History Main / HumanOutsideAlienInside

* Celty in ''Durarara'' has most of the same organs as a human, but they're vestigial and nonfunctional (to the bewilderment of a character who vivisects her.)

* Another inversion occurs in JosephaSherman's novel ''A Strange and Ancient Name'', where iron is deadly to elves and even the tiniest scratch means certain doom. When the half-human prince gets stabbed by an iron weapon, the kingdom goes into mourning, waiting out his long and painful death. Until the (human) love interest points out in a rage that maybe his despised heritage makes him less susceptible to the effect, and the healers decide to actually ''try'' to help him.

* S.L. Viehl's ''[=StarDoc=]'' series thrives on this. Just to give a relatively tame example: Jorenians (large, [[GreenSkinnedSpaceBabe attractive, blue-skinned humanoids]] who can actually [[HalfHumanHybrid interbreed with humans]]) have [[AlienBlood green blood]], twelve-chambered hearts, retractable claws, compartmentalized stomachs, and an unusually large and complex spleen (which is a vital organ to the species).

* Krevlornswath ("Lorne") of the Deathwok Clan of Pylea on ''Angel'' looks quite humanoid, other than the green skin/red eyes/horns thing. You figure out they're called the "Deathwok Clan" for a reason when Lorne gets beheaded and ''remains alive as long as his body isn't destroyed''.

* Inverted in SamandMax, Dr. Norrington said that The Great Old Ones are identical to humans, and by extension animal life on the inside. "We save the weird stuff for the outside".

** However, Gaz also claims to possess a squeedly-spooch.

* On ''InvaderZim'', despite the fact that Zim can pass as human with only a minimal disguise, it's implied that Irkens have none of the same internal organs as human beings. They do, however, possess something called a "squeedely-spootch" around where humans have stomachs. The episode "Dark Harvest" revolves around this: Zim, in an effort to perfect his human disguise, crams his body full of stolen organs, including six hearts and spleens in three different colors. Irkens (Or perhaps just Zim) also have allergies to some very common items... like water (possibly just polluted water), meat, and barbecue sauce.

** In a DVD commentary, series creator Jhonen Vasquez stated that the squeedly-spooch is a master organ and that it carries out all body functions.

->"''Some [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy krogan]] believe that testicle transplants can increase their virility, counteract the effects of [[DepopulationBomb the genophage]]. It doesn't work, but that doesn't stop them from buying. They'll pay up to 10,000 credits each. [[TooMuchInformation That's 40,000 for a full set]]. Someone's making a killing out there.''"
-->-- '''Garrus Vakarian''', ''MassEffect''

* It's not really gone into much, but this is the case for Red Martians (and presumably the other three humanoid Martian races) in JohnCarterOfMars- though they [[HumanAliens look superficially human]], they reproduce by laying eggs, live for hundreds (potentially ''thousands'') of years, can survive extended periods without food or water (handy for living on what's largely a desert planet) and, in TheFilmOfTheBook, have [[AlienBlood bright blue blood]].

* The Goddesses from ''AhMyGoddess'' could fall under this. Urd uses alcohol as an "alternate energy source", but seems to suffer no deleterious effects. Skuld is the same with ice cream. Belldandy can [[NeverGetsDrunk drink a distillery and be completely unaffected]], but gets blitzed off of soda. Of course, this just makes her an even sweeter and more empathetic LiteralGenie.

** This seems to only apply to Kevin (it's also a rule of thumb for half-breeds unless the alien side of them is ''really' inhuman like a four-arms), season two BigBad Aggregor was a full-blooded osmosian and he looked like a generic christian devil.

** [[http://freefall.purrsia.com/ff100/fv00083.htm "Apparently my face evokes a nurturing reaction in humans. How am I supposed to politely say 'no' to that?!"]]

* In ''ElGoonishShive'', the Uryuom are sexless; they produce "eggs" which can accept and combine DNA from multiple individuals, even those of different species ("the current record is twelve parents, only nine of whom were Uryuoms"), Uryuom DNA need not even be part of the mix. They have limited {{shapeshifting}} powers and use [[TheEmpath limited telepathy]] to have a common language with anyone [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2003-09-24 in three seconds or so]] and [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2003-10-06 instead of pheromones]]. They also have
advanced shapeshifting technology that lets them not only mimic another race's outer appearances but also become biologically compatible.

* ''ElGoonishShive'': The Uryuom sexless; produce "eggs" which can accept and combine DNA from multiple individuals, even those of different species ("the current record is twelve parents, only nine of whom were Uryuoms"), Uryuom DNA need not even be part of the mix. They have limited {{shapeshifting}} powers and use [[TheEmpath limited telepathy]] to have a common language with anyone [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2003-09-24 in three seconds or so]] and [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2003-10-06 instead of pheromones]].

* Starfire of the WesternAnimation/TeenTitans (at least, the TV show). Aside from her decidedly orange skin and her ability to fly and to shoot energy from her hands and eyes, she has nine separate stomaches, an oft-unused [[FetishFuel long, prehensile tongue]], a temporary but extensive {{Metamorphosis}} triggered by puberty, and [[KryptoniteFactor a nasty allergy to metallic chromium]].
** Starfire's chromium allergy can be filed under DidNotDoTheResearch, as metallic chromium is used extensively in metallurgy on this planet from alloying to plating. At minimum Starfire couldn't get within a hundred feet of a car.
** It could just be allergenic in powder form, like dander.
** The smelting and refining processes may have something to do with that, combined with the fact that allergy symptoms get worse when faced with more of the allergen.
** In the [[ComicBook/TeenTitans comics]], despite looking almost exactly like a (very lovely) human, her species evolved from cats. Flying, orange, alien cats.
*** [[CatGirl Not surprising?]]

