lately i thought animal skulls are pretty badass and seen a couple of skeletor-like anthros where they don't have flesh on their faces so here's my take on DJ as such.

imagine it as an older version of DJ, around 30 years old when she's done growing cause archosaurs take a lot to mature and have very long life spans [skull version is taller than the one you can find in the normal ref here: << https://www.furaffinity.net/view/32452980/ >> ].



~ ~ if you wanna read more ideas i had about this undead form ~ ~

>> Deniza died by [REDACTED] and was subject to an experimental revival procedure by the god of death Mictlantecohot. The god was working on perfecting a way to enhance iika [life force, somewhat like souls] so they can live by themselves despite lacking a brain, quite challenging with how iika work on Roe as they'd normally go unconscious and slowly decay once the body is terminated.

>> Skull face DJ lacks a brain and doesn't need one, most senses and bodily functions are taken care of by an enhanced demon iik.

>> Rather than require food and sleep DJ now is a life-leech. Surrounding living creatures [plants and fungi included] are slowly drained of their own iik to replenish her own; however this isn't fatal immediately, it just makes people feel lethargic and tired more often and eventually die sooner than they normally would.

>> Skull-face can move her jaw bone but normally speaks with her mouth closed. She lacks the mouth muscles for normal speech so her communication is done through a heart to hearts broadcast over an area. This tends to make people feel uneasy upon first contact.

>> Hearing inanimate objects happens as normal but things change when other sentient creatures are involved. If you want to talk to her you have to speak "with intent" because by a decree of the gods or some magical firewall your thoughts are yours alone unless you want to share.
This consent is given by opening your mouth and actually uttering the words while wishing to address DJ. This means that it's possible to talk with someone in the same room as DJ without her understanding what you're saying cause you only wanted the other person to hear and not DJ.
[I didn't want her to have outright telepathy so have this mystical alternative; i believe an important difference between tech and magic is that magic treats individuals as inherently special whereas as far as science is concerned they're just atoms like everything else]

>> On a plus side, the above mentioned method of communication has limitless range. Think of it similar to a prayer, all you have to do is address a spirit to get its attention.

>> DJ lost the water cynetic powers as the "good" gods [the Xiatli] aren't happy to sharing their power with an "evil impure" spirit of the underworld.