Line #27 NightmareFuel/Skylanders


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2	%%Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=16684058380.84813000
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5	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/skylanders2.png]]
6	[[caption-width-right:350:"Skylands is only the beginning. Once we're done with this place, we're going to conquer every single world in the universe."]]
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8	->''"Think I sound crazy? Perhaps. I was [[SealedEvilInACan locked in a jar for thousands of years]], but I can also prove this claim, and take you to a place known as [[EldritchLocation NIGHTMARE WORLD.]] Want to go?"''
9	--> -- '''Brain''', ''Skylanders: Imaginators''
10	* A witch tricked Ignitor into wearing a magical suit of armor that was said to resist fire from a dragon. When a dragon's fire rained down on him, Ignitor was instead transformed into a flame spirit who was forever bound to the suit of armor, which turned out to be cursed.
11	* Grave Clobber's backstory stated his brothers buried him in an underwater tomb while he was asleep.
12	** Another Grave Clobber one, for older audiences, it might not be, but it definitely would be for most kids: during The Golden Desert in Trap Team, you fight him. The first thing he says? "''I'M GOING TO BURY YOU.''"
13	* Shroomboom and his fellow sentient mushroom were born in a pizza topping garden owned by Kaos and were on the verge of becoming his dinner. An added story detail is included that although Shroomboom saved himself and his fellow mushroom brethren, it is believed a family of pineapple chunks weren't lucky.
14	* Roller Brawl's backstory, and it's a shockingly realistic scenario. She grew up as the youngest of six siblings, but ended up the target of the VillainousCrush of Kaos after becoming one of the toughest jammers in the Undead Roller Derby League. [[BigBrotherInstinct When her brothers]] [[MySisterIsOffLimits stepped in to protect her]] after she made it clear she wasn't interested, he had them kidnapped and taken prisoner, with Roller Brawl still trying to find them as a Skylander. Once the fantasy elements are removed, it's the story of a child celebrity who finds herself the target of an AbhorrentAdmirer, but when her siblings try to protect her from said admirer, they get kidnapped, never to be seen again.
15	** We do get to see them again, but it's not a pleasant experience. In the comics, it's eventually revealed that Kaos had [[EvilPuppeteer Mesmeralda]] create [[VoodooDoll voodoo puppets]] of her brothers, brainwashing them into his minions and turning them against her, with Kaos stating he sees this as payback for Roller Brawl rejecting him. Even with Kaos being LaughablyEvil, it's a reminder that he can be incredibly [[EvilIsPetty petty]].
16	* It seems like a lot of young kids find Ghost Roaster, with his sharp teeth, claws, and the ability to turn into a flaming skull while [[GigglingVillain cackling like a complete maniac]], pretty frightening. The fact that he's AmbiguouslyEvil doesn't help.
17	** For [[{{Pun}} bone-us]] points, he gets voiced by Creator/JohnKassir (aka [[Series/TalesFromTheCrypt the Cryptkeeper]] and [[VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance Monsoon]]) after ''Skylanders: Giants'', so older audiences may find themselves unsettled as well.
18	* One word: [[OhCrap MALEFOR]]. You thought you would be safe from him if you weren't playing ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfSpyro''? Well, no. As in that series, he's why Cynder is of the Undead element when he stole her as an egg to make her his apprentice until Spyro defeated and freed her. There's also an indication that he and Spyro have clashed several times before, but Spyro [[ForgottenFirstMeeting doesn't remember.]]
19	** When Malefor comes in during the comic series, he's just as monstrous as he was in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfSpyro'', coming off as a far darker KnightOfCerebus compared to the LaughablyEvil Kaos. After Hex defeated him, he needed to be [[WeCanRebuildHim rebuilt using steampunk armor]], and held a massive grudge against her alongside Cynder and Spyro. Tricking a fairy named Calliope into [[DealWithTheDevil serving him in exchange for his help in finding her missing family]], he tricks her into stealing the powers of those three Skylanders, and using them to power himself. Giving them a massive beating before imprisoning them, Calliope reveals that [[CruelMercy he spared them]] [[ForcedToWatch so he can make them watch him]] [[WatchingTroyBurn destroy what they care for using their powers]]. Afterwards, even when a small army of Skylanders try to fight him, he simply [[CurbStompBattle trounces them]] and absorbs their power. Had it not been for Calliope undergoing a FaustianRebellion to expose his weak point, [[NearVillainVictory he very well would have succeeded in his plans]].
