Here are 10 character writing prompts about the slimy, other-worldly creatures known as aliens! Aliens tend to be sequestered to a very small cross-section of the writing world, that of science fiction. Despite putting aliens in a corner, there have been many amazing alien characters written, both morally good and morally bad, that tend to take on the role of a sidekick or a villain. Alien main characters are few and far between, but television shows like the "Star Treks" have shown us many different flavors of alien characters. Follow their lead for three-dimensional alien characters when you decide to insert them into your own work.
Free Character Writing Prompts #13: Aliens
1. On his planet, he was a relatively average civil servant, going to his job in the morning and coming back for a beer on the couch in the evening. A mysterious portal opened up during his favorite show and sent him shooting down to Earth. He ended up alone, scared and green in the middle of a back alley. Fortunately for him, he spoke Trelgar, which was very similar to English and he was able to find a police station without much trouble. After telling his story, he was whisked away to the land of talk show television, giving interviews about his home planet and generally ending up a celebrity. There were organizations that didn't want him to receive human rights, but he was generally treated quite well for a little green man. What will his life be like on Earth and will he ever return home?
2. His ship was out of fuel and was hurtling toward the sun of your solar system. In a last ditch effort, he was able to change course to crash on the only habitable planet nearby. He landed safely in the Pacific Ocean and used the ships controls to get to land. NASA had a welcome party waiting and was surprised to find a 30-foot tall alien who looked as scary as scary could be. While he couldn't speak the language, he realized that he needed to show some kindness or else he might be blown into smithereens. He looked toward the face of a small child who seemed excited, while others seemed frightened. He mimicked that boy's face with a drawing in the ground, which turned out to be a symbol of happiness and peace on Earth. He was welcomed with open arms after that. Describe his mission to refuel his ship and to continue to convince people of the planet that he comes in peace.
3. She spent her days posing as a public relations specialist for an important television news host, but in the evenings, she returned to her true form. Without a certain amount of human flesh each night, she was unable to hold her human disguise long enough to last an average work day. So, she hunted. She didn't receive a lot of joy from killing, but since she'd heard the planet was hurtling toward overpopulation anyway, she'd be doing everybody a service. She tried to pick off potential undesirables who served little benefit. When she ate the flesh of humans, her human-like skin began to grow over her insect-like exoskeleton. Unfortunately for her, there was a detective on her trail, very determined to find who was killing these people in a quite grotesque manner. Will she continue to lead her double life or will she be captured?
4. On her planet of war and terror, she was somewhat of a pacifist. Since most citizens were expected to destroy a planet for their end of high school project, pacifism was an automatic ticket to a failing grade. She was given the planet Earth and was given the chance to survey the planet that would soon be nothing but a lifeless rock. She was aghast to see the planet overrun with billions of life forms. She couldn't kill so many people with a clear conscience. She contacted the planet's armies secretly and began feeding them the kind of defenses they would need to counteract an attack from her planet. She staged a fake attack on Earth to delay the construction of such devices before claiming that Earth was too powerful to be conquered. When her home planet attempted to defeat Earth, it had built up its wall of defenses and easily deflected the attack. She had failed the class but saved billions of lives! What will be the next step in her relationship with humankind and why?
5. He was a killer for sport, traveling from planet to planet looking for a challenge. He hoped to bring back the heads of 50 different species home from his latest trip and he had only one more left to capture. As he landed deep within the jungle, he found that many of the men were heavily armed. He thought to himself, "I love a good challenge." He stalked around and killed several underlings looking to take the head of the group's master. He sustained a great deal of damage from gunfire, but succeeded in killing everybody but the leader. The two of them faced off in a battle to the death. Who wins and what would the alien do if he was victorious?
6. After many years of hiding in plain site, the Martian King decided that it was time to visit the planet Earth and to extend a peaceful treaty. For years, using alien technology, Mars had been camouflaged to look like a desolate, red planet, when in actuality it was much closer to Earth temperature and appearance. Previous governments and their fortune tellers envisioned a war and hid the planet, but the King thought that this was just the time to extend a hand in friendship. The King had always valued friendship and wanted nothing more but to show his people those values. After a few months of communiqué, a Martian convoy which included the King, headed for Earth. What will happen with this first alien meeting and will the King be able to forge a new planetary diplomacy?
7. When the human ship embarked on a journey throughout the cosmos, its crew did not expect to find paradise. On a strange planet that seemed uninhabited, all of their fantasies were provided for. The captain was curious and upon inspection found that there was a woman behind the curtain, creating this fantasy world and she didn't want the crew to leave. The alien who was creating this semi-holographic world took the form of a young girl and said her parents had left her thousands of years ago. She wanted to take care of the crew forever and prove that she would never leave them like her parents left her. The crew offered to take her on their ship. What does the alien decide and how will it change the rest of her life as a result?
8. Deep within remote village in Africa, there was rumored to be a woman who could read your destiny. A team of myth busters were determined to find out more about this soothsayer and it turned out they got more then they bargained for. The woman had a blue tint in her skin and eyes that were wider than a human's. It turned out, she was an alien and she had powers beyond the villagers' imagination. She could see deep into the soul of a human and could predict his future and his impact on the world. The myth busters asked if they could take her back to the United States but she resisted, saying that she could see that future and it wasn't a good one. What future did she see and why did she choose to live in such a remote area?
9. When the baby came out, you were expecting to see a bright-eyed little boy who was ready to experience the world. You didn't expect those eyes to be glowing brightly as if there were a flashlight inside along with skin as red as a velvet cake. The boy your wife had just had was not human, but an alien. The third such alien born from a human woman this week. The baby grew quickly to the form of a five-year-old boy, only within a couple of days and you and your wife had no choice but to love him as government officials frequently came by to check on his growth. You wondered what could have happened to make the alien come out the way he did. Within a week, the alien baby looked like he was around the age of 18. What will happen to this rapidly growing child of yours and what is the meaning of these strange births throughout the country?
10. From the window of her cell, she couldn't help but wonder if there were others like her outside the facility. Sure, there were other strange creatures of intrigue a few cells down and they were able to congregate during recess, but she was the only one who could hear thoughts. She was the only one who knew that the humans never intended to let them go. She spoke softly when the humans were around and never shared her power, but she could tell that they were both scared of them and growing attached to them at the same time. If they were ever going to escape, it was going to have to be by showing love and affection to the right humans. She began to organize a rebellion of kindness among the aliens and she loudly scolded those who openly expressed malicious content. She would get them out of there if it was the last thing she did. How does her plan go and what makes the other aliens listen to her recommendations?
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Use the above prompts or article as inspiration to write a story or other short piece.
