Did You Just Romance Cthulhu?: Difference between revisions

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[[File:Did_You_Just_Romance_Cthulu_9226.jpg|frame|Horrifically adorable.]]

{{quote|''"I'm an intelligent woman. I know the difference between reality and my own dark fantasies. But I thrill at the idea of being taken by a great tentacled beast. My heart races as I imagine my frail and delicate body being controlled, being used by a force too powerful for me to deny. To feel helpless, vulnerable, it scares me yet it excites me. My body aches with desire as I imagine myself being forced to surrender in the most intimate of ways. Can this be so wrong?"''|Kiki, ''[[~~Ghastly's Ghastly Comic (Webcomic)|~~Ghastly's Ghastly Comic]]''}}

{{quote|''"I'm an intelligent woman. I know the difference between reality and my own dark fantasies. But I thrill at the idea of being taken by a great tentacled beast. My heart races as I imagine my frail and delicate body being controlled, being used by a force too powerful for me to deny. To feel helpless, vulnerable, it scares me yet it excites me. My body aches with desire as I imagine myself being forced to surrender in the most intimate of ways. Can this be so wrong?"''|Kiki, ''[[Ghastly's Ghastly Comic]]''}}

This is what happens when you make love ([[Have a Gay Old Time|in]] [[Love Tropes|either]] [[Sex Tropes|sense]] of that phrase) with an [[Eldritch Abomination]]. <ref>Or a [[Starfish Alien]] doing a passable imitation of one.</ref>

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Tentacles are a frequent feature. Can be played for sheer [[Squick]], horror, [[Playing to The Fetishes|fetish appeal]], [[Played for Laughs|laughs]] or all of the above at the same time.

See also [[Evil Is Sexy]], this trope's partial [[Super-Trope]] <ref>[[Evil Is Sexy]] applies to humans as well, and, well, not all [[Eldritch Abomination|Eldritch Abominations]] are evil</ref>, [[Did We Just Have Tea ~~With~~ Cthulhu?]], [[Boldly Coming]], and [[Divine Date]] <ref>[[Boldly Coming]] and [[Divine Date]] differ from this in that, normally, the entity being dated in question is not something you'd encounter as an antagonist in a horror story</ref>. A subtrope of [[Interspecies Romance]]<ref>And parented by [[Tropes That Will Never Happen (Darth Wiki)|Tropes That Will Never Happen]], of all things (The entry "Did You Just Suck Off Cthulhu?" had enough entries of possible examples that somebody realized it was tropeable)</ref>. Might lead to [[Fetus Terrible|Fetus]]/[[Enfant Terrible]]. A common origin for the [[Anti-Anti-Christ]],able to switch sides as a representation of the human side-just as likely to become a [[Complete Monster]] though.

See also [[Evil Is Sexy]], this trope's partial [[Super-Trope]] <ref>[[Evil Is Sexy]] applies to humans as well, and, well, not all [[Eldritch Abomination|Eldritch Abominations]] are evil</ref>, [[Did We Just Have Tea with Cthulhu?]], [[Boldly Coming]], and [[Divine Date]] <ref>[[Boldly Coming]] and [[Divine Date]] differ from this in that, normally, the entity being dated in question is not something you'd encounter as an antagonist in a horror story</ref>. A subtrope of [[Interspecies Romance]]<ref>And parented by [[Tropes That Will Never Happen (Darth Wiki)|Tropes That Will Never Happen]], of all things (The entry "Did You Just Suck Off Cthulhu?" had enough entries of possible examples that somebody realized it was tropeable)</ref>. Might lead to [[Fetus Terrible|Fetus]]/[[Enfant Terrible]]. A common origin for the [[Anti-Anti-Christ]],able to switch sides as a representation of the human side-just as likely to become a [[Complete Monster]] though.

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* The entire premise of the [[Nyarko San]] media franchise.

