Of late, amid attempting to coordinate story arcs and Munlife, I got to thinking: Being one that relies quite a bit on description, how would others perceive this? How would others describe something of theirs -- be it a creation, person or belonging -- with the detail that I'm often finding myself required?
Amid this, yet another attempt at imagery was the result:
In discovering strange and new life-forms, we may often be puzzled by what we see, or, for some, what we do not see. Regarding a particular creature by the name of Renne, the following provides an in-depth description of his appearance from the head down.
Beginning with basic measurements, we find Renne measures exactly two feet and seven inches from the tip of the longest toe to the top of his head. "Officially", he measures at three feet even though the extra five inches comprise solely of his ears.
The ears themselves are quite large in comparison to perhaps how they ought to fit proportionally against his head. Positioned on the sides, slightly toward the back of the skull, his head-shape has often been comparative to a deer or a canine head-form. The forehead has a gentle slope and only a very short drop to the bridge of his nose.
Moving down the face, the cheekbones are both fine and placed high, giving support to a pair of very large, eyes which bear a definitive up-swept slant at the outer corners.
On the eyes, we not the absence of a pupil or iris, as the entire cornea serves, in a sighted specimen, the function of that sense.
Both the eyes and skin can and will tend to change colour to reflect a current emotional state; the skin especially so if the emotion felt is strong and Transcendence must be avoided.
The nose-tip ends slightly on the widened side rather than tapering off to a narrower point; this again, comparative to a deer's facial structure. The mouth is set low and gives the appearance of an "almost-chin". The lips are thin and the skin here is very elastic to give way for a larger bite if necessary but naturally relax into a small mouth-form.
Perhaps inside the mouth is a more complex attribute. Upon opening, the mouth is defined by a narrow, angular jaw and a double-row of teeth. These teeth taper to gentle points although the double-set of canines and bicuspids come to a much sharper edge. The roof of the mouth arches into an almost hollow, deep join of bone and it is here that the retractable fangs are found. With the teeth bearing no colour whatsoever, they come up as completely transparent; thus giving one a view to the tongue. The tongue shapes itself in a thin manner and ends in three forked divisions which lends to a serpentine appearance.
Moving down from the head, we find a thin neck with a distinct, tapering bulge at the back. This bulge is most often covered by hair and is in fact, where most of the brain is located.
From here, the neck branches into a narrow, almost tubular core, narrow shoulders and very thin, bony arms. The torso comprises of a single pectoral, no nipples and underneath the skin, a latticed ribcage. The spinal column contains many small, thin vertebrae which tend to jut up slightly, creating a distinct ridge from top to tailbone.
The spine splits off into a "V" at approximately the lumbar level, five bone-sections up from the hips. Here, the column splits and fuses to each hip independently. It is here that a tail can retract and extend at will.
The hip bones connect at the coccyx via a strong, thick band of material equivalent to cartilage. The hip bones themselves have a rounded shape, lending to a narrow waist and a very slight flare at the joining of the thighs.
Moving downward now, we note the thighs are longer than the shins by at least twice. The thigh shape lends to a lean, muscular section for leg control and when necessary, the strength to leap a distance or crawl at great speeds. The knees are similar to a typical knee joint though the shins below are quite short. The shin muscle flares out, then very abruptly slopes down into the Achilles' tendon and ankle.
The feet comprise about two-thirds of the entire lower leg and bear a hooked appendage just above the heel. Many compare this to a dew claw. The feet themselves taper inward, then flare out into the three toes joined by a web of skin. The largest toe resides on the innermost of the foot and provides an excellent, if not slightly extreme arch. This toe's web of skin does not start until halfway down from the toe tip. The middle toe is roughly an inch shorter and has the same proportion of free toe-limb and foot-web. The smallest toe resides on the outside of the foot and bears only half-an-inch of "free toe". This side of the foot is used primarily for support and balance.
The arms display a distinctly different shape compared to the legs. They almost seem to jut out from the shoulders but find compensation in a small section of webbed skin under the armpit. Arm structure tends toward the thin, even spindly side with a bony appearance at the elbow and wrist joints.
The hands are much like the feet in that they have webbing; however the fingers have four joints instead of three and the palm tends to allow for greater flexibility.
Moving to the skin, we find the creature's colouration is ordinarily of a dark blue. In some light-levels, this may appear as nearly indigo or black although in brighter light, the blue appears more vibrant in tone.
Of Blue Fire
By: Renne
