History Main / BrownNoteBeing

** People with souls are this to the soulless victims of the atmanach. Due to how the soul interacts with free will, any decision made by an ensouled person (for example, trying to help the person who just got attacked by an alien horror and asking if they're okay) becomes unbearable for a soulless person to witness, which rapidly escalates to violence to try and get them to ''stop doing that.''

** People with souls are this to the soulless victims of the atmanach. Due to how the soul interacts with free will, any decision made by an ensouled person (for example, trying to help the person who just attacked by an alien horror and asking if they're okay) becomes unbearable for a soulless person to witness, which rapidly escalates to violence to try and get them to ''stop doing that.''

* ''Literature/{{Exordia}}'': The khai species is afflicted with the Cultratic Brand, a metaphysical mark that triggers instinctive horror, revulsion, and/or violence in anyone who sees them -- the knowledge that what they're looking at is utterly, unimaginably evil. It has nothing to do with their actual morality; good or bad, the very fabric of the universe rebels at their existence, encourages others to fear and attack them, and condemns even the saintliest of khai to hell when they die. Consequently, this has led to most of them embracing a ThenLetMeBeEvil mentality, and by the time of the book they dominate the galaxy as Exordia, an empire of unsurpassed power and cruelty.

* The very first threat the main characters encounter in ''Literature/OthersidePicnic'' is the kunekune, [[https://www.kowabana.net/2017/12/10/kunekune/ a creature from several net-based horror stories]] that will cause madness in anyone who looks directly at it. The thing is, the only way to defeat the kunekune involves "recognizing" it, meaning Sorawo ''has'' to stare at it directly for an extended period of time. She's able to survive because she has Toriko with her, but Sorawo comes close to losing her mind, sputtering gibberish as [[spoiler: a fungus-like "foreign body" starts growing out of her face.]]

* ''ComicBook/XMen'':
** Before Rogue learned how to control her power, touching her skin would cause loss of memories, life, or decreased mutant powers. A non-mutant boy named Cody was put in a permanent coma after their first kiss.
** In one issue of ''ComicBook/UltimateXMen'', a boy wakes up with an uncontrollable mutant ability to vaporize all organic life that comes near him. He accidentally kills his family, his girlfriend, and hundreds of other people before he realizes he's the cause of the disaster and holes himself up in a cave. Wolverine (whose HealingFactor can counteract the effects) is [[ShootTheDog forced to kill him]], and the X-Men cover up the whole incident as some kind of chemical leak because of how the government might react to the knowledge that a mutant could do that without even trying.
* ''ComicBook/DoomPatrol'': Mr. Nobody is a variation on this trope: he doesn't directly induce madness or death in people, but his completely abstract nature has such an effect that even when looking straight at Nobody one can only ever vaguely see him out the periphery of one's vision.
* ''ComicBook/JudgeDredd'': Judge Fear has a rather esoteric method of killing compared to his more straightforward brethren. Namely, removing the visor of his helmet and forcing people to stare at his face, which induces immediate death in any normal human. It's never shown what it contains, but it's implied to be something like a nightmare. Unfortunately for him, Judge Dredd is not a normal human, and while momentarily stunned immediately recovers and proceeds to punch his fist right through Fear's head.
* ''ComicBook/DesolationJones'': Emily Crowe was intended to be the ultimate HoneyTrap: her pheromones were artificially enhanced to overpower her targets with lust. However, it backfired; people instead feel overwhelming fear, hatred, and revulsion in her presence. The title character is the only person who can get close to her, as he doesn't feel any sort of fear or pain.
* ''ComicBook/TalesToAstonish:'' Whoever looks at the Creature from Kosmos dies instantly, as happens to Vernon Van Dyne. Makes tracking it down something of a problem for Ant-Man and the Wasp.
* "ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}": Dr. Manhattan's presence causes people who have been exposed to him, enemies and allies alike, to develop cancer, but because the cancer takes years to advance, nobody realized the connection for a long time. [[spoiler: In a subversion, it turns Ozymandias had actually given those people cancer on purpose to ruin Dr. Manhattan's reputation and force him into self-exile so that he wouldn't be able to stop an elaborate scheme that took Ozymandias a decade to lay the groundwork for.]]

* [[{{Tulpa}} Entities that manifest under shared belief]] from ''ComicBook/TheDepartmentOfTruth'' instill an inherent sense of fear, dread and curiosity whenever a person sees them since they are these ideas made manifest, made only more and more real when encountered.
* Anyone who sees ''DC'' villain Johnny Sorrow's face is stricken dead by it, even powerful beings like Amazons and Kryptonians are vulnerable. Except for ComicBook/HarleyQuinn, who just says that he's "kinda cute" and that "[[InsanityImmunity once you've looked into one abyss you've seen 'em all]]."

