|
Main Humanoid Abomination Discussion
Okay, I'd like to talk about Padan Fain/Mordeth/Ordeith/Jeraal Mordeth/Shaisam from The Wheel Of Time, who just got deleted, as I still think he belongs here (and that there's no other trope that adequately sums up his unique and horrifying nature). Here's the rundown- Fain (or at least the version of Fain who appears in most of the series) is essentially a hybrid of four entities- the original human Padan Fain, Mordeth (a deeply malevolent ghost who tried to possess Fain), the Dark One's Hound (an entity impressed into Fain by the Dark One to give him both the power and the compulsion to hunt down Rand anywhere in the world) and the nameless dark power that had corrupted Mordeth and through him caused the destruction of the city of Aridhol and filled it with the killer fog called Mashadar.
Exactly which of these forces is most dominant in Fain varies across the series (though he's a big ball of Ax Crazy under the best of circumstances) but the unknown dark power gradually establishes itself as the most significant and Fain becomes less and less human as a result. He has powers that cannot be at all explained by the main magic system of the series (particularly over time and death), he spreads corruption in his wake wherever he goes (sometimes by being a Manipulative Bastard, mostly because merely being in his presence can make you more evil), and perhaps most telling of all, per Word Of God he exists at least partially outside the Pattern (the Pattern, for those unfamiliar with the series, is basically fantasy-speak for the space-time continuum. Fain isn't part of it. The only other things in-universe that aren't part of the Pattern are gods). Oh, and he's explicitly worse than the Myrddraal, who remain on the list, and got much worse himself after that call was made.
By the last book he's no longer remotely human, though still attached to his human body; he appears to have been totally subsumed by the nameless dark power and now calls himself Shaisam, is continually surrounded by a halo of killer fog that causes anyone in the vicinity to drop dead and rise as zombies under his control, and he plans to eat The Chosen One's soul, shuck off his mortal body, and take over from the God Of Evil. When he's killed, his mortal remains melt into black goo (and it's pretty heavily implied that the only reason he was killable at all was because the killer had been previously possessed by the unknown dark power and been freed from it, granting him apparent immunity to its effects).
That's Fain. He's a supernatural horror who violates the setting's usual rules, wrapped in human flesh (and just barely that, by the end). I think he fits. Anyone contest this?
We're having a problem with Trope Decay here and really need a clean-up.
Most people seem to think a Humanoid Abomination is simply a really powerful supernatural being that does bad things. I think the problem is most Tropers are not familiar with the Cosmic Horror genre and the tropes that go along with it.
I think it would be very helpful if we had a clear checklist, like the one on the Cosmic Horror Story page. I propose that a supernatural character should fit at least three of the following criteria:
- Is the character's humanoid form merely a disguise or covering for something more along the line of an Eldritch Abomination? Would seeing this true form drive a human mad? Is it too alien to comprehend?
- Do they have other madness-inducing properties?
- Are the character's motives or behavior incomprehensible by any conceivable moral code? Are they somehow Above Good And Evil? Or conversely, if they are evil, is it more incidental than deliberate? (Meaning, is their goal something so far beyond us that harm to humans is a negligible side effect?)
- Origins: Did they originate in some sort of Eldritch Location, such as another dimension or a rip in reality? Are they the offspring of, or otherwise created by, an Eldritch Abomination? Or are their origins unknown (due to Time Abyss, their alien nature, etc.)?
- Are they a subject of, or connected to, a Cult or Religion Of Evil?
- Do they use a Lovecraftian Superpower rather than conventional magic or typical superhero powers?
- Do they defy the fundamental laws of nature or magic?
- If they are a villain, is the tone of the work deeply pessimistic about the possibility of them being defeated completely?
Would Animegao Kigurumi count? One can't help but see them as this. Many cosplayers fear them and shiver at their appearance, Whereas other just see them as, "Not Right, or "Plain Wrong."
If Eldritch Abomination has No Real Life Examples Please, shouldn't this also?
do you think its possible that part of the disturbing element of this trope is the horrible things humans have done and that this monstrosity may be some manifestation (metaphorical or otherwise) of the darker parts of our history, or am i looking to deeply into this?
For Real Life, I think Sociopaths and Malignant Narcissists count. They are always incredibly destructive to the psyches and sometimes body of anyone they can get away with abusing and generally devastate multiple; they are capable of literally any crime, no matter how heinous or unimaginably barbaric; they are incapable of feeling or understanding empathy or love; they are incapable of remorse or even understanding that their actions have consequences; they can dish out a mundane form of Mind Rape; they are more fundamentally different from every real human being than many animals because at least those animals care for their young and for other members of their herd/pack/social grouping; some psychologists even propose that the psychos account for most the evil in the world; barring nigh unheard of cases, they never ever get better; and in order to metaphorically fit the "Humanoid" part, most of them superficially charming, charismatic and glib.
Also, if we still had Troper Tales, this troper at one point got a very personal look inside the mind of a malignant narcissist. Now I understand an inkling of what a victim of an Eldritch Abomination goes through.
Wrong. On nearly every count. Sociopathy and malignant narcissism are not just fancy psychology words for evilness, except in Hollywood Psychology.
Let's pretend for a moment that lack of empathy and remorse is the only distinguishing factor between you and a 'sociopath' - no longer used as a clinical term largely because of the abuse of its meaning. (It isn't even consistently true of all such patients with the equivalent disorders
.) Such people are lacking critical components of an healthy mind. This deficiency prevents them from understanding the damage they are doing to other people because they are unable to project themselves into their victim's head.
You, on the other hand, as a person not lacking this faculty, are capable of getting into a sociopath's head, stepping into their shoes, feeling for a moment as they feel. Instead, you rank them as equivalent to unnatural nightmares from realms beyond human imagination. You have the ability to empathise with them, and you have chosen not to use it.
.) Such people are lacking critical components of an healthy mind. This deficiency prevents them from understanding the damage they are doing to other people because they are unable to project themselves into their victim's head.
You, on the other hand, as a person not lacking this faculty, are capable of getting into a sociopath's head, stepping into their shoes, feeling for a moment as they feel. Instead, you rank them as equivalent to unnatural nightmares from realms beyond human imagination. You have the ability to empathise with them, and you have chosen not to use it.
"Compare Bishonen Line, where the monster's most powerful form is humanoid"
That trope is about most powerful monster form being most human-like.
And humanoid does not mean most human like .