* Would [[The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya]] count? {{spoiler|The girl is a [[Reality Warper|reality warping]] [[Humanoid Abomination]] who has the hots for the (normal) boy, and there are some arcs focused on trying to prevent her from [[Locked Out of the Loop|unknowingly]] re-writing the universe.}}

** Or at least, that's how we think it is. {{spoiler|A very common fan theory is that the "normal" boy is the actual [[Humanoid Abomination]] [[Tomato in ~~The~~ Mirror|and doesn't realize it]].}}

** Or at least, that's how we think it is. {{spoiler|A very common fan theory is that the "normal" boy is the actual [[Humanoid Abomination]] [[Tomato in the Mirror|and doesn't realize it]].}}

** And he has a friend who lusts after one alien, then dates another one for a few months.

* The [[Hentai]] one-shot ''Fiend Without A Face'' is about a girl's loving cohabitation relationship with a... '''thing''' that looks like a five-foot tall penis with dozens of smaller penises and tentacles all over its body. Played for d'awwwwwww.

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* In ''[[Tsukihime]]'', the protagonist, Tohno Shiki, has the option of falling in love with the "True Ancestor" of the series' "Vampires", Arcueid Brunestud. Considered an abomination even among her own kind for her monstrous power.

** It should be noted that, from her point of view, ''Shiki's'' the Cthulhu of their relationship, what with him being a natural-born killer of non-humans like herself and his Mystic Eyes of Death Perception meaning that his mind is on the same wavelength as ''death itself.'' And considering that the other bearers of those eyes in the Nasuverse are a Celtic God who can make you die with a glance and the living embodiment of Akasha, she's got a good point.

* [[Tenchi Muyo]], Works both ways, with Tsunami, Washu and Tokimi ''supposedly'' being the omnipotent beings that created ''everything.'' They're after Tenchi who is an '''[[Inverted Trope|even more]]''' [[Fridge Brilliance|omnipotent]] being than they are.

* [[Tenchi Muyo!]], Works both ways, with Tsunami, Washu and Tokimi ''supposedly'' being the omnipotent beings that created ''everything.'' They're after Tenchi who is an '''[[Inverted Trope|even more]]''' [[Fridge Brilliance|omnipotent]] being than they are.

* [[Bakemonogatari ~~(Light Novel)~~|Kizumonogatari]] has this as the premise.

* [[Bakemonogatari|Kizumonogatari]] has this as the premise.

* The [[OAV]] of ''[[El Hazard ~~the~~ Magnificent World]]''. The Demon God destroyed the [[Precursors]]; brought ruin upon the land; and threatened to do the same to present-day El Hazard. Then she and the hero fell in love...

* The [[OAV]] of ''[[El-Hazard: The Magnificent World]]''. The Demon God destroyed the [[Precursors]]; brought ruin upon the land; and threatened to do the same to present-day El Hazard. Then she and the hero fell in love...

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== [[Film]] ==

* ''[[~~Galaxy Quest (Film)|~~Galaxy Quest]]''. The aliens [[Starfish Aliens|aren't so humanoid in their true form]], and we get a glimpse at the woman one of the characters is making out with. {{spoiler|This is by the end when they're established as a couple. He is not even slightly [[Squick|squicked]]; the viewers, maybe not so much.}}

* ''[[Galaxy Quest]]''. The aliens [[Starfish Aliens|aren't so humanoid in their true form]], and we get a glimpse at the woman one of the characters is making out with. {{spoiler|This is by the end when they're established as a couple. He is not even slightly [[Squick|squicked]]; the viewers, maybe not so much.}}

* In ''[[Dagon]]'', the protagonist has dreams about swimming undersea with a beautiful mermaid. Later, he actually meets her, but resists her attempt at seduction {{spoiler|when he finds out that she has tentacles instead of legs.}} Later on, she turns out {{spoiler|to be his sister, and also his destined bride.}}[[hottip:*:While featuring a village full of otherworldly interbreeding, this one gets super-bonus-points for [[The Shadow Over Innsmouth ~~(Literature)~~|actually being based on a Lovecraft story.]]

* In ''[[Dagon]]'', the protagonist has dreams about swimming undersea with a beautiful mermaid. Later, he actually meets her, but resists her attempt at seduction {{spoiler|when he finds out that she has tentacles instead of legs.}} Later on, she turns out {{spoiler|to be his sister, and also his destined bride.}}[[hottip:*:While featuring a village full of otherworldly interbreeding, this one gets super-bonus-points for [[The Shadow Over Innsmouth|actually being based on a Lovecraft story.]]