* Ash Ponies in [[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/58529/the-ash The Ash]] don't just look ugly and disease ridden to normal ponies, it takes considerable effort to even look at them without feeling fear and disgust. Rarity is nearly DrivenToMadness after trying to make a dress inspired by their appearance because the part of her brain responsible for dress ideas won't let her forget an idea until she can complete at least one dress based on it, forcing her to think about how they look all the time.
* ''[[Fanfic/StarWarsParanormalitiesTrilogy Star Wars: Paranormalities]]'': Two particular Archfiends are so dangerous from just their presence alone that the Forceless Collective had to take special precautions with their possession:

** Xixixix is a being whose power not only drove a planet insane from their presence alone, [[AlmightyIdiot they have driven themself insane too]]. Short-term exposure can result in hallucinations, while long-term exposure from being on the same planet as them can turn beings incredibly eccentric at best. Unusually, Xixixix is the only Archfiend stated to have been severed from the Forceless hive mind and abandoned to avoid driving the rest of the Collective insane, making them more of a feral bio-weapon than a feared general like the other Archfiends.
* ''FanFic/TriptychContinuum:'' The sight of ''Her'' cutie mark (or more specifically the fact that it ''moves'') causes overpowering horror and confusion in normal ponies. Chaos children have the opposite effect, finding it beautiful, while non-ponies simply see a moving picture, with no supernatural effects either way.

* The anime anthology ''Anime/{{Memories}}'' features one short titled ''Stink Bomb'', wherein a man unwittingly turns himself into [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin precisely that]] -- every living creature that gets near him, due to the gas his body is emitting, promptly dies while mechanical and electrical devices are somehow shorted out by it and stop functioning. It's played for BlackComedy, as he's too oblivious to understand what's going on and why everyone is trying to stop him.

* ''Film/Constantine2005'': When John Constantine tries to exorcise a demon from a little girl he tells his helpers not to look. One of the helpers does and his [[LockedIntoStrangeness hair instantly turns white]], apparently due to the sight of the demons.
* ''Film/DoctorStrange2016'': After conducting the forbidden ritual, the skin around the eyes of Kaecilius and his followers dies, dries up and flakes away, leaving shiny, purple, very sore-looking flesh underneath, because they were exposed to what it summoned, [[spoiler: Dormammu, ruler of the Dark Dimension, DimensionLord and EldritchAbomination]].

* {{Inverted|Trope}} in ''Film/TheTingler'', where the titular parasite -- which feeds on fear -- is hurt by the sound of a human scream. The tingler also has a weird way of playing this straight on its human hosts, because if they get scared enough and [[AndIMustScream are unable to scream]], the creature can grow too big for the host and [[BodyHorror violently escape]].

* [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed]] in ''Literature/TheBluestEye'', as it's a work of realistic fiction. Main character Pecola Breedlove, a downtrodden child and BrokenBird to the extreme, is described as having some intangible quality that makes everyone who sees her become uncomfortable or downright spiteful. It's never made clear why, but there's something ''off'' about Pecola that inspires cruelty in others. It's so bad that she spends most of her free time with are a trio of local prostitutes, as they're the only people in town who treat her with even a modicum of kindness (and even that is described as "not despising her" as opposed to actually liking her).

* Generally, saints in ''Literature/TheDivineComedy'' only become dangerously beautiful in the higher spheres of Heavan, but even on Earth, Beatrice is so beautiful that she temporarily blinds Dante and nearly kills him just by being visible. He later compares her growing radiance in Heaven to what [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Jupiter must've looked like when Semele was killed at the sight of him]].
* The Creature from ''Literature/{{Frankenstein}}'' is this as his appearance can cause seizures merely by looking at him.

* Creator/StephenKing makes repeated use of this concept in his stories.
** ''Literature/FromABuick8'' has a portal to another universe populated with alien lifeforms. Exposure to one of these lifeforms caused permanent psychological damage to members of the Pennsylvania State Police. A character name Eddie described rage at ''the horror of trespass'', and a blind need to kill the alien creature. Character memories of the encounter felt real in a dream-like way and traumatic. [[spoiler:Ironically enough the trope is inverted as well; the same alien lifeforms view ''humans'' as confusing, horrible beings and the most we ever get into the mindset of one is to wonder why these incomprehensible beings are beating it to death.]]
** In ''Literature/NeedfulThings'', the shop owner Leland Gaunt isn't human. While he lives in the town, people are more easily induced to homicidal rage or suicide. This effect ends after he leaves.
** The short story collection ''Literature/SkeletonCrew'' includes, in "The Man Who Would Not Shake Hands", a man whose touch causes death due to a curse.
** In ''Literature/{{It}}'', various characters have their sanity completely destroyed by getting a look at the titular creature with all its glamours set aside.

