Line #7 Main/TheWorseningCurseMark


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9	[[quoteright:350:[[Manga/TheCaseStudyOfVanitas https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/blue_moon_mark.png]]]]
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11	A birthmark, scar, subcutaneous pigmentation, magical tattoo, or otherwise permanent/semi-permanent mark on a character that somehow ends up being significant to the plot ''by a change in it'' or something unusual that it does; it can't just be static. Disappearance of the mark, the stoppage of its unusual function, or a discovery that the mark was never real is part of this trope. Normal healing of a wound to a scar does not count; a wound that does not heal due to magic or poison may, as long is it does more than just not heal (i.e., bleeds excessively when the inflicter of the wound is near, etc.). Subtrope of DistinguishingMark. With examples, please include the noteworthy change in the mark.
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13	See also PowerTattoo for marks that grant their bearers some abilities, MarkedChange for ones that merely indicate the current status (like SuperMode), and TheCorruption / MarkOfTheBeast for EvilMakeover variety.
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15	----
16	!!Examples:
17	[[foldercontrol]]
18
19	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
20	* Oga from ''Manga/{{Beelzebub}}'' gets a red mark along his arm that shows his connection with Baby Beel. It is a plot point in early episodes that he must live a peaceful life to remove the mark and go back to his old life. [[StatusQuoIsGod It]] [[RunningGag doesn't]] [[BloodKnight take]].
21	* ''Manga/TheCaseStudyOfVanitas'': The titular Vanitas was marked by the Vampire of the Blue Moon, allowing him to use the vampire's cursed grimoire. The more he uses the power of the book, the mark on Vanitas' right forearm gradually spreads as a reminder that his very existence is being "rewritten" and that's obviously not a good thing.
22	* ''Manga/InuYasha'': Miroku's [[PowerOfTheVoid Wind]] [[PowerPalms Tunnel]] functions as such. Once a year, it will expand and grow more powerful until it breaches the confines of his palm and consumes him. It can also be damaged by outside sources like blades, which accelerates its growth even further.
23	* [[spoiler:Tomoe]] from ''Manga/KamisamaKiss'' has them appear all over his body thanks to a DealWithTheDevil.
24	* In ''Manga/MagicalRecordLyricalNanohaForce'', the Blue Wings "tattoo" appears somewhere on the body of a person infected with Eclipse and grows larger as the infection progresses.
25	* The Zombie Tattoo from ''Manga/{{MAR}}'' is a curse, or blessing as some see it, that slowly spreads over a victim's body. When it finishes spreading the victim becomes an immortal zombie. [[TheDragon Phantom]] was the first person to receive it and spread it to a few other people as gifts, including Alviss.
26	* ''Franchise/{{Naruto}}'':
27	** In ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'', Sasuke's Curse Seal acts as this immediately after being applied. When his will or chakra weaken enough, it spreads across his skin like a rash, causing additional weakness and pain. It is later upgraded to [[MarkOfTheBeast allow him to draw on its power without the side effects]].
28	** A far worse one appears in ''Manga/BorutoNarutoNextGenerations''. Members of the Otsutsuki clan have the ability to plant a seal called a Kama on a person's body that slowly converts the victim into a clone of that Otsutsuki member so that they can reincarnate into the victim's body if they are ever killed. Momoshiki cursed Boruto with one of these during his dying moments.
29	* In ''Manga/PandoraHearts'', people who make illegal contracts with [[EldritchAbomination Chains]] have the Incuse mark with a clock hand on their chests. The clock hand signifies twelve times a contractor can use their Chain's power, and rotates every time to indicate such. When the Incuse reaches its 12th rotation, the illegal contractor is immediately dragged down into the Abyss.
30	[[/folder]]
31
32	[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
33	* The burn-like curse left on Ashitaka's forearm by the corrupted boar god Nago in ''Anime/PrincessMononoke'' is what drives him to leave home and search for a cure before it spreads up his arm and kills him. As a [[CursedWithAwesome beneficial side effect]], it also grants him SuperStrength. At the climax of the movie, the spread accelerates until it's visibly crawling across his body, and even spreading onto his love interest, San.
34	[[/folder]]
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36	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
37	* Jack Sparrow's "Black Spot" in the ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanDeadMansChest''. It disappears and reappears as his debt to Jones is settled or still needs to be satisfied.