== [[Literature]] ==

* [[HP Lovecraft]]'s "[[wikipedia:The Dunwich Horror#Plot summary|The Dunwich Horror]]". [[wikipedia:Yog-Sothoth|Yog-Sothoth]] has sex with a human woman and produces the offspring who will be known as Wilbur Whateley.

* [[H.P. Lovecraft]]'s "[[wikipedia:The Dunwich Horror#Plot summary|The Dunwich Horror]]". [[wikipedia:Yog-Sothoth|Yog-Sothoth]] has sex with a human woman and produces the offspring who will be known as Wilbur Whateley.

** Oh, and it's hinted at that her elderly father was acting as the, er, ''vessel'' for Yog at the time.

* Likewise, several [[Cthulhu Mythos]] tales deal with this:

** Michael Shea's "Fat Face" involves a woman who becomes interested in a rather large, but kindly man. {{spoiler|It's not a man, and it doesn't end well.}}

** Played with Ramsey Campbell's "The Faces At Pine Dunes". The protagonist and his girlfriend is investigate his parents' strange behavior. {{spoiler|1=His father is a Human/[[Eldritch Abomination]] hybrid, and so is the protagonist.}}

* "The Dunwich Horror" was inspired by Arthur Machen's ''[[~~The Great God Pan (Literature)|~~The Great God Pan]]'', which also features sex (or ''some'' kind of mating) between a human woman and an [[Eldritch Abomination]]. The resulting daughter is an eerily beautiful [[Humanoid Abomination]] whose unspeakable acts (strongly implied to be sexual in nature) lead to madness and suicide.

* "The Dunwich Horror" was inspired by Arthur Machen's ''[[The Great God Pan]]'', which also features sex (or ''some'' kind of mating) between a human woman and an [[Eldritch Abomination]]. The resulting daughter is an eerily beautiful [[Humanoid Abomination]] whose unspeakable acts (strongly implied to be sexual in nature) lead to madness and suicide.

* Done as part of a [[Deal ~~With~~ the Devil]] in [[The Dresden Files]] {{spoiler|when Harry takes up the mantle of the Winter Knight. Harry states that it wasn't sex, no matter what it looked like. You can't have sex with a hurricane, or make love to a storm.}}

* Done as part of a [[Deal with the Devil]] in [[The Dresden Files]] {{spoiler|when Harry takes up the mantle of the Winter Knight. Harry states that it wasn't sex, no matter what it looked like. You can't have sex with a hurricane, or make love to a storm.}}

** [http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_CvgEnPIYQ_U/TL7T2mAtBHI/AAAAAAAAAIs/qRu7hZJaKTk/s1600/barney_stinson.jpg Challenge Accepted]!

* [[Star Wars Expanded Universe|Star Wars]] [[~~Fateofthe Jedi|~~Fate of the Jedi]]: Luke has an ''encounter'' with [[Sealed Evil in A Can|Abeloth]]. {{spoiler|She ''impersonates each of his previous girlfriends'' and then [[Yandere|sets out to kill the ones that are still alive]].}} Loving a Skywalker can be so complicated.

* [[Star Wars Expanded Universe|Star Wars]] [[Fate of the Jedi]]: Luke has an ''encounter'' with [[Sealed Evil in a Can|Abeloth]]. {{spoiler|She ''impersonates each of his previous girlfriends'' and then [[Yandere|sets out to kill the ones that are still alive]].}} Loving a Skywalker can be so complicated.

* The entire point of the [[Light Novels]] ''[[Nyarko San]]'', except that it's the Cthulhu-side person herself who initiates the relationship to the human protagonist (to varying degree of success). And no, it's not nasty... most of the time.