* The Nazgûl in ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' cause fear in other creatures by proximity; to the point that their horses have to be trained almost from birth to be able to put up with them. Some other quality about them (it's ''called'' the "Black Breath" but they're invincible living ghosts who don't need to breathe) causes deep lethargy that eventually leads to death. Harming them with weapons other than a flaming torch causes weapons to instantly corrode away, and the wielder to take a concentrated dose of "Black Breath."
* For the most part downplayed in the original Franchise/CthulhuMythos stories by Creator/HPLovecraft. While many characters do tend to go mad eventually, it rarely happens just from seeing the various Eldritch Abominations (including the titular Cthulhu himself) or just from reading the [[TomeOfEldritchLore Necronomicon]]. More often than not, it happens as a result of someone reading about all of the freaky stuff in the book, then seeing just one small thing that backs up what it says, and realizing that that probably means that [[FridgeHorror everything else written there is probably true as well]]. One definite example of this trope, though, is Ghatanothoa, one glimpse of which (or even an image or accurate sculpture/painting) will cause anyone to instantly mummify, being frozen externally but still able to [[AndIMustScream see, hear, and think]] while in this stasis, for eternity if not killed or cured by magic.

* A downplayed example in the Literature/SilverJohn short story "The Desrick on Yandro", when John glimpses a number of FearsomeCrittersOfAmericanFolklore, including the behinder, a creature so-called because it is always right behind you, and he is, therefore, the first person to ever get a good look at it (it was concentrating on being behind someone else at the time). Although consistently shown to be a very brave man, John is extremely shaken by the encounter, and declines to describe the thing's appearance.

* One novel in the Franchise/StarTrekExpandedUniverse, ''Literature/TheThreeMinuteUniverse'', features the Vinithi, who have the dubious distinction of being a brown note to ''all five human senses''. They look like hideous translucent corpses stuffed full of writhing maggots, their body temperature is high enough to cause third-degree burns, their speech is loud and piercing enough to pop your eardrums, and their body odor triggers projectile vomiting. It's frankly an astonishing feat that the author manages to successfully cast them as TheWoobie of the story.
* ''Literature/TheStrangeCaseOfDrJekyllAndMrHyde'': Witnesses describe Hyde as seeming indefinably hideous: there is no specific flaw or deformity to point to but his appearance is still somehow repulsive. [[spoiler: Jekyll theorizes that this is due to Hyde's MadeOfEvil status]].

* In Jess E. Owen's {{Xenofiction}} fantasy series ''Literature/TheSummerKingChronicles'', the presence of a wyrm[[note]]Western dragon[[/note]] drives any [[TalkingAnimal Named creature]] to mindless terror.
* In ''Literature/{{Worm}}'', [[TheDreaded the Simurgh]] has a psychic aura that causes insanity in anyone that is exposed to it for too long. It's victims first experience it as a high pitched note similar to a post-explosion ringing in the ears, but over time the single note starts to gain some variation, and will eventually form words. It is shown to affect animals too, as one unlucky person caught in the aura finds a pet cockatoo that is slowly and methodically banging its head against the cage to the point that its cracking its own skull. Oh, and the really bad news? The insanity aura is only a side-effect of what the Simurgh is actually doing; using its immensely powerful precognitive abilities to model possible futures for everyone in its range, analyse which of them are capable of doing immense damage to the world at some point in the future, and set them on the course to do it without them even knowing and without necessarily driving them mad.
** [[Literature/{{Ward}} The sequel series]] introduces us to [[EvilMatriarch Mama Mathers]], whose power allows her to inflict hallucinations in whatever sense you perceive her by (see her and she can make you see illusions, hear her voice and she can make you hear things etc.) with the effects growing more powerful the more exposure you have to her. While she can consciously affect the type and severity of hallucinations she gives you (her most severe ones causing you to collapse on the floor screaming) the effect that lets her infect your mind is constantly active whether she's aware of you or not. This even carries over to parahuman senses (scriers who "see" her get a PokeInTheThirdEye and precogs who try to anticipate her then find her appearing in and corrupting any other visions of the future they get).