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40	[[folder:Literature]]
41	* ''Literature/OneHundredCupboards'' has the pockmarked burn scars on Henry's face caused by Nimiane's blood, which are slowly growing into a magical sinkhole. The second two books revolve around finding a way to defeat the witch before the scar consumes Henry completely.
42	* Fuses in ''Literature/TheCandyShopWar''. Unlike most engineered apprentices, who only have a single power, Fuses have a suite of abilities rivaling those of a true wizard. However, every time a Fuse uses their powers, the mark on their body grows to cover more of their skin. When it covers their entire body, they die.
43	* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'': Vimes' scar in ''Literature/{{Thud}}'', which he gets from tearing his hand open on a rusty nail and gets eerily inflamed whenever Vimes get angry over some injustice. The scar turns out [[spoiler:to be the entry point where the Summoning Dark came into his body, and after being burned by burning oil in the same location the scar turns into a picture of the Summoning Dark]].
44	* In ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'', a [[OurVampiresAreDifferent Red Court vampire]] doesn't fully turn the moment they're infected, but the first time they kill through feeding; they can even use some vampire powers and drink blood to heal and "recharge" without losing their human selves and becoming evil. The Fellowship of St. Giles, a group of these half-vampires, have tattoos that help control their bloodlust. By default, they're invisible, turn black when the half-vampire's using their enhanced abilities and getting hungry, and bright red when those urges are getting out of their control.
45	* ''Literature/ForgottenRealms'':
46	** In ''Literature/AzureBonds'', the eponymous pseudo-tattoo, among other functions, linked Alias to her bosses via their symbols, and there was a reason behind one empty place in their pattern. These vanished one by one when those masters were removed from the scene permanently, and later a mark of the goddess looking after Alias appeared. So when in the third book an old symbol returned...
47	** Artek "the Knife" Ar'talen in ''[[TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms Escape from Undermountain]]'' was given a magical tattoo after he was "[[RecruitingTheCriminal employed]]" via set-up escape by a noble. It mirrored the sun and moon position in the sky and was set to release a killing spell at the pre-set time -- as an incentive to complete his mission and return for removal before the [[{{Pun}} deadline]].
48	* Literature/HarryPotter:
49	** Harry's scar counts; not only is his scar an indication that he survived the Killing Curse but [[AcheyScars it twinges]] whenever Voldemort is feeling something particularly strong. The connection to Voldemort becomes stronger as the series continues. The final book's DistantEpilogue confirms that Voldemort's defeat stopped it hurting for good.
50	** In ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheHalfBloodPrince'', the curse that Voldemort placed on [[spoiler:his grandfather's ring takes the form of necrosis on Albus Dumbledore's hand. Destroying the fragment of Voldemort's soul within the ring still couldn't heal the curse's effects, which even Snape's potions and countercurses could contain for only a year at most before it killed Dumbledore.]]
51	* Coll of ''Literature/TheMapToEverywhere'' has a PowerTattoo that [[AnimatedTattoo shifts around his body]] and allows him to navigate the Pirate Stream...but apparently [[BlessedWithSuck comes with a curse]] meaning that if he stays in one place too long it'll creep around his neck and slowly strangle him to death, essentially forcing him to become a WanderingJew. [[spoiler:This starts to cause problems when the protagonists are trapped in [[PlaceBeyondTime Monerva]].]]
52	%%* The titular character's scar in Robin [=McKinley's=] book ''Literature/{{Sunshine}}''. After Sunshine defeats the vampire who gave it to her, it disappears completely.
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55	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
56	* In ''Series/TheInvisibleMan'', Darien has a tattoo on the inside of his wrist which gradually shifts from green to red as he gets closer to Quicksilver Madness.
57	* PlayedForComedy in ''Series/NewsRadio''. An impostor once performed an appendectomy on Max. When the imposter shows up at the station, Max proclaims the scar "knows he's near."
58	-->'''Max:''' The scar! I can still feel it throbbing!
59	* In ''Series/PowerRangersLightspeedRescue'', once Ryan the Titanium Ranger [[HeelFaceTurn joins the good guys]], Diabolico inflicts him with a snake tattoo; every time he morphs it'll climb up his back until it reaches his neck and kills him. Luckily, destroying the associated cobra monster removes the tattoo for good.
60	* In an episode of ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise'', Hoshi Sato is worried that the transporter altered her structural integrity on a molecular level. She cites a mole that moved an inch lower on her face after her transportation as proof. Oh, and she ends up being right.
