I am not. I am a perfectly harmless person and that’s generally the impression I give off. Little children and animals that I don’t even know will come right up to me without provocation. I can project an aura of “don’t mess with me,” but I have to do it purposefully.
So are you someone with a natural air of “Stay away or there will be trouble” or not?
Yes, I am.
I’m very, very sensitive, so this appears dichotamous.
But I’ve been a single mother for many years, and by now I’ve got the whole being scary thing down. I’ve had to. Not being paranoid, but there are predators out there looking for a victim. Many, if not all of them, size you up first. If you’re someone who appears weak and easily overpowered, either physically or mentally, there’s a good chance you’ll be chosen. As the sole protector of my clan, I’ve gotten to where anytime I’m out in the world, I project the image of being a badass. And it works- people pretty much leave me alone unless I initiate a conversation. And I like it that way.
When I come home, however, I let down my guard a lot and I make my home very comfortable and feminine. Only at home can I truly relax and be my sensitive, quiet, girly self. My home’s very important to me.
Sometimes I see myself in the reflection of a window and think “that guy looks like bad news.” Expecially now, I’m going through some shit and seem to have a scowl more or less always on my kisser lately. And if I don’t shave (most weekends) I think I kinda look like criminal.
I think I would be more scary if I had an eyepatch.
Hmm… I think it’s ebay time.
I don’t think I am very scary now, but when I was in my teens I was apparently rather off-putting.
I was never asked out on a date until I was in college. Years later, a couple of guys I’d gone to school with told me that they had been interested in me, but found me “intimidating.” Naturally, when I heard this, I kicked them in the nuts and splashed battery acid in their faces. 
Oh, yeah. I bank on it. Incoming sophomores quake at the thought of having my class. I glower. I snarl. The shine from my shaved scalp gleams in their fearful eyes. I revel at the smell of terror. 
I was walking out to the helicopter one day, ready to fly and I thought to myself, “I’m a 19 year old aerial gunner. I shoot things from a helicopter. I am required to carry a gun on my if we have weapons on bored. I have a very dangerous job…then why aren’t I considered a ‘badass?’”
And then I rented “Pride and Prejudice” this weekend.
Question answered.
I’m not physically imposing in the least. I’m 5’4", female, about 120 lbs and look rather young (for my age). Dogs always come up to me. Some people just have “come play with my doggie” in their demeaner, and I guess I do. Small children also love me, though I have no idea why (since I’m not really all that into kids).
However, several of my coworkers have said I’m a force to be reckoned with. They insist they mean that in a good way (though sometimes I wonder). I’m not a hard ass or anything. I do tend to take charge of meetings and projects.
So I guess you have to get to know me before I’m scarey.
I don’t think so. I can tame feral kittens, get wild sparrows to eat from my hand, that sort of thing. But, in my teenage/adult life exactly one person has complained about my behavior, and:
a) It was one of my teachers, and
b) They did so anonymously, “because they’re afraid that you’ll retaliate.”
What exactly they thought I would do to a person with awesome, direct power over my present and future was never made clear.
So, I dunno. Maybe.
Dude, you toilet paper bomb their house. Duh.
Physically I suppose I am. I’m also quiet and appear serious. I’m told the combination of the three makes me seem a little imposing. In reality I’m very shy (some might even say timid), have a pretty good sense of humour if I do say so myself, and i have a rather large collection of Jane Austen books/movies.
Apparently, I terrify bookstore managers..
If I am wearing black. :rolleyes:
Yeah, I am if I am not careful. I am a big man - 6’4" and stocky - with a big voice and an intense gaze. I value intellectual honesty and having your homework done, so if I ask a question I expect it to be taken seriously and answered thoughtfully. Without realizing what was going on, I have made people cry in work situations by asking questions related to meeting a hard deadline and not being satisfied with answers like “I don’t know” or “it can’t be done” when I had worked hard in advance with the person to ensure we wouldn’t end up there.
My kids also know the difference between normal Dad and when I use The Voice. They drop everything and immediately get in line.
So I have to be careful - its funny; my kids crawl all over me and love to hang out; and one of my nicknames is “The Cat Whisperer” because cats seek me out and I can pet cats no one else can come near…and, per an earlier post I saw in another thread, one of my favorite movies is the BBC Pride & Prejudice…
I’m about 6’3" - always surprised when folks tell me I look threatening/intimidating. I guess I should smile more.
I may be intimidating, but that would only because people think I’m slightly insane. I’m not really kidding, either.
Heh. I don’t think that’s a credible threat from a guy who wore button-down shirts every day in high school. Then again, clearly somebody did…
I should take this moment to mention my uncle. He’s one of the sweetest, gentlest men alive. Like all the menfolk in our family, he’s six three with dark hair and black eyes. Unlike most of us, he’s also wide and powerfully built, with a bristly black beard. All the man needs is an eyepatch. He told me once about how he’s learned to speak humbly and respectfully, to make himself appear smaller than he is, to keep interactions with insecure authority figures from spiraling totally out of control.
certainly not scary, but I can be intimidating. I think it’s a learned skill. It comes in handy sometimes. I’m pretty average sized, 6’, 186 lbs, and pretty normal looking. But that doesn’t matter sometimes.
Not physically, no. Animals like me, even wild ones. Birds have landed on me, squirrels come up to me, in fact one crawled up my pant leg one time, sniffed my hand in my pocket, then turned around, climbed down and went about his business. Dogs and cats like me. We have one cat who won’t let my wife pet her, but she’s my baby. She’ll climb on me and cuddle. I am always making people laugh, but I am not gregarious. I’m not grim, but I don’t do idle chat. My wife doesn’t think I’m scary.
At work, I think some people see my perfectionism and the ability to pull it off as intimidating. That I’m good, and quick, with a witty or scathing comment doesn’t help, either. I do not suffer fools gladly, and I have no patience for slackers or technophobes. Those are the two kinds of people I work with. In a fast-paced environment where technology is what we use to make what we do, there are people who do not know how to do all the functions of their jobs, cannot meet a deadline, cannot use the equipment beyond its most basic functions, and will not learn. I’m not a teacher, I’m a professional. My frustration with workplace techno-stupids is nearly palpable. That scares some people.
I am not really all that scary, I am not small, 220 # and hairy, have not shaved in a few years, but my wife says it really puts people off when I say the the doctor tells me if I stay on my meds there is very little chance I will kill again…
Yes I am. Regardless of my desire to be seen as a whimsical sprite I look more or less like a 6’3" Vic Mackie from the Shield.
