kind of stuff.
Junji Ito is pretty much the undisputed king when it comes to manga, for me, his version of Frankenstein is definitely the best I've seen:
There's also a manga called Fuan no Tane which isn't really as horrifying as it is really fucking creepy:
Yeah, it's basically just Creepypasta in manga form.
Also, not necessarily going on looks but the general effect they had on me, Lisa from the Resident Evil remake on Gamecube was utterly terrifying. You always knew shit was going south when you had a door slam and chains dragging.
There's also a manga called Fuan no Tane which isn't really as horrifying as it is really fucking creepy:
Yeah, it's basically just Creepypasta in manga form.
Also, not necessarily going on looks but the general effect they had on me, Lisa from the Resident Evil remake on Gamecube was utterly terrifying. You always knew shit was going south when you had a door slam and chains dragging.
Or:
Take a plain old xenomorph, and then make it scary.
Having said that, this is somewhat biased due how they act, which is hard to separate them from their look.