39,327
edits
Ambiguously Human: Difference between revisions
m
update links
m (update links) |
m (update links) |
||
Line 1:
{{trope}}
[[File:ambiguouslyhuman_3088.jpg|link=The
Line 18:
* [[What Measure Is a Non-Human?]]
...so, did you Spot the Human yet? Here's a hint: he's [[Captain Obvious|not the one on the far left]].
Give up? {{spoiler|He's [[Arthur Dent|the one on the far right.]]}}
Line 28:
* Take a look at Nagato, Ryoko and Kimidori in the ''[[Haruhi Suzumiya]]'' series. They look human, except for their strange hair color ([[You Gotta Have Blue Hair|purple, blue and green respectively]]). They aren't humans. They're interfaces created by the Integrated Data Sentient Entity, mainly because the boss happens to be formless data that can't interact with us, only observe.
** Bear in mind that there are also normal humans (as far as we know) with [[You Gotta Have Blue Hair|odd hair colors]] in the series, so that's not a dead giveaway for identifying "interfaces" in disguise.
* If you do a screengrab of Beppo in ''[[Gankutsuou]]'' and then clone her skin tone in MS Paint or a similar program, it suddenly becomes noticeable that her skin is ''mauve''. Then you add in that manga!Beppo lacks nipples, in a canon that doesn't usually [[Barbie Doll Anatomy|eliminate those]]...
** Ofcourse the said lack of nipples might also be intended as evidence of body-modification. It's strongly implied that Beppo is a pre-op [[Transsexualism]]
* Gecko Moria from ''[[One Piece]]''. It's no secret that ''One Piece'' has a lot of [[Gonk|Gonks]] and generally strange-looking people, but he seems too weird for even these. He is the tallest non-giant seen in the series, he has pure white skin, very sharp teeth, pointed ears and horns and generally looks like some [[Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot|monster clown devil]], not really traits you connect with your average guy. Later knowledge of a race called "Snakenecks" came to light after his introduction, and given his very long neck and reptilian features it's a possibility. Still not confirmed, though.
Line 66:
* Randall Flagg, antagonist of several [[Stephen King]] stories. His back story implies that he at least ''was'' human once, but his later incarnations are a bit less obvious about that fact.
* [[Discworld|The City Watch of Ankh-Morpork]] is sometimes described as being comprised of "humans, dwarves, trolls, goblins, gargoyles, a vampire, a werewolf [[And Zoidberg|and Nobby Nobbs."]] He carries a certificate identifying him as human, but that only [[Suspiciously Specific Denial|makes some people]] ''[[Suspiciously Specific Denial|more]]'' [[Suspiciously Specific Denial|suspicious.]]
* Angela of ''[[Inheritance Cycle]]'' comes off as this. She ''seems'' like a young and [[Inexplicably Awesome|very quirky]] human woman, but constantly claims that she's "[[Really Seven Hundred Years Old|older than she looks]]" and relates [[Noodle Incident|bits of back story]] implying a very complex and interesting life. She also seems to know certain spells that few or any other people can cast. Some fans have speculated that she is really an [[Our Elves Are Better|elf]], though real-elf [[Old Master|Oromis]] claims she's human.
* [[Those Two Bad Guys]] of ''[[Neverwhere]]'', [[Mr. X and Mr Y|Mr Croup and Mr Vandemar]], are confirmed as nonhuman by Door, but we never find out what they are.
** This goes for essentially everyone in London Below: they mostly look like (extremely idiosyncratic) humans, but have a variety of never-explained super-powers, seem to have been down there for generations, and occasionally traffic with overtly non-human beings.
* [[The Stormlight Archive]] is made of this, the people of Roshar have some very strange genetics, with [[Multicolored Hair]] and [[Technicolor Eyes|strange eye colours]] abounding. To say nothing of various odd features of various ethnic groups. (foot long eyebrows, bluish skin, and a shadow that falls towards light rather then away from it.). They're all treated as humans in-story (except maybe the ones with the backwards shadows who got mostly exterminated at some point) but um......
** [[Word of God]] from Sanderson is that the [[Fantasy Pantheon]] of his cosmology came from a world with humans, and so when they created their own worlds they used them as a template, but put their own spin on it. Also notable is the humans from ''[[Mistborn]]'', who are capable of surviving in a post-apocalyptic ash-choked wasteland that would certainly kill earth humans, though they don't ''look'' any different.
*** well it's explicitly stated in the third [[Mistborn]] book that The Lord Ruler screwed around with the genetics of the people of the Final Empire so they could survive.
