Relative Appearance Alteration

Relative Appearance Alteration
Galactus (Marvel Comics) as he appears through the eyes of several different sentient species.
Power/Ability to:	Have an appearance that differs to those that look at them.

"In that room, my mother came to me. But it was not her. It was something else."

"Ah. My son, I suspect. We can take many forms. The shapes we embody are merely a reflection of the life force around us."

― Anakin Skywalker and The Father (Star Wars: The Clone Wars)

"Above-All-Others is both male and female?"

"So our senses perceive it moment to moment."

"Annoying, is it not?"

"No, truly wondrous"

― Adam Warlock and Thanos after meeting the One-Above-All (Marvel Comics)

The ability to have an appearance that differs to those that look at them. Variation of Perspective Manipulation.

Also Called

• Eyes of the Beholder
• Perceptive Appearance
• Selective Appearance
• Subjective Appearance Shift

Capabilities

The user's appearance differs depending on who sees them, on what the user would look like according to sees, tastes, and/or experiences. The perceived appearance varies from person to person and can include changes in race, voice, and mannerisms to present anything from an ideal figurehead to something or someone most hated or feared by a viewer.

Applications (All perceived by Others)

• Desire Form
• Illusive Appearance
• Nemesis Form
• Personality Manipulation
• Self Perception
• True Love Visage

Techniques

• Mind Image
• True-Self Deception
  • Social Cloaking

Variations

• Omni Appearance

Associations

• Clone Appearance Alteration
• Countenance Manipulation
• Existential Manifestations
• Incomprehensible Form
• Omni Identity
• Perspective Manipulation
  • Relative Strength Perception
• Shapeshifting

Limitations

• User does not know what they will appear to be by another.
• Though the user's appearance and mannerisms can be perceived as different, their true mind or identity can be uncovered as inconsistent from their appearance through Telepathy.
• Users of Reality Perception can perceive the true/original form.

Known Users

See Also: A Form You Are Comfortable With.

• Satan/Lucifer (Abrahamic Religions)
• Vorlons (Babylon 5)
• The Contemelians (Ben 10)
• Goddess of Destiny (Brave Story)
• The Endless (DC Comics/Vertigo); limited to appearing as a member of one's species
• Buick 8 (From a Buick 8)
• Weird Sisters (Gargoyles)
• Tsubasa Kounan (Girls Saurus)
• Viper Zero (Girly Air Force); via empathic reflector instability
• Most Deities (Greek Mythology)
• Mother of Creation (Image Comics)
• Gaia (In Another World, I'm Called The Black Healer)
• Xion (Kingdom Hearts)
• Shirohime (Lance N' Masques)
• Honest John (Marvel Comics); limited to appearing as one's definition of a great leader
• Gaea (Marvel Comics); appears in the form of whatever image she was worshiped as by any race on earth, even simultaneously
• Galactus (Marvel Comics); limited to appearing as a being perceivable to one's species
• Meggan (Marvel Comics); via empathy
• Santa Claus (Marvel Comics)
• Poisons (Marvel Comics); limited to appearing as a single target's loved ones.
• Dani Moonstar/Mirage (Marvel Comics)
• The One-Above-All (Marvel Comics)
• Izanami (Noragami)
• Aphrodite (Percy Jackson series); limited to appearing as one's personal description of beauty
• Cupid (Percy Jackson series); limited to appearing as one's personal description of beauty
• Nemesis (Percy Jackson series); limited to appearing as whoever one wishes to get revenge on the most
• SCP-343 God (SCP Foundation)
• SCP-870 - The Maybe There Monsters (SCP Foundation)
• SCP-3591 The Fallen Giant (SCP Foundation)
• SCP-4999/The Small Death (SCP Foundation)
• It (Stephen King's It)
• Yuuko Kanoe (Tasogare Otome × Amnesia); limited to appearing as one's greater fear
• Chandra (Top Cow); limited to appearing as one's description of the most beautiful women
• High Succubus (Valkyrie Crusade)
• Vorlons (Babylon 5)
• Pleasure GELF (Red Dwarf)
• Wilfred (Wilfred)

Known Locations

• Cynosure/The Meeting Hall (Forgotten Realms)
• Q Continuum (Star Trek)
• Heaven's Garden (Supernatural)
• Death's Realm (The Sandman)

Gallery

Being personifications, the Seven Endless (DC Comics/Vertigo) all look different depending on those who see them depending on their species, culture, etc.

The Weird Sisters (Gargoyles) are able to disguise themselves, their disguised appearances differing to those that see them...

...looking like a group of schoolgirls to Goliath...

...and a group of elderly gargoyles to Demona simultaneously.

Xion's (Kingdom Hearts) appearance varies depending on who perceives her, with Roxas and Axel seeing her as a black-haired girl...

...and Xigbar seeing her as Ventus.

Shirohime (Lance N' Masques) appears to be a normal horse most of the time, though others will sometimes see her as a normal human girl, a horse-girl, a child, or even a horse with some human-like features.

Gaea (Marvel Comics) has been known by many names throughout Earth's history and can appear in the form of whatever image she was worshiped as by any race on Earth, even multiple ones simultaneously.

Honest John (Marvel Comics) is able to appear to others in the form of what appeals to their individual tastes of what they consider a great leader.

Dani Moonstar/Mirage (Marvel Comics) learned to throw up illusions around herself to appear as whomever those who saw her found most suitable to their eyes.

Though often depicted as Caucasian in appearance, Santa Claus (Marvel Comics) actually appears to most people in their own racial features, though he usually retains his iconic white hair and beard.

Everyone who sees Izanami (Noragami) sees her in the likeness of the person they feel most comfortable with...

...appearing as Hiyori Iki to Yato, for example.

Aphrodite (Percy Jackson series) appearance would change to appeal to each person who gazed upon her.

SCP-870 - The Maybe There Monsters (SCP Foundation) physical appearances differ greatly between the few people that can actually see them.

Pennywise/It (Stephen King's It) often changes appearance depending on who is viewing It and what the victim is afraid of most,...

...while the form of a giant spider is the closest approximation the human mind can comprehend to Its true form.

How Yuuko Kanoe (Tasogare Otome × Amnesia) can be seen depends on the person who perceives her.

Sam and Dean Winchester (Supernatural) perceiving Heaven's Garden as the Cleveland Botanical Garden.

Vorlons, (Babylon 5) like Kosh, are often only seen wearing their encounter suits, however..

..when the encounter suit is taken off, Vorlons will take on the appearance of the viewer's perception of deities, such as Angels from humanity..

..or other young species among the galaxy, like the Minbari's Valeria, their incarnation of light and order.

Videos

SCP-031 North Korea Hotel (SCP Animation)-2

SCP-031 - What Is Love? (SCP Orientation)

Team Free Will Confronts Michael - Supernatural-2