** [[Girls Love|Cthugga x]] [[Brain Bleach|Nyarlathotep!]]

* [[Beowulf ~~(Literature)~~|Grendel]]'s mother was allegedly an eldritch abomination - and supposedly the biblical Cain decided she was just too sexy to resist. The gods struck him dead on the spot, and his lover then birthed the monstrous Grendel to remember her late lamented beau by. In some accounts Grendel had two brothers that were almost as nightmarish, including a shark that swam through the sky.

* [[Beowulf|Grendel]]'s mother was allegedly an eldritch abomination - and supposedly the biblical Cain decided she was just too sexy to resist. The gods struck him dead on the spot, and his lover then birthed the monstrous Grendel to remember her late lamented beau by. In some accounts Grendel had two brothers that were almost as nightmarish, including a shark that swam through the sky.

== [[Live-Action TV]] ==

* ''[[~~Angel (TV)|~~Angel]]'' has [[Took a Level In Badass|Wesley]] romancing [[Humanoid Abomination|Illyria]] at the end of season 5. [[Played With]] in that they're never 'together,' and it's not clear until the series finale that {{spoiler|Illyria returned his affections, as evidenced by her compassion and grief at Wesley's death}}.

* ''[[Angel]]'' has [[Took a Level In Badass|Wesley]] romancing [[Humanoid Abomination|Illyria]] at the end of season 5. [[Played With]] in that they're never 'together,' and it's not clear until the series finale that {{spoiler|Illyria returned his affections, as evidenced by her compassion and grief at Wesley's death}}.

** Actually Wesley subverts this trope. He in no way, shape or form "romances" Illyria. Not once, not ever. He kept her around purely because she reminded him of Fred, and when Illyria tried to get physically intimate with Wesley he rebuffed her. {{spoiler|Only at Wesley's death was he willing to let Illyria pretend to be Fred so he could spend his last moment with his lost love, or a close approximation.}}

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** Supplement ''The Fungi from Yuggoth''. After donning a pair of magical glasses a woman is raped by an other-dimensional monster and becomes pregnant with its child.

** The "Love's Lonely Children" adventure features a couple who are Y'Golonac cultists. Y'Golonac is basically the Mythos entity of [[Squick]] incarnate. The husband is possessed and bodily transforms into Y'Golonac, while his wife... worships. [[The Aristocrats|And they got their daughter involved in it, too...]]

* ''[[~~Exalted (Tabletop Game)|~~Exalted]]''

* ''[[Exalted]]''

** In one of the [[Fanon Discontinuity|more contested]] passages in the guide for Infernals, it's suggested that new Infernals are passed around the Yozis for... "initiation." The Yozis are crippled godlike entities that take forms such as a city of brass and basalt, a hundred thousand crystalline spheres of fire, and an ever-twisting river. The sheer physics alone... But, for good or ill, the actual process would be a bit less mind-hurting, as the Yozis can create humaniform avatars called jouten. This is not necessarily an improvement.

*** The Ebon Dragon is stated to only have one Jouten [[Genre Savvy|because]] he would [[Chronic Backstabbing Disorder|betray himself]]. The form he uses: [[Attack of the 50 Foot Whatever|A several miles long oriental dragon made of darkness]]

** The Yozi Adorjan (who mostly appears in the form of an extremely violent wind) also mated with a Solar Exalt (through a dream...) and conceived daughters by him (half of whom were normal human children, the other half shed their mortal bodies when they reached maturity and became sentient winds like their mother).

** The god[[Gender Bender|(des)]] Luna was created (partially) for the purpose of seducing the Primordial Gaia (and fell in love with her instead). Gaia's most commonly seen form is her humanoid jouten, but mentions are made of her other, greater forms, that are vast, primal and slightly terrifying to the other gods (although Luna, while typically humanoid, [[Voluntary Shapeshifting|can take some pretty eldritch forms herself]], so the line between regular romance and romancing Cthulu is a bit blurred).

* The "[[Eldritch Abomination|aberrant]]" bloodline in ''[[~~Pathfinder (Tabletop Game)|~~Pathfinder]]''—which eventually turns your character into a [[Humanoid Abomination]]—implies something like this in a [[Witch Species|sorcerer's]] ancestry.