* In the [[Dresden Files]], lots of ''things'' like to take the appearance of humans. Some supernatural creatures actually have a humanesque form;
** White Court Vampires' demon doesn't physically manifest, even though there are subtle physical changes when they draw on their demon
Line 83:
** The [[Doctor Who Expanded Universe]] attempts to justify this by explaining that Rassilon, the founder of the Time Lord race, intentionally tinkered with genetics on a universal scale to make other species more likely to evolve into a form that resembles his own species. So when the Doctor says that humans "look Time Lord", it's the literal truth. It also [[Retcon|Retcons]] some of the human "aliens" in the show into descendants of human colonists.
** The sixth series episode "Night Terrors" features a little boy named George who seems to be developing OCD. {{spoiler|He's actually a powerful shapeshifting alien, but mimics humanity in order to be accepted by his human adoptive parents. His anxieties stem from fear that the masquerade won't be good enough.}}
* In the original Icelandic stories and plays, Sportacus from ''[[LazyTown]]'' is explicitly called an elf. The releases in other countries make his race a bit more ambiguous, leaving his ears covered at all times.
* Lazarus from the ''[[Star Trek: The Original Series]]'' episode "The Alternative Factor" and his alternate universe counterpart: were they human, or [[Human Aliens|Human Alien]]? The episode itself seemed confused on this point.
* Thadiun Okana, the man defined [[Informed Ability]], from ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'' "The Outrageous Okana": Human or from a race of [[Human Aliens]]? Again, not otherwise specified.
Line 112:
* The eponymous character of ''[[Hanna Is Not a Boy's Name]].'' Despite the title, he is in fact theoretically a young man, but all of his [[True Companions]] are supernatural, [[The Nose Knows|vampires complain that he "smells dead"]], he goes to a medical school dropout when injured and there's a scar/wound on his chest of astounding, [[Normally I Would Be Dead Now]] proportions (which still has staples, which do not seem to impede his [[Genki Boy|usual enthusiasm]]). He's also strangely light, even for his short stature, and one character calls him a "hollowed-out shell" of a man. Some fans wonder if this is literal.
** He also claims to be 24, [[Younger Than He Looks|but looks about 14]], which is commented on in-universe. While it's entirely possible that he's just scrawny, one can't rule out the idea that his aging may be supernaturally stunted.
** Ples "Tik Tok" Tibenoch also counts, with the most popular fan theory being that he's some sort of [[Clockwork Creature|clockwork cyborg]]. The [http://hanna.aftertorque.com/?p=775 mixture of blood and oil] certainly seems suspicious.
* {{spoiler|Sister Catherine}} from ''[[Sister Claire]]'' seems human enough. But look closer. She's drawn differently than the other human characters. A lither body, angular eyes...on occasion you can actually spot some {{spoiler|[[Cute Little Fangs]]}}. All of this, of course, is related to the comic's obsession with [[Animal Motifs|a certain]] [[Cats Are Superior|species of animal]]...
Line 121:
* ''[[Teen Titans (animation)|Teen Titans]]'' has Starfire and Raven, a [[Human Alien|humanoid]] [[Innocent Aliens|innocent alien]] and a [[Half-Human Hybrid|demon-human hybrid,]] respectively. Both girls have humanoid proportions, though Starfire has orange skin and maroon hair, and Raven has purple hair and gray skin . They may not pass for human in [[Real Life|our world,]] but keep in mind that this is an [[Animesque]] series where an ''actual'' human has green skin, pointy ears, and [[Cute Little Fangs|fangs.]] (Of course, in the comics, that wasn't so before he acquired his shapeshifting powers. In fact, the green skin came first and fangs and pointy ears weren't so until ''much more recently.''
** Of course, then there's Cyborg, who [[Captain Obvious|is a cyborg.]] The only normal-human-looking main character is Robin.
** It's made clear that there's nothing ''ambiguous'' about Starfire- even strangers she meets at a party know she's an alien, and her [[Bizarre Alien Biology]] is a frequent source of humor (and occasionally, plot points). Raven ''is'' more legitimately ambiguous, both in the sense that its unclear if anyone outside the Titans knows she's a nonhuman, and that it's never specified how different physically her demon heritage makes her from baseline humanity, beyond the obvious cosmetic aspects.
* On ''[[Cat Dog]]'', there's [[Non-Indicative Name|Mr. Sunshine]], a green-skinned humanoid who speaks in a slow, languid voice. The ambiguity of his species is [[Lampshade Hanging|lampshaded]] in one episode when [[Jerkass|Rancid Rabbit]] starts arresting everyone for not having "licenses." (Dog doesn't have a "dog license," Lola doesn't have a "bird license, etc.) When he captures Sunshine, he says, "You're under arrest for not having a...not having a...not having a license!"
* Ms. Bitters, the "skool"-teacher on ''[[Invader Zim]].'' She looks like an old woman, yet she can hover, move sinuously, pass through walls and is burned by the sun. [[Word of God|One of the creators]] is on record as saying she's non-human, but her exact nature is never exactly qualified.
| |||