20	* Eye Five and especially Eye Scream are pretty creepy, with both having EyesDoNotBelongThere.
21	** Eye Five's eyes are on his hands, much like the [[Film/PansLabyrinth Pale Man]].
22	** Eye Scream, however, is arguably worse, with her eye being inside her mouth and surrounded by fangs.
23	* The villain Dreamcatcher from ''Trap Team'', who's essentially Skylands' equivalent to [[Franchise/ANightmareonElmStreet Freddy Krueger]], but with a dash of [[VideoGame/Persona4 Tohru Adachi]]. She's a [[{{Sadist}} sadistic]] yet childish disembodied head with MoreTeethThanTheOsmondFamily from the [[DreamLand Realm of Dreams]], and with her powers, she can not only look into the dreams of others, but she can [[NightmareWeaver bring nightmares to life]], [[DreamStealer absorb dreams to power herself up]], and alter reality to create MindScrew levels. Creator/TaraPlatt does a great job highlighting her PsychopathicManchild[=/=]BrattyTeenageDaughter personality, and it shows, being a nasty PlayingAgainstType considering her usual roles of mature, serious women like [[VideoGame/Persona3 Mitsuru Kirijo]] or [[VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses Edelgard von Hresvelg]], and it doesn't help she's given a VoiceOfTheLegion that only makes her even more creepy. It gets much worse when you read her backstory, where she's stated to have driven entire villages into insanity ForTheEvulz even before being part of the Doom Raiders, and she's also one of the few to break the fourth wall and actually threaten the player. Just read what she says after you trap her, and you'll [[ParanoiaFuel not be sleeping soundly for some time]].
24	-->''"SO not cool, Portal Master. I don't know how you sleep at night... but [[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou I'll find out...]]"''
25	** Her [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_beN1cuP-LM theme]] in the soundtrack is also creepy, and it wouldn't be out of place of an actual horror movie. It begins with [[OminousMusicBoxTune a sinister music box]], discordant piano, and a DroneOfDread in the beginning. Once the music begins proper, it shifts to include cellos, light ringing bells, and the sound of [[OneWomanWail a woman's chorus]]. The final part includes a part not so out of place of a 50's alien flick, but with the cellos still blaring in the background.
26	* The Wilikin in ''Giants'' are eerie enough, but one of the houses in Facadeville seems to have a female Wilikin ghost running around through the air that you can't interact with other than standing under her to make her stop. On top of this, the furniture is floating off the ground and the music is replaced with a version that has childlike laughing in the background. The other Wilikin never mention the house.
27	** What doesn't help is the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXgkTfe46DM music in the 2D stage]]. With the Wilikin being lifeless dolls in this stage, the peppy [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7M2E8AMLZ8 3D theme]] is replaced with an OminousMusicBoxTune and ghostly howls. There's also constant wooden creaking and distorted xylophone music, which doesn't help matters in the slightest.
28	* This one is more likely to weaken with age as well but, Hood Sickle's redesign in ''Imaginators'' cranks up his [[TheGrimReaper Grim Reaper]]/executioner vibe. With a catchphrase of "AnyLastWords", he's way less friendly than any of the reformed villains. Which is fitting, as he was never actually evil, [[AllThereInTheManual according to his backstory]], but simply very, very committed to his job of being ominous and frightening. It's also worth noting that his new combat style revolves around summoning black holes and [[YourSoulIsMine consuming fragments of the souls of his slain foes]] to power up his attacks.
29	** Eon actually exploited this fact when he recruited Hood Sickle as a Sensei, as his Sentinel-class trainees are ''always'' perfectly attentive during his lessons, being absolutely terrified of their teacher.
30	** Hood Sickle's {{Leitmotif}} is also amongst the creepiest, seen [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVBUnq8FHvQ here]]. A dark, booming drum piece with ominous cellos and xylophones in the background alongside what sounds like a creaking door. It sounds more like the {{Leitmotif}} of the villain of a SlasherMovie.
