| rdfs:comment | - There are many things that go bump in the night, secure in the knowledge that their unholy powers can trick the human eye into blindness, allowing them to live among and prey on humanity with impunity. But their supernatural (and at times inherently evil) nature means that no matter how complete the deception, they can never truly hide what they are. They may fool the mundane senses, but not the spiritual ones; inanimate objects, animals, children, The Empath or spiritually touched people can sense and see through the deception and cause a Glamour Failure. The Hunter and mundane heroes wise to these evil tells will be sure to use them to ferret out the villain; directors also love to work them into The Reveal when the creature's victim finally puts two and two together. More tragically, a
|
| abstract | - There are many things that go bump in the night, secure in the knowledge that their unholy powers can trick the human eye into blindness, allowing them to live among and prey on humanity with impunity. But their supernatural (and at times inherently evil) nature means that no matter how complete the deception, they can never truly hide what they are. They may fool the mundane senses, but not the spiritual ones; inanimate objects, animals, children, The Empath or spiritually touched people can sense and see through the deception and cause a Glamour Failure. The Hunter and mundane heroes wise to these evil tells will be sure to use them to ferret out the villain; directors also love to work them into The Reveal when the creature's victim finally puts two and two together. More tragically, a hero under the effects of The Virus will usually have the full emotional impact of it sink in when she can't see her reflection. These flaws in their façade are usually mixed and matched. So your mileage may vary depending on the critter:
* No reflection (usually reserved for vampires and The Soulless). Genre Savvy characters noticing a lack of mirrors (or several broken ones) will have this same effect. Not appearing on film; digital cameras, voice recordings and telephone optional.
* True reflection (Fae or other glamour users will usually reflect their true image). A modern variation has the true form of glamour users revealed by a security camera, since glamour meant to fool human minds won't work on a machine.
* Animals hate and distrust them (see Evil-Detecting Dog).
* Physical defect (usually for Shapeshifters, Clones, Body Snatchers, or Chest Monsters). See Red Right Hand.
* Fairies and demons trying to pass for human were traditionally betrayed by their tails or cloven hooves.
* Anyone who is demonically possessed will usually grow tiny horns or slowly "mutate" to look like the demon possessing them.
* Undeathly Pallor for those who are possessed by ghosts, are turning into a zombie, or are vampires.
* Mildly pronounced fangs (not huge, but big enough for the Wolf Man and vampire to stand out; compare Cute Little Fangs).
* Pointed Ears. A staple of vampires, fairies and Vulcans (though these last ones aren't evil, we promise [unless it's Evil Spock, but that's just a technicality]). For vampires, it's presumably to mimic a bat's large ears... or it could be done to up the Ho Yay factor.
* Unusual eyes: Red or yellow colored eyes, or vertical pupils.
* Variation (used in Discworld, but based on earlier folklore): the eyes are the only part that cannot be disguised, and reveal the true nature of the being.
* No shadow (usually ghosts and Holograms will lack these).
* Shadow moves on its own (a staple of vampires and really nasty critters; also of Peter Pan).
* Shadow shows their true form (sometimes for shapeshifters).
* Silver burns (silver has reputed anti-evil properties, so it's fair game for most creepy crawlies).
* Iron does the same (often for The Fair Folk). Sometimes restricted to cold or wrought iron.
* Sunlight burns/weakens/makes them sparkle (not restricted to vampires, any strongly evil or supernatural creature will react to sunlight like a marshmallow in an oven).
* Holy objects burn/repel (pretty basic, anything holy aligned will repel evil, may be culture specific and/or depend on having a pure heart or strong faith).
* Variation: The object itself need not be emblemic of the church or God, it just needs to be something the wielder places his faith within.
* Cannot go some places either because they need to be invited, or the cannot cross some obstacle that would not hinder a human, such as running water, lines of salt or magic circles.
* Or the opposite, they are confined to a defined area (often for ghosts). Some supernaturals will drop their glamour on purpose and reveal their Game Face or Hiss Before Fleeing. A Monsters Anonymous group may know good ways to avoid these to blend in with humanity. When this happens on a large scale it's a Broken Masquerade. See also Virus Victim Symptoms, and The Mirror Shows Your True Self. Contrast Hologram Projection Imperfection, for when technology is involved. Examples of Glamour Failure include:
|
