Most creatures we see, including humans, are symmetrical in nature. We can usually identify what we see as relatable because it reminds us of what we associate with a living creature; the distribution of limbs, the composition of a face, the the evenness of a smile. When something goes against the expectation of symmetry, we immediately notice it, and it can creep us the hell out.
!!Examples of breaking symmetry:
- Disfigurements or defects (which can point to
Unfortunate Implications) - Extra limbs on one side
- Unevenly sized limbs
- Facial features that don't belong where they are
Examples
Comic Books
- Batman: Two-Face is instantly recognizable by his asymmetrical face, one half being unharmed and clean, and the other being horrifically disfigured. This makes him not only look intimidating but also reinforces his Two-Faced nature; one half being the honorable and just lawyer, and the other the cold and vicious criminal.
Video Games
- Video GameBloodborne: Several Beasts are asymmetrical through disturbing, inhuman characteristics. The standard mobs you fight for example have one arm that's longer than the other (and covered in beats fur), the Cleric Beast has a disproportionately massive left hand, half of Ludwig's body is disfigured into a freakish horse, including an extra mouth and multiple legs; and the One Reborn is an uneven abomination made from corpses.
- Dead by Daylight: The Hillbilly's face is grotesquely stretched from one side to the other because of a birth defect, which makes him stand out as frightening and monstrous.
- League of Legends: Fiddlesticks is a demon that's constructed a crude scarecrow-like form for itself from farm equipment, and it clearly doesn't get what humans look like. One arm is clawed and drags along the ground, its face is made with an off-kilter bear trap for a mouth, and its torso is hunched over from all the uneven weight distribution. It's inhuman movements accentuate it's unnatural appearance further.