31	* Near the end of ''Skylanders: Trap Team'', Kaos is empowered by The Ultimate Weapon's Stinkocity and Traptanium, becoming Traptanium Kaos, which allows him to ''[[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou see the Portal Master through the fourth-wall]]''. Throughout the final level, he taunts the player by insinuating that he's gaining control of them, using a device that makes the controller vibrate at the press of a button. He then planned to not only conquer Skylands, but to also pull the new Portal Master from their world and trap them in Traptanium. During his boss fight, Kaos actually makes an attempt to pull the player Portal Master from their world, but luckily only manages to pull their personal belongings into Skylands instead. His appearance also becomes rather creepy, with him first having a rocky appearance with his bottom half resembling that of a Trap, but he soon develops [[{{BFS}} massive]] [[BladeBelowTheShoulder Traptanium Blades]] and large black bird wings, causing him to look incredibly demonic or like a FallenAngel. As one LetsPlay noted ([[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0JaoQ9iXzY_KbiLqwNqoxZrvF-PPORDW here]]), he gains a resemblance to a [[Characters/FinalFantasyVIISephiroth certain one-winged angel]] with these traits.
32	* Superchargers gives us Kaos' latest creation, the ''[[DoomsdayDevice Sky Eater]]'' (or, if you find the name too scary, the ''[[DoomyDoomsOfDoom Doomstation of Ultimate Doomstruction]]''), which is designed to do '''[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin EXACTLY what the]] [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt name implies,]]''' tearing open rifts as it proceeds to destroy Skylands, as well as disable Skylands' portal network so that Skylanders '''''CANNOT USE PORTALS AS MEANS OF TRANSPORT.''''' Now [[OhCrap remember what you use to bring your Skylanders to Skylands?]] Oh, and the magic the Sky Eater consumes? That's used to empower [[GreaterScopeVillain the Darkness]] '''AND A HYDRA HATCHLING.''' Yes, apparently the Hydra from ''Spyro's Adventure'' had a BABY. There's a reason Eon assembled the Superchargers in the first place: the Rift Engines, an alternate means of portal transport, are not connected to the main portal network, so the Skylanders simply switched to those until the portal network got back up.
33	* How about [[GreaterScopeVillain The Darkness]] in general in ''Superchargers''?
34	** While in the first game it was more of a mindless force of evil giving its power to Kaos, it eventually reveals ItCanThink, and proves why it calls the shots. After the Sky Eater absorbs enough magic, it's able to develop the ability to speak (with Creator/IkeAmadi giving him a [[EvilSoundsDeep deep, sultry, and almost seductive baritone voice]]), and uses his new skill to become a FauxAffablyEvil ManipulativeBastard, using Kaos as his puppet.
35	** Over the course of the game, as it absorbs more of the magic of Skylands, the Darkness starts becoming [[BishonenLine more and more humanoid]], starting as a pulsating blackish/purple cloud, before turning into a pair of evil-looking eyes, and later forming into a [[HornsOfVillainy horned]] face with a BeardOfEvil.
36	** Even in flashbacks in the Spell Punk Library, it is terrifying.
37	*** [[NiceJobBreakingItHero Brought into the world when the Ancients used a Rift Engine that led to its realm (later dubbed the Dark Rift Engine)]], it laid in wait during the age of the Portal Masters, and while the Skylanders of the time tried to stop the Spell Punks from reawakening it, they failed, and the Darkness reemerged, leading to all of Skylands quaking and being swept in a wave of fear as a shadow loomed over the Spell Punk Keep. It then gave out a terrifying BadassBoast, narrated by Master Eon. While this happens, the player's controller is rumbling, as if [[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou the Darkness is going to come out of the screen and envelop the player]], becoming stronger as it speaks.
38	--->''"Behold Skylands! [[HesBack I HAVE RETURNED]]! [[CharacterCatchphrase All shall fear and obey me!]] [[PunctuatedForEmphasis I! AM! THE DARKNESS!!!]]"''
39	*** The Air Level, detailing the work of the [[AcePilot First Light Squadron]], states that the growing power of the Darkness led to its forces controlling the sky and that said squad was merely trying to hold them back for the civilians to escape.
