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alienshaped
creature lab v0.1
SPECIMEN - 2026
seed b9f29e01

Bratathaaglo

Protomirabilis

A shy, feathered ember nibbler from a crystal desert.

2 eyes 6 limbs 2 antennae bilateral stub tail
or press space
02 · Drop-in avatars

Type a username → get a unique alien.

Identical input always produces the identical avatar. Use it for forums, profiles, comment threads - anywhere users need a default avatar.

32px
48px
64px
square
03 · A real-world thread

Distinct users, distinct creatures.

A mocked Reddit-style thread. Every avatar below is generated locally by the JS engine from the username string - no uploads, no Gravatar, no network calls.

u/qrx_traveller · 7h · 482 pts

I keep telling people this is the best community on the internet. Threads like this are why.

u/fern_gully · 6h · 391 pts

Wait until you find out about the wiki. Half my saved bookmarks are just stuff from here.

u/milo.42 · 5h · 277 pts

Counterpoint: every time I post a question someone replies "search before posting".

u/astra_nine · 5h · 188 pts

They're not wrong though. There's a great FAQ pinned to the sidebar.

u/kep__ · 4h · 144 pts

New here. Hi.

u/dr_tilley · 4h · 132 pts

Welcome! Pro tip: keep a notes file, you'll want to refer back to a lot of the threads.

u/sunday_sage · 3h · 92 pts

I love that every user has their own little alien. Makes scanning a long thread so much easier.

u/noctis_omega · 3h · 74 pts

It's funny, after a week you start recognising regulars purely by their creature.

u/pepperwhale · 2h · 53 pts

I show up just to see what my avatar mood is today. (Obviously it's the same every time.)

u/nyx7 · 2h · 41 pts

Same. I changed my username once and immediately regretted losing my little three-eyed friend.

u/wren_blue · 1h · 28 pts

Out of curiosity: anyone know the algorithm that picks the colours? They always look harmonious.

u/mod_helena · 34m · 17 pts

Locking this in a few hours, getting derailed. Great discussion all.

04 · Integrate in 10 seconds

Three ways to use it.

Drop the URL into an <img> tag, import the function, or sprinkle a data attribute. Choose whichever fits your stack.

No JavaScript required. Works in HTML, RSS feeds, emails - anywhere an image renders. Returned SVG is cached forever (immutable).

<img src="https://alienshaped.com/avatar/.svg"
     alt=""
     width="64" height="64">

Render locally - instant, no network calls. Perfect for SPAs that want to draw dozens of avatars in a list.

import { createAlienAvatar } from '@alienshaped/engine';

const svg = createAlienAvatar('');
element.innerHTML = svg;

Add a tiny script to your page; every [data-alien-avatar] element is replaced with an avatar.

<script src="https://alienshaped.com/hydrate.js" defer></script>

<span data-alien-avatar=""></span>
05 · Use on Reddit

Two ways to bring aliens to Reddit.

Reddit hosts avatars on its own CDN, so external image URLs won't work as your profile picture directly. Pick the route that fits.

Option A

Use it as your own Reddit avatar

Download a square PNG of your alien and upload it in Reddit → Settings → Profile → Avatar.

Filled background. Square. Reddit-ready.

For:

  1. Download the PNG above (512 is plenty).
  2. On reddit.com, open the user menu → Edit Profile.
  3. Click the avatar circle and upload the file.
Option B

Replace everyone's avatar locally

Install a userscript and every Reddit avatar - yours, mine, the mods, that one stranger - becomes a unique alien, deterministic per username.

Install userscript requires Tampermonkey or Violentmonkey
  1. Install Tampermonkey (Chrome/Safari/Edge) or Violentmonkey (Firefox).
  2. Click "Install userscript" above - the extension catches the file.
  3. Open a Reddit thread. Refresh once. Aliens everywhere.