61	* ''Franchise/SuperSentai''
62	** ''Series/GoseiSentaiDairanger'': Jin Matoba develops the ability to curse a person with a spider tattoo by punching them that causes the victim intense pain and slowly crawls up to their neck, at which point the victim dies. The curse is fueled by the victim's fear and so the spider moves faster the more fear the victim feels, and it can be broken by achieving a calm mind despite the pain.
63	** ''Series/HikoninSentaiAkibaranger'' has Hakase get cursed with a scorpion tattoo that crawls closer to her neck every time the Akibarangers transform, and if it reaches her neck it will cause her to lose her voice. [[spoiler: This plot thread gets aborted when the characters find out that they are actually characters in a TV show]]. The tattoo returns in the second season, but instead of taking her voice, it ends up doing something arguably much worse.
64	[[/folder]]
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66	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
67	* ''TabletopGame/YuGiOh'': The card [[https://yugioh.fandom.com/wiki/Dark_Snake_Syndrome Dark Snake Syndrome]] does worsening damage to both players each turn. The artwork shows a man being strangled to death by a snake tattoo that has covered much of his body.
68	[[/folder]]
69
70	[[folder:Video Games]]
71	* ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'': In the Trespasser DLC the [[spoiler: Anchor]] has become unstable and could potentially kill its wielder. It also apparently ''hurts''.
72	* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII'', a l'Cie's brand changes in appearance to indicate how much time he/she has to complete his/her [[MissionFromGod Focus]] before [[FateWorseThanDeath becoming a]] [[OurZombiesAreDifferent Cie'th]]. It gets arrows, and then a red eye, when the brand reaches the [[ThirteenIsUnlucky thirteenth]] stage and the eye is fully open the l'Cie becomes a Cie'th. Notably, emotional distress can accelerate the process, so much that the [[AllThereInTheManual datalog]] notes that somebody can become a Cie'th immediately upon branding due to panic/shock/horror about being made l'Cie. Fang's brand is white and blurry, indicating that [[spoiler:she's not on a timer. This happens to the brands on the rest of the cast at the end, and the brands disappear entirely after defeating the final boss]].
73	* ''VideoGame/HellbladeSenuasSacrifice'': Early in her journey, one of Senua's arms starts turning black. You're told that every death she suffers will cause the darkness to spread and will eventually kill her permanently if it reaches her head. [[spoiler:The game is lying to you; the game does not actually feature perma-death but threatens you with it to increase the tension. The game is indeed over once the darkness reaches her head, but that's because there's no more to play and you've finished it]].
74	* ''VideoGame/{{Ninja Gaiden 3\|2012}}'' (2012): At the end of the first mission, Ryu is cursed with the Grip of Murder, which forces him to endure all the pain of those killed by his Dragon Sword, and will eventually kill him. It initially manifests as a literal RedRightHand, but as the game progresses, it spreads until, by the final mission, it's covered his entire right arm, part of his face, and [[RedEyesTakeWarning one eye]].
75	* In ''VideoGame/OreshikaTaintedBloodlines'', your clan members grow snake-like cursed markings that crawl up their faces as they age. Once the marks reach the top of the face, that character drops dead.
76	* In ''VideoGame/PrinceOfPersiaTheTwoThrones'', the Prince gains yellow glowing marks on his arm where the Chainwhip is embedded in his arm and gains a Dark Prince persona. Over the course of the game, the corruption slowly spreads up his arm and into his shoulder.
77	* ''VideoGame/ShadowOfTheColossus'': As the game progresses, Wander gets more and more haggard in general, but it's [[spoiler:his veins starting to show up black]] that really points to something being ''badly'' wrong.