40	*** [[DarkestHour The next book details that The Darkness essentially held all of Skylands in its grip, and it felt like there was no hope to defeat it]]. The skies in the background are a [[RedSkyTakeWarning hellish red]], and all the trees are almost dead. Once it found out about the Core of Light, the Darkness worked to stop them, "[shattering] mountains and bridges with casual disdain", its rage "earth-shaking and all-consuming".
41	*** While the Sea Level is a bit more comedic with the Superchargers retrieving all the food in Skylands, it brings back the Hydra from the first game, the same creature that destroyed the Core of Light.
42	*** However, the final level in the story is much more dramatic, as the Skylanders work to push the Darkness towards the Core of Light, and it does not go quietly, firing lasers, laying down spiky vines, and even unleashing shadowy tendrils at opponents.
43	** Feeding into Kaos' delusions of grandeur, he pushes Kaos to do a KickTheMoralityPet moment in firing Glumshanks and actually manages to destroy the Core of Light, the one thing that could destroy him. And since he disregards Glumshanks' concerns that eating all the sky in Skylands means [[OmnicidalManiac destroying it]], he shows himself as [[EvilerThanThou more megalomaniacal]] than Kaos, fully crossing the MoralEventHorizon.
44	** Once Kaos starts hesitating in destroying Skylands, though, he is entirely willing to outright threaten him (with a VoiceOfTheLegion to boot) and take away his powers. His words afterwards just ooze with malice, as he gives Kaos a SadisticChoice[=/=]DealWithTheDevil. Afterwards, he continues to have no issue with destroying all of Skylands, outright laughing at its imminent doom and making it clear to Kaos that ''he'' is in charge, not the Dark Portal Master when he calls it "the glorious reign of the Darkness".
45	-->''"You can rule the universe [[PuppetKing in my name]], or you can spend the rest of eternity. [[PunctuatedForEmphasis Just. Being. You.]]"''
46	** Even after Kaos is defeated using his power, The Darkness is able to prevent Flynn, Cali, and Glumshanks from activating the Dark Rift Engine to send him back to his home dimension. Taunting them with how resilient they were, it almost seems like [[TheBadGuyWins he'll win by absorbing all the magic in Skylands]], had Kaos not decided to betray him and turn on the Dark Rift Engine. Even then, he proceeds to do a VictoryFakeout by trying to break out of the portal created by the Dark Rift Engine, and uses the remains of the destroyed Sky Eater to forge demonic-looking armor, complete with [[HornsOfVillainy horns]], [[AbsurdlySharpClaws wicked looking claws]], and [[RedEyesTakeWarning glowing red eyes]], with the "lenses" of his helmet resembling the pupils of a [[GruesomeGoat goat]], being horizontal slits. With all this (plus the fact his emblem is six triangles, as in [[NumberOfTheBeast 666]]), it becomes obvious that the Darkness is the [[SatanicArchetype series' equivalent of Satan]].
47	*** Design-wise, his designs invoke two of [[Creator/{{Nintendo}} Nintendo's]] most sinister villains: [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild Calamity Ganon]] in his OneWingedAngel form (a crimson/purple being of evil fused with {{Magitek}}) and [[VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate Dharkon]] in his original design as seen in the Spell Punk Library (similar color scheme, DarkIsEvil motif, spiky tendrils, and lasers).
48	* The Land of the Undead is pretty horrifying and certainly lives up to the spooky nature of its element. Catacombs of spiders, unnerving mazes, grotesque monsters that shamble or rattle and what being down there too long and/or too deep can do to you. As Hex's backstory informs us, she went too deep and was transformed into the Undead element completely unwillingly.
49	** ''[[Literature/SkylandersTheMaskOfPower Cynder Confronts the Weather Wizard]]'' reveals to us that the removal of all of Hex's Undead energy would revert her back into her pre-Undead self. This means that being in the Land of the Undead essentially corrupts you with its element, either suppressing, replacing or overtaking your natural energy and element until you're turned into one of them as a slow-acting FisherKingdom of dubious morality. You lose a part of yourself if you remain there for too long or go down too deep.

Context NightmareFuel / Skylanders