* In ''Series/AmericanHorrorStoryCoven'', [[spoiler: Zoe Benson]] has no control over her TouchOfDeath ability, which seems to activate on its own immediately after sexual intercourse. The effects seemed to be intense internal hemorrhage all throughout the body, causing blood to escape from the eyes, mouth, ears, nose, and possibly other places.

** In the original series episode "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS14E5TheRobotsOfDeath The Robots of Death]]", robophobia is defined as an intense fear of robots caused by their lack of human facial expression or body language; those afflicted find robots to [[UncannyValley be like the walking dead]].

* ''Series/TheMunsters'': [[FrankensteinsMonster Herman Munster]] is so hideous that most people flee in panic at the merest sight of him. To a lesser extent, this is true of the rest of his family (except [[TheTeamNormal Marilyn).]] Mercifully, none of the Munsters [[SelectiveObliviousness ever seem to recognize that this is happening,]] and go about their lives as if nothing were wrong (except poor Marilyn, who assumes it's ''her fault).''

* Literature/TheBible: During [[Literature/BookOfExodus Exodus]], Moses asks to see God, but God said that it would kill him, although God did arrange for Moses to view His back. Viewing angels would likewise cause prophets or apostles to fall down in trembling fear. HolyIsNotSafe.

** [[OurSirensAreDifferent The voices of the sirens enthrall listeners and lead them to their doom.]]
* BasiliskAndCockatrice: Glimpsing these creatures can kill you or turn you to stone.
* Malawian folklore gives us the Nguluka, a flying snake that looks like a Guinea fowl. Anybody who sees it dies.
* Japanese legend tells about the [[http://www.scaryforkids.com/kunekune/ kunekune]], which will drive you insane if you get a good look at it.

*** Desmond LaRouche was cursed into becoming half a flesh golem. Those seeing his face must do a fear check to see whether they fall into terror.

*** Necron Pariahs have a similar effect, inspiring horror and dread in living beings. Oddly, there is [[Literature/CiaphasCain one case]] of a blank causing a similar effect in Pariahs themselves.

* ''TabletopGame/WorldOfDarkness'':

** ''TabletopGame/MageTheAwakening'' Any being from this game setting's Abyss is an EldritchAbomination which warps sanity and reality around it, but not in a good way.

* ''Franchise/StarWars'':

[[folder:Web Comics]]
* In ''WebComic/AxeCop'', the Songster uses a song to create the ultimate monster: a mouse that sends you to Mars when you look at it. Then, of course, you blow up like in ''Film/TotalRecall1990''.
* ''Webcomic/{{Freefall}}'' Sam Starfall wears an opaque environment suit and an animatronic face mask because his true appearance has a tendency to prompt humans to either vomit or gouge their own eyes out. He's suggested to resemble an octopus or squid wrapped around an artificial skeleton and one comic reveals that he has chromatophores that produce optical illusions that make him look like he's fourth-dimensional or worse (he has a certificate saying he's a strictly three-dimensional being, and has needed it before).

[[folder:Web Original]]

** [[https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-053 SCP-053 ("The Young Girl")]] is a three-year-old girl with a perfectly ordinary appearance and personality. Yet for some reason, any human being over the age of three who spends longer than ten minutes in 053's presence becomes overwhelmed with UnstoppableRage and immediately tries to kill her in the goriest and most violent way possible, to the point of murdering anyone else in the room with them to get to her faster--only to die of massive heart attacks if they actually succeed in hurting the child, whose HealingFactor instantly kicks in and lets her regenerate. Worse yet, SCP-053 herself ''doesn't know why people keep attacking her'' and is implied to have [[ConditionedToAcceptHorror gotten used to it.]]
** [[https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-597 SCP-597 ("The Mother Of Them All")]] is a BlobMonster covered in nipples that compels all mammals near it to start suckling. If they suckle for too long, they turn into toothless {{Man Child}}ren who simultaneously regard SCP-597 as their mother and want to have sex with it.
** [[InvertedTrope Inverted]] with the legendary [[https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-682 SCP-682 ("The Hard-To-Destroy Reptile")]]. It's a bizarre lizard-like creature and OmnicidalManiac with a single desperate urge: kill every single human it sees. Why? Because ''we'' are Brown Note Beings to him: human beings inspire such utter, uncontrollable horror and disgust in 682 that completely obliterating them is the only way he can feel even slightly better.
** [[https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-1128 SCP-1128 ("Aquatic Horror")]] is a particularly dangerous example, as simply knowing it's full appearance is enough to make it capable of pulling you into its realm and eating you whenever you come into contact with water.