78	* In ''VideoGame/SonicAndTheSecretRings'', Sonic is scarred with an arrow of flame. It shrinks with his lifespan; the smaller the flame is, the less time he has to finish [[MacGuffinDeliveryService gathering MacGuffins]]. Right before the final boss, the camera has to zoom in for you to even ''see'' it. [[spoiler: When Shahra [[TakingtheBullet Takes The Bullet]], this thing gets subverted all the way to Jahannam; [[EleventhHourSuperpower Darkspine Sonic]] has his [[ComicBook/FantasticFour flame on]], and [[ExtremeMeleeRevenge he is]] '''''[[ExtremeMeleeRevenge not]]''''' [[ExtremeMeleeRevenge scared of using it]]. ]]
79	[[/folder]]
80
81	[[folder:Visual Novels]]
82	* The titular Mark from ''VisualNovel/SpiritHunterDeathMark'' is a bite-shaped tattoo that a VengefulGhost curses its prey with. Over the night it becomes red and starts draining the victim's memories and stamina so they would panic and become more "delicious" before the spirit attacks them in person. The protagonist Kazuo's Mark is unique, in that it syncs up with other Mark-bearers nearby, and instead of disappearing with a spirit's purification, it resets to stage 1. [[spoiler:The BigBad who created his Mark reveals they have control over its speed and places [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill six of them]] on him after they decide they've stalled enough.]]
83	[[/folder]]
84
85	[[folder:Web Animation]]
86	* In the ''WebAnimation/DingoDoodles'' "Fool's Gold" campaign the [[UpliftedAnimal Awakened monkey]] Sips had his right hand replaced with a cursed crocodile claw. When his magic goes wild there's a chance for the curse to spread further up his limb, turning more of his body into a monkey-crocodile hybrid and shifting his alignment towards Chaotic Evil. Worse yet, when his curse mark grows so does the chance of his magic going wild. Cutting off his right hand and replacing it with his original one restores him almost entirely back to normal, but the curse later reemerges because it is actually bound to his soul rather than the hand.
87	[[/folder]]
88
89	[[folder:Webcomics]]
90	* ''Webcomic/SleeplessDomain'': Every {{magical girl}} has a unique PowerTattoo called a sigil, which appears somewhere on her body when she first awakens her powers. When she {{transform\|ationSequence}}s into her magical girl form, [[MarkedChange the sigil glows]]; if a magical girl [[DePower burns out her power prematurely]], on the other hand, her sigil becomes a scar burned into her skin.
91	[[/folder]]
92
93	[[folder:Western Animation]]
94	%%* Used in the ''WesternAnimation/DanVs'' episode "[[Recap/DanVsS2E28DanVsTheMonsterUnderTheBed The Monster Under the Bed]]".
95	* Rayla's wrist binding from ''WesternAnimation/TheDragonPrince'' tightens gradually [[spoiler:the longer she goes without killing Prince Ezran]], cutting off circulation and causing her hand to turn slowly dark purple as a result. It's painful, it's a problem, and as it gets worse, it threatens to take off her hand entirely...
96	* When Moon Butterfly from ''WesternAnimation/StarVsTheForcesOfEvil'' used Eclipsa's destruction spell to blast off Toffee's finger and frighten away his armies, blackened veins appear on her arms, forcing her to wear gloves the rest of the time. This grows steadily worse over time, the process speeding up exponentially after [[spoiler:Moon is overcome with grief and anger when she thinks Star dies.]] Eclipsa's hand is also dyed black, possibly due to her extensive practice in the dark arts.
97	** When Moon ends up in the Realm of Magic she's able to wash it off in the liquid magic that's everywhere, but this just spreads TheCorruption to the source of magic itself, becoming a major problem when the protagonists revisit it later.
98	* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Trollhunters}}'', when Angor Rot captures Jim, he marks his face with a magical mark that appears on Angor's command. This gives Angor the power to take Jim's Sword of Daylight during battle, forcing Jim to use alternatives. He eventually overrides this by using a gemstone housed within Angor's disembodied right-eye.
99	* In Season 5 of ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'', BigBad Monarch [[DeliberateInjuryGambit deliberately eats an all-destroying Cataclysm]] from Cat Noir. Thanks to the protection of his own [[TransformationTrinket Miraculous]], Monarch doesn't immediately crumble to ash like anyone else would, but he is left with a massive and debilitating black mark on his arm. One that Ladybug can't fix with her WorldHealingWave thanks to Monarch making off with her Lucky Charm at the time. As the season progresses, the black mark slowly spreads across his arm and hand, effectively [[YourDaysAreNumbered numbering his days]].
100	[[/folder]]
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102	[[folder:Real Life]]
103	* Skin cancer. If one of your beauty marks turns color, gets bigger, or otherwise starts looking wonky, see an oncologist pronto!
104	* And, of course, if any sort of wound doesn't heal the way it's supposed to (i.e., scab over with minimal scarring), it's probably infected.
105	[[/folder]]

Context Main / TheWorseningCurseMark