* The "[[Eldritch Abomination|aberrant]]" bloodline in ''[[Pathfinder]]''—which eventually turns your character into a [[Humanoid Abomination]]—implies something like this in a [[Witch Species|sorcerer's]] ancestry.

* "Romance" might not be the right word for it, but this is part of the ''graduation ceremony'' for the Drow priestesses of Lolth in the [[Forgotten Realms]]. The joint graduation ceremony between female priestesses and male warriors consists of the two groups engaging in a drug-fueled orgy. One "lucky" priestess mates with a glabrezu -- a four-armed pincered dog-faced demon -- instead of another Drow. It bears mentioning that glabrezu can't shapeshift. This is considered an honor, and the resulting hybrid children (called draegloths) have a special place in Drow society.

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== [[Video Games]] ==

* Literally in ''[[Cthulhu Saves the World]]'', of course. Umi falls in love with Cthulhu pretty much at first sight, but he considers them "strictly in a rock star-groupie relationship." {{spoiler|By the end though, he comes to return her feelings.}}

* ''[[~~Saya no Uta (Visual Novel)|~~Saya no Uta]]'' is about the main character (unknowingly) romancing one of these. He suffers from a condition which caused him to view everything as [[Eldritch Location|Eldritch Locations]] and everyone as [[Eldritch Abomination|Eldritch Abominations]], which is why Saya, who herself was an [[Eldritch Abomination]], was the only one to look normal in his eyes.

* ''[[Saya no Uta]]'' is about the main character (unknowingly) romancing one of these. He suffers from a condition which caused him to view everything as [[Eldritch Location|Eldritch Locations]] and everyone as [[Eldritch Abomination|Eldritch Abominations]], which is why Saya, who herself was an [[Eldritch Abomination]], was the only one to look normal in his eyes.

* ''[[Demonbane]]'' originated as [[Eroge]] based on [[Cthulhu Mythos]]. The best example is probably when {{spoiler|Nyarlathotep}} has sex with Kuro after he got possessed and transformed into Wilbur Whateley.

* ''[[~~Disgaea 2 Cursed Memories (Video Game)|~~Disgaea 2 Cursed Memories]]'': Adell has delivered a [[Cooldown Hug|Cooldown Kiss]] to {{spoiler|Zenon, God of all Overlords.}}

* ''[[Disgaea 2 Cursed Memories]]'': Adell has delivered a [[Cooldown Hug|Cooldown Kiss]] to {{spoiler|Zenon, God of all Overlords.}}

* In ''[[The Sims|The Sims 2]]'', Olive Specter canonically had sex with the Grim Reaper (which, incidentally, [[Urban Legend of Zelda|you can't replicate in-game]]) and it's strongly implied that he's the father of her only child (which you actually can, though it requires cheats).

* It's not entirely certain ''what'' the girl in ''Where We Remain'' is, but we know that she's spent a very long time [[Sealed Good in A Can|magically bound in a cave]], that she didn't have a name before the hero [[Hello, Insert Name Here|gave her one]], and that she has some [[Reality Warper|rather nifty]] ([[God's Hands Are Tied|if limited]]) abilities. Given that {{spoiler|the wind spirits on the island are described as her "brothers,"}} it would seem that she's nonhuman rather than just some sort of spellcaster.

* It's not entirely certain ''what'' the girl in ''Where We Remain'' is, but we know that she's spent a very long time [[Sealed Good in a Can|magically bound in a cave]], that she didn't have a name before the hero [[Hello, Insert Name Here|gave her one]], and that she has some [[Reality Warper|rather nifty]] ([[God's Hands Are Tied|if limited]]) abilities. Given that {{spoiler|the wind spirits on the island are described as her "brothers,"}} it would seem that she's nonhuman rather than just some sort of spellcaster.

* In ''[[Persona 3 ~~(Video Game)~~|Persona 3 Portable]]'', on the Female Main Character's route, you're given the chance to initiate a romantic S.Link with {{spoiler|Ryoji Mochizuki}}, {{spoiler|the human form of Nyx Avatar}}. That is, you can make {{spoiler|the personification of Death itself fall in love with you}}.

