Does adding an adjective to modify the word 'flawless' make sense? Here's the sentence: It reads ok to me, but I'm worried it might be in the same category as "very unique" (shudder).
You could split the sentence: Like many holocharacters, her appearance was flawless. Julian was unsure whether she was a recording of a real person or entirely computer generated. I don't think you need a modifier.
I think the "so flawless" makes sense in this context. Well, I might argue about whether a truly flawless person would actually appear flawless... it made me think that she was beautiful, tidy, unscarred, etc., but I think maybe you mean that the hologram was undetectable. But that's a larger issue than the "so flawless" part.
I'm not sure. 'So flawless' still kind of implies degrees of flawlessness, which like 'very unique' is an oxymoron. Your sentence reads fine - it doesn't make me immediately cringe - but if you want to be a stickler for precision it might be better to restructure as Steerpike suggested.
@izzybot Yes, it was the separating of the concept into degrees, when it is in fact binary, which made me uncomfortable. I am a bit of a stickler for things like this, but I'm trying to be a bit less formal. I think I need to consider @BayView's suggestions as it's made me ponder what I really mean. I picture the hologram as detectable as such due to the mechanism of its display, but I really meant that it has the abnormally perfect appearance of an ultra-airbrushed model or a highly realistic android. I don't think 'beautiful' is quite right here. I'll consider @Steerpike's suggestion to split the sentence up as this is unambiguous without a potentially annoying grammatical faux pas! Thanks everyone
I feel 'exquisite' has connotations of beauty or attractiveness, and that's not quite what I want to communicate. Thank you for the suggestion though