** When Quark and his family were accidentally sent to 1947 Roswell, we learned that Ferengi biochemistry is sufficiently different from our own that sodium pentathol injections do nothing besides making them very sore at the injection site.
*** Ferengi also have four-lobed brains, which somehow makes them immune to telepathy. According to their cultural beliefs, those same lobes give them good business sense.
**** I think when they speak of business sense they mean ear lobes.

* A rare inversion: The three-eyed altered humans who show up in a few issues of ''TomStrong'' can no longer eat at least ''certain'' terrestrial foodstuffs without getting the pukes. However, coffee doesn't bother them...and normal humans seem to be able to eat ''their'' food [[NoBiochemicalBarriers without adverse effects]].

* The classic L. Sprague DeCamp short story ''Nothing in the Rules'' has a mermaid who gets drunk on ''fresh water'', which would be fine if the protagonists hadn't just entered her into a ''swimming meet'' (hence the title)

* S.L. Viehl's ''[=StarDoc=]'' series: Just to give a relatively tame example, Jorenians (large, [[GreenSkinnedSpaceBabe attractive, blue-skinned humanoids]] who can actually [[HalfHumanHybrid interbreed with humans]]) have [[AlienBlood green blood]], twelve-chambered hearts, retractable claws, compartmentalized stomachs, and an unusually large and complex spleen (which is a vital organ to the species).

* S.L. Viehl's ''[=StarDoc=]'' series.
** Just to give a relatively tame example: Jorenians have [[AlienBlood green blood]], twelve-chambered hearts, retractable claws, compartmentalized stomachs, and an unusually large and complex spleen (which is a vital organ to the species). (Bear in mind that this is a race that can [[HalfHumanHybrid interbreed with humans]].)

* On ''BenTen'', Osmosians look externally like humans, but have the ability to absorb matter and energy, as well as minor degrees of super strength and durability, which increases when they do. Though to them, pure energy is a GRatedDrug that drives them insane if they absorb too much of it (though this is reversed if the energy is discharged). Also, Osmosians can live much longer than humans and those who live for hundreds of years grow horns.

** This is lampshaded in ''TheBigBangTheory'', where Koothrappali wonders out loud why no alien women ever told Captain Kirk to get his thing out of her nose, {{if you know what I mean}}.

**** I think when they speak o business sense they mean ear lobes.

** This trope is directly mentioned in "Genesis of the Daleks". A [[MeaningfulName Kaled]] scientists scoffs at the Doctor and his companion's claim that they're not from the planet Skaro. Then their test results come back, leaving the scientist stunned that, despite external appearances, their biology matches nothing native to Skaro.
** Meanwhile, in "The Dominators", the Dominators scan the Doctor's companion believing him to be a native of the Alien Planet of the Week. A later scan of an actual native reveals a totally different anatomy, which backs up the Doctor's earlier lie that there are two intelligent species on the planet.
** The very rare inversion did happen once: in "The Hand of Fear", Sarah Jane shakes off a "lethal" poison, as it turns out not to be lethal to ''Homo sapiens''.
** In "The Daemons", the Doctor claims that an aspirin might kill him, though it's not clear whether he actually means it, or is just contriving a possible example of why human medical advice does not apply to him.

** In Nyssa's [[BigFinishDoctorWho Companion Chronicle "The Darkening Eye,"]] Adric survives a stab wound to the chest because of his species' HealingFactor and the key little detail that his assailant was aiming for the location of a ''human'' heart. Guess which side of the chest cavity holds an ''Alzarian'' heart?

* [[MorkAndMindy Orkans]] can drink with their finger (and use various PsychicPowers focused through their index fingers), have three hearts, physically age backwards, and hatch from eggs which come from [[MisterSeahorse the male's bellybutton]]. And according to the pilot episode, their [[IfYouKnowWhatIMean "parts"]] are interchangeable. In the season 2 opener, Mork takes some medicine designed to shrink nasal membranes, then says that Orkans are ''all'' membrane and shrinks down to the scale of an Earth-like nano-world.

*** While quarians seem to be mammalian and more or less human in appearance (it's hard to determine through the enviro-suits they need to wear to ward off infection, and it's implied they don't have ears like a human -- and they have only three fingers to either hand), they share the unique trait with turians that they are made from "dextro-amino acids". And NoBiochemicalBarriers is most definitely ''[[AvertedTrope not]]'' in effect in the ''MassEffect'' universe: anaphylactic shock is a very real possibility. In fact, [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAP92rvm1hQ talking to the doctor]] while pursuing the female human/male turian relationship has him discretely recommend "[[IfYouKnowWhatIMean avoid ingestion]]".

*** [[VampireTheMasquerade Malkavians anyone?]]

->'''Kim:''' I would've never guessed when it came down to the basics. Well, let's just say [[IfYouKnowWhatIMean the birds and bees will be very confused]].