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{{trope}}
Traditionally, [[The Fair Folk]] are reputed to have a powerful and subtle magic that disguises their true (and less than fair) form into one that is beautiful, beguiling and beatific. This was called a '''Glamour'''. It not only cast an [[Master of Illusion|illusion of physical perfection]], but made any hapless viewer think of the fae as graceful, wise, a lifelong friend, and made them easily suggestible if not utterly enthralling them in [[More Than Mind Control]].
Now imagine a character who has this power, and ''can use it on crowds''. We'll wait for you to stop shivering.
Characters with this power become the center of attention. Anyone who looks at the character will suffer effects similar to [[Love Is in
But as soon as he or she leaves the room (or a certain ammount of time passes) the former awestruck followers will get the psychic equivalent of a hangover and wonder what the heck happened. If the character has an especially powerful Glamour the effects may be permanent, require either special shielding to cut off, or the equivalent of [[Mind Control]] [[
This is usually a borderline case of [[Bad Powers, Bad People]]. An ethical character that doesn't abuse those affected might actually accrue ''less'' [[Mind Over Manners]] related [[Squick]] than using straight [[Mind Control]]. As a power, it does have a certain degree of [[Blessed
Since this is basically a character trait of [[Mary Sue Classic]] turned into a power, it is often explicitly wielded by [[Parody Sue
Often the [[A Wizard Did It|explanation]] behind a [[Weirdness Censor]] or [[Invisible to Normals]].
The term, incidentally, derives from "grammar". Like what you learn in school. But since "grammar" was the first of the liberal arts, it came to mean "book learning", and [[Rule of Cool]] demanded that it be used for the coolest form of book learning: magic.
Compare [[Artifact of Attraction]] and [[Getting Smilies Painted
Not to be confused with the American [[Fashion Magazine]].
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== Comic Books ==
* Poison Ivy has this power in ''[[Batman]]'' comics, but it's probably at its most noticeable in ''[[Batman and Robin (
* The Runner from [[Marvel Comics]] has an undefined ability to make people enjoy his company. It doesn't prevent people from attacking him, which results in the occasional amusing fight scene.
* [[
* This is Allure's power in ''[[Relative Heroes]]'' in [[The DCU]].
* Gambit ([[Marty Stu|Remy Lebeau]]) of the ''[[X-Men]]'' has a hypnotic charm, an ability to "charge" the kinetic energy within a person's brain, allowing a subtle influence over any sentient mind. This power allows Gambit to compel others to believe what he says and agree with anything he suggests.
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== Literature ==
* ''[[
* Another classic trope example would be the elves of ''[[Discworld]]'', who have this as their deadliest weapon.
** ''Elves are wonderful. They provoke wonder. Elves are marvellous. They cause marvels. Elves are fantastic. They create fantasies. Elves are glamorous. They project glamour. Elves are enchanting. They weave enchantment. Elves are terrific. They beget terror. The thing about words is that meanings can twist just like a snake, and if you want to find snakes look for them behind words that have changed their meaning. No one ever said elves are nice. Elves are bad.''
** Also from the Discworld, the charismatic Captain Carrot might have this, but balance of the evidence is that he really is [[The Ace|just that good]].
* In [[The Dark Tower]] series (and a lot of other books by Stephen King), there exists a (kinda )subtle type of magic, and along with it a type of Glamour. Used quite often to veil [[Eldritch Abomination
* In [[Sword of Truth]] books, Witch Women like Shota or Six do this unconsciously, and sometimes unintentionally, to those around them.
* In Shannara books, (namely the Sword of Shannara), a siren uses a glamour to appear as a beautiful woman sitting by a tree just before the tree eats a hapless traveller.
* ''[[Star Trek: New Frontier]]'': The Selelvian race has a form of Glamour that's called "The Knack". They claim it only makes a person do what they really want to do, but it is eventually shown that they can make others do what ''they'' want them to do. It doesn't work on nonbiological beings, so Morgan (a hologram) and Data (an android) are able to bust them, leading to an off-pages war.
* One of the original "Four Aces" in the ''Wild Cards'' series, Envoy, does this through pheromone control. HUAC finally makes him testify in a sealed booth.
* ''[[
* [[The Dresden Files]] makes a few mentions of fae folk casting a glamour, and says that all those 'glamorous' actresses in the world ''wished'' they could look like the fae.
** In addition to [[The Fair Folk]], there are the [[Our Vampires Are Different|vampires of the White Court]]. Lara Raith has such a powerful glamour that when she turns it up, just being anywhere nearby could be mind-breaking.
