What is a xeno?

[Build_R_]

Xenos have had a whole load of creative interpretations over the years, from the drone in Alien, to the runner in Aliens 3, to the weird shit that happened later on.
CM has taken some (well executed) liberties with the design of the xenomorphs, adding new warrior and defender castes and giving original castes a whole new look.

In your mind, what does a xeno NEED TO HAVE to still be considered a xeno in your mind and why?

[Mister Jeether]

No eyes.

Double jaw = Double the fun

Peculiar head shape.

[RuAlastor]

Eh, a beno-headshape and a tail. Guess, that’s enough for appearance.

[kastion]

xeno - other; different in origin.

morph - denoting something having a specified form or character.

I would say a xenomorph is anything that has a different form to a human. =P

[CABAL]

Of course head shape is bullshit. Look at predalien, look at many other variants.

Inner jaw and acid blood is a must for XX121. For xenomorphs that were created by "natural" means: Exoskeleton that is dark in colour, vulnerability to fire, fairly squishy exept higher castes, large numbers, true hivemind, intelligence of single example on the level of a monkey, hostility, no retarded spinning... That's pretty much it.

[kastion]

... no retarded spinning...

Shit, we done goophed.

[KennyTGuy]

A miserable little pile of secrets

[AcuteCircle]

Good legs. Just look at original drone. Her legs are goals.

[Pulse Demon]

Obligatory: No eyes, inner jaw, acidic blood, S C R E E C H, some sort of weaponized limb or extension (bladed tails, spikes, blades, claws). Crawling stance, SEXY HINDS, being born from a chestburster, being violent.
Not Obligatory but tropes that really evoke xenos: Darker color palettes, H.R. Giger-esque patterns (tube looking muscles, bio-mechanical aesthetics, faint sexual/erotic undertones in poses and xeno behaviour), smooth drone forehead and upper cranium.

[CABAL]

Obligatory: No eyes, inner jaw, acidic blood, S C R E E C H, some sort of weaponized limb or extension (bladed tails, spikes, blades, claws). Crawling stance, SEXY HINDS, being born from a chestburster, being violent.
Not Obligatory but tropes that really evoke xenos: Darker color palettes, H.R. Giger-esque patterns (tube looking muscles, bio-mechanical aesthetics, faint sexual/erotic undertones in poses and xeno behaviour), smooth drone forehead and upper cranium.

Being "Biomechanical" is not obligatory? *Ridley likes it*

[Jonesome]

They’re made of silicone.

[Boersgard]

Double jaw
penis heads with no eyes
Cool spiny bits
knife tail
claws
dark black carapace
hissing sounds
acid blood

And thematically they lurk in the dark and pick people off one by one like monsters.

[Huebone]

An effeminate body, yet slightly androgynous. A ghoulish posture. And it has to look similar to what it burst from, along with the other characteristic traits of xenos. I can forgive this game for making them look like humans despite coming from those weird little yeti things on the Ice colony, but I dislike that the runner lost some of this effeminate human trait in the new sprite.

After all, the origin to xeno's design was H. R. Giger's weird sexualized drawings. Also, all the xenos are females because of this, and the facehuggers are male, every time you get facehugged you're getting pumped.