* The [[MemeticMutation memetic]] EldritchAbomination known as "Zalgo." Expect bloody eyes, tentacles and corrupted text when his name is mentioned.
%% * [[https://www.reddit.com/r/SCP/comments/309fxe/i_think_i_found_a_reallife_cognitohazard/ This gem.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Amphibia}}'': [[spoiler:The Calamity Guardian]] initially takes the form of a computer, and later Anne's pet cat Domino, because their true form will drive humans crazy. Anne assures it that after everything she's experienced, she can deal with it, only to be proven wrong when a mere [[YouCannotGraspTheTrueForm glimpse]] of their true EnergyBeing form causes her to have a brief FreakOut.

* ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'': WesternAnimation/PepeLePew the skunk's unbearable stench follows him everywhere he goes, causing even the strongest and bravest to flee from him in horror. Fortunately for Pepé (and unfortunately for everyone else), 99% of the time he's [[SelectiveObliviousness completely oblivious]] to this fact.
* The Ruby-Spears series "Mighty Man and Yukk the Dog" had a rare heroic example (and PlayedForLaughs example) in the titular dog, who was deemed "the ugliest dog in the world" and constantly moved around with a doghouse on his head. Whenever he needed to intimidate someone (usually a villain) he would just pull the doghouse away from his head and the villain would scream and run away in horror. The audience [[TheUnreveal only ever saw Yukk's head from behind]] in those scenes.

'''Ned:''' (sadly) Boom boom.

In games, such beings can increase {{difficulty|Levels}}. Sometimes a damaging being has a curative counterpart, whose presence is intrinsically helpful and healing. This trope is reserved for beings and not microbes. Occasionally an afflicted character might fit this trope, who has a terrible uncontrolled power such as: TouchOfDeath, DeadlyGaze, TakenForGranite, MidasTouch, MindControlMusic, EnergyAbsorption, LovecraftianSuperpower, KissOfDeath, PoisonousPerson, LifeDrinker, WalkingWasteland, WalkingTechbane, or RealityWarper.

In games, such beings can increase {{difficulty|Levels}}. Sometimes a damaging being has a curative counterpart, whose presence is intrinsically helpful and healing. This trope is reserved for beings and not microbes. %%Occasionally an afflicted character might fit this trope, who has a terrible uncontrolled power such as: TouchOfDeath, DeadlyGaze, TakenForGranite, MidasTouch, MindControlMusic, EnergyAbsorption, LovecraftianSuperpower, KissOfDeath, PoisonousPerson, LifeDrinker, or RealityWarper.%%

This is a SisterTrope to EldritchAbomination since they overlap but not always. Not every EldritchAbomination causes a BrownNote. Not every being who causes a BrownNote is an abomination; other causes are curses, infections, mutations, TheCorruption, or types of undead. [[TheFairFolk Some fairy types]] can cause a BrownNote, as can some fantasy races with unknown, but not unknowable motives. A being whose [[YouCannotGraspTheTrueForm true form cannot be grasped]] will cause this, if they don't take AFormYouAreComfortableWith.
This trope is a catchall for BrownNote creatures who are never identified.

** The Season 4 premiere "[[Recap/SupernaturalS04E01LazarusRising Lazurus Rising]]" revolves around trying to identify the creature who resurrected Dean. A psychic trying to view it had her eyes burned out just glimpsing its face. It turned out that the brown note was a side-effect of the creature's nature and not intentional. The creature in question was Castiel, an AngelicAbomination, but not a hostile one. He usually uses a willing vessel to avoid having this effect on humans.

** The true form of the Greek gods was said to have this effect on mortals. One famous case was Semele, who was tricked into getting Zeus to promise her anything and then asking him to show her his true form. When she saw Zeus' true, unconcealed divinity, she was instantly incinerated.

* Subverted in "ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}": Dr. Manhattan's presence causes cancer in people who have been exposed to him. [[spoiler: turns out the cancer connection was faked by Ozymandias to ruin his reputation and force him into exile.]]

** In one issue of ''ComicBook/UltimateXMen'', a boy discovers he has an uncontrollable mutant ability to vaporize all organic life that comes near him. After he kills his family, his girlfriend and over 265 other people, Wolverine (who is immune because of his HealingFactor) is forced to kill him.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Amphibia}}'': [[spoiler:The Calamity Guardian]] initially takes the form of a computer, and later Domino, because their true form will drive humans crazy. Anne assures it that after everything she's experienced, she can deal with it, only to be proven wrong when a mere [[YouCannotGraspTheTrueForm glimpse]] of their true EnergyBeing form causes her to have a brief FreakOut.