For my main fantasy WIP, I have a fantasy world that needs populating with a few races. However, I'm running into a problem. A key plot point requires humans to not be present in the world. With the easy option gone, I've been struggling to decide how to populate the planet. My one idea so far is to have at least one race look very like a human (hence the subject title of this thread): somehow the race is distinct from humanity -- such that it is easy to detect someone is human if they were to pay attention, but, if no one is paying attention, my human characters could potentially escape notice.

So, I decided to come to you guys and see what kind of ideas you came up with. Maybe they'll stimulate my brain in the right direction.

(Oh, and I'm not interested in androids or robotics, despite the subject title of this thread. xD)

Could they all have a specific eye color? Maybe one that isn't really possible for a human to have, but isn't so different that it stands out? And/or maybe their pupils are shaped different...

Just some ideas.

@Brendan: I've toyed with the idea of there being other contact with Earth besides my three charries, but as for now these three are the only humans on that world.

@Rebekah: I had thought of the eye color idea, but I have tried to steer away from having my main characters have the fantastic color of eyes. One thing I did not think of, however, and could easily do is make one race have several different fantastic colors -- all of which are extremely rare or nonexistent in humans in regards to hue or vibrancy. *will ponder that*

Another thing I've considered is shape-shifters, though if I do use them, they will be only one race among others on that planet. I don't want the world to have an abundance of shape-shifters.

I know that the movie Avatar and the world of Pandora with the Na'vi people is a controversial one for Christians - and although I enjoyed some aspects of it, would not recommend it - but the concept used is one that is brought to mind straight away when I read your question. They are human-like, but also distinct. There are some ideas you could draw on - they are taller (7-9ft), blue, have a tail, cat like yellow eyes, cat like features, 'tribal' in their dress and customs, warrior-like, ...... ummm.....come on wikipedia what else can you give me?? haha.

Another idea could be to look at different cultures around the world, and emphasise one, or an aspect of one. Everyone dresses and looks differently, and has different world views and ways of doing things.
Then of course there is changing human structure, such as adding wings, a tail, or changing the skin so it is a different texture - scaly, feathers.....?
You could take animal features (eg cat like eyes), or perhaps give them an extraordinary ability, like being able to jump (I'm thinking John Carter here!) or climb.
I think also that just the way people relate to each other can mark out a vast difference between species. Being 'as one'/equal in all aspects is often something that stands out to me as being a common theme in a lot of non-human species.

Anyway, hope I've helped!

ETA: I just re-read your post and you mentioned you wanted them to be able to pass as humans. hhmmmm maybe some of my ideas won't work then! lol

No problem. The whole point of this thread is to stimulate (i.e. electrocute) my inspiration, so your post is still helpful. (Incidentally, it's the other way around (humans to pass off as non-humans), but you're close enough. )

They could be very tall, very short, have pointy ears, have pointy noses, have no thumbs, have five thumbs, live on a diet of grass and leaves, have the ability to lick their elbow . . .

For my WIP I've been looking at different mythical creatures and putting my own tweak on them. Stars look like albino humans but tend to set things on fire. Giants can occasionally pass for very tall humans (it depends how many eyes they have). I have one character who looks human but isn't, and I did give her unusually-colored eyes, even if that's cliche.

Thanks for the input Aletheia.

Oooh, Brendan. That list is extremely helpful. When I do eventually obtain the time to work on the race(s) (college is starting up again in only a few days now), I'll use this list in conjunction with Seer's race posts.

I know it's been a while since you started this topic, and you probably have it figured out already, but an idea struck me. What if humans could only pass for the young of this race? ex: The adults have wings, but they don't grow in until they are almost 20 years old, so a human could pass for a "teenager" of this race. It would make them less threatening/allow them to get away with things as well.
Just a thought

Actually, I hadn't solved this problem yet.

This a fantastic idea which would work perfectly (and Michael is going to hate it, even better ). I might not use the wings part, but I think I'm going to use the basic idea. Thanks!

Glad to be of assistance It would work with almost any trait: wings, horns, eye colors, the possibilities are endless Have fun with it!

What about different skin color?

In Zelda almost all the "Humans" has pointed ears. hey could have an odd skin color or not have the ability to grow facial hair. Small Vestigial wings would also add n odd element. Heck why not have them all have tails? All of these things could be added without changing a race to much from the human form while still maintaining the illusion of being human. I'd personal go with pointed ears and Some form of none-furry tail maybe like a rats?

My fancy seems to have taken a (well...) fancy to horns, but I'm not certain how 'twill manifest. And I could add another thing(s) as well.

Pointy ears I might stay away from... not sure. For one, The Legend of Zelda universe tends to influence my thinking enough without my putting something as seemingly overt as that (seems overt to me anyway). Another (and more worrisome) problem for me would be people equating my race to Tolkien-esque elves which, at this point, I am staying away from.

good point. Also if you do horns and a tail they might associate them with demons. Small flesh colored horns could be cool.

Good thoughts. *continues to percolate*

There's a ton of ideas for horns: straight, curved, short, long, ram-like, antler-esque, a pair, two pairs... The race could have uniform horns, or each individual could be different. Look at animals, other fictional races (like the draenei from Wrold of Warcraft), and think over the implications on a culture of having horns. Do some research and be creative with it! Let us know what you come up with!

Peoplopes!