* In ''[[Persona 3|Persona 3 Portable]]'', on the Female Main Character's route, you're given the chance to initiate a romantic S.Link with {{spoiler|Ryoji Mochizuki}}, {{spoiler|the human form of Nyx Avatar}}. That is, you can make {{spoiler|the personification of Death itself fall in love with you}}.

** While it's not an official social link, a male main character {{spoiler|is asked to show Elizabeth what sex is like}}. The female main character can similarly {{spoiler|win the affection of, and have an [[Optional Sexual Encounter]] with, Elizabeth's younger brother Theodore. It's not clear exactly what Elizabeth and Theodore ''are,'' but whatever they are, it's not human, and as the game's [[Bonus Boss|Bonus Bosses]] they are just as if not more powerful than the abovementioned Ryoji}}.

* In ''[[~~The Bards Tale (Video Game)|~~The Bards Tale]]'', you're unknowingly {{spoiler|setting free (or not) a Demon Queen. You guessed it, Caleigh.}} Though she does keep her promise to you.

* In ''[[The Bards Tale]]'', you're unknowingly {{spoiler|setting free (or not) a Demon Queen. You guessed it, Caleigh.}} Though she does keep her promise to you.

* One of the [[Romance Sidequest|potential love interests]] in ''[[~~Dragon Age II (Video Game)|~~Dragon Age II]]'' is a [[Humanoid Abomination]]. Several characters discuss and lampshade the squickier aspects of the relationship. For those unfamiliar with the setting, Abominations are humans who have been possessed by spirits/demons. This means that every intimate encounter Hawke shares with his/her Abomination [[Love Interest]] is technically a threesome.

* One of the [[Romance Sidequest|potential love interests]] in ''[[Dragon Age II]]'' is a [[Humanoid Abomination]]. Several characters discuss and lampshade the squickier aspects of the relationship. For those unfamiliar with the setting, Abominations are humans who have been possessed by spirits/demons. This means that every intimate encounter Hawke shares with his/her Abomination [[Love Interest]] is technically a threesome.

== [[Web Comics]] ==

* ''[[Ow ~~My Sanity (Webcomic)|Ow~~ My Sanity]]'' combines this with [[Unwanted Harem]].

* ''[[Ow, My Sanity]]'' combines this with [[Unwanted Harem]].

* ''[[Sluggy Freelance]]'' has a hint of this in a TV show actually called [http://www.sluggy.com/comics/archives/daily/20021111 "Unholy Concubine Connection"]. (Before that comic, the show showed someone "merely" involved with [[Satan]].)

* In ''[[Grim Tales ~~From Down Below (Fanfic)|Grim Tales From~~ Down Below]]'', it turns out that years after ''[[The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy]]'', [[The Grim Reaper|Grim]] and [[Enfant Terrible|Mandy]] [[Unholy Matrimony|married]] and had two kids. {{spoiler|Though actually the boy is an abortion from an unknown father, and the girl's father is [[Humanoid Abomination|Nergal Junior]], as Grim can't actually father new life.}}

* In ''[[Grim Tales from Down Below]]'', it turns out that years after ''[[The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy]]'', [[The Grim Reaper|Grim]] and [[Enfant Terrible|Mandy]] [[Unholy Matrimony|married]] and had two kids. {{spoiler|Though actually the boy is an abortion from an unknown father, and the girl's father is [[Humanoid Abomination|Nergal Junior]], as Grim can't actually father new life.}}

* ''[[~~Drow Tales~~]]'' sees Mel'arnach and {{spoiler|the intelligent [[Giant Spider]] Zhor}}. Despite appearing to be an [[Interspecies Romance]], it actually isn't, since {{spoiler|Zhor is a transformed dark elf}}, but due to his appearance it still counts.

* ''[[Drowtales]]'' sees Mel'arnach and {{spoiler|the intelligent [[Giant Spider]] Zhor}}. Despite appearing to be an [[Interspecies Romance]], it actually isn't, since {{spoiler|Zhor is a transformed dark elf}}, but due to his appearance it still counts.

* In ''[[Tales Of Gnosis College]]'', Moira's relationship with Howard counts as this. It's rather sweet, arguably.