* All paranormals in [[Paranormalcy]] have some sort of glamour to hide their true features: [[Our Vampires Are Different|vampire]] glamours look normal to hide their shrivelled corpses; [[Our Werewolves Are Different|werewolves]] use them to hide their [[Eyes of Gold]] and wolf form on the full moon; and [[The Fair Folk|faeries]] use them to tone down their [[The Beautiful Elite|unbelievable good looks]].
* ''[[The Laundry Series]]'' has a glamour as a spell any mildly-skilled sorcerer can cast. They're ranked on a scale of one to five, with one being "cover up minor imperfections," three being "make a humanoid entity look perfectly human," and five being "instill outright worship." At one point, Bob buys an iPhone and silently curses to himself that someone at Apple must be casting class five glamours over them.
* In Tom Holt's J.W. Wells books, there is an entire department in J.W. Wells and Co. devoted to glamour. It is run by the [[The Fair Folk|The Fey]] and their biggest, highest-paying clients are celebrities and politicians who are looking for more publicity. The Fey and their part-human descendants are particularly good at "effective magic" which affects the viewer's mind and perceptions, while other types of magical beings prefer "practical magic", which changes the physical structure of things.
* Sheri Tepper's True Game series has certain characters who possess the talent of Beguilement, which makes the wielder seem more attractive and charismatic when it is used. Powerful Beguilers can make themselves seem irresistibly attractive even if their true bodies are deformed or disfigured.
* In Camille [[De Angelis]]'s Petty Magic, [[Witch Species|beldames]] can cast a variety of glamour spells that let them disguise their true age, take on someone else's face, etc. The older, more experienced ones have learned that while it can sometimes be fun to look younger and more attractive, the most useful glamours achieve the reverse effect-making one seem bland, boring to look at, and completely [[The Nondescript|inconspicuous]], which is particularly useful for anyone doing government work or espionage.
* Used the traditional way in [[Jonathan Strange
* [[The Shapeshifter]] series has illusions, persuasions and invisibility as types of glamour. A character not being vulnerable to two of these is a major plot point.
* Elves in the [[J. R. R. Tolkien]] franchise have a variation of this. This is used for magical cammies when the elves give out cloaks as a present. Another use is as effectively a magical DVD where elven bards show the stories they are singing about to their listeners. In the first case it is a tool of war and handed out by allies to be used as such. In the second it is entertainment and no deception at all is intended. That is different from the version where the fair folk use glamour to deceive mortals.
== Live Action TV ==
* In ''[[The 4400]]'', Graham Holt took the [[Applied Phlebotinum|Promicin shot]] and gained the ability to make anyone who walked within a certain distance of him to worship him and do anything he told them to. Eventually he had most of the city brainwashed, along with members of the Army and the police force. He could make them do anything, including violate the law. Also, his control didn't go away when the affected person left his vicinity. He was only stopped because {{spoiler|Jordan Collier}} took away his ability. (Why he didn't fall under Graham's power himself was never explained.)
* Jasmine on ''[[
* Simon the Likable from the ''[[
* On ''[[Stargate Atlantis]]'', a man called Lucius Lavin is able to take over Atlantis through the use of a Glamour potion. Unfortunately for Lucius, the potion doesn't work on people who can't breathe through their noses, so Colonel Sheppard and his head cold end up saving the city. Then, McKay gets hold of the potion [[Ho Yay|just in time for Sheppard (the only person not given the potion antidote) to get over his cold]].
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== Tabletop RPG ==
* In the ''[[Scion]]'' roleplaying-system, powers like these can be wielded by scions with high stats in Appearance (positive) and Charisma. Basically, they're either so unearthly beautiful that you cannot help but be smitten with them at first sight, or so incredibly charming that you'll be hanging on their every word. Having either of those stats maxed out (or, GM forbid, BOTH) puts you on a level where you can have this sort of effect on the very gods!
* A lot of splats in the ''[[
* ''[[
* Much like ''Scion'' which followed it, Novas in ''[[Trinity Universe (
* In ''[[
== Video Games ==
* Naminé in ''[[
* Male [[Ravens and Crows|Morrigi]] from ''[[Sword of the Stars]]'' have a sort of psychic glamour, allowing them to project an impossibly beautiful image of whatever species they're currently engaged with. Those images all possess wings, so a human might see a beautiful angel, for example.
** As [[All There in the Manual]] reveals, Female Morrigi have an opposite functioning Glamour that makes them look more fearsome and dangerous than they really are.
* Arguably the [[Knights of the Old Republic|Jedi Exile]] has this ability, pulling people in and getting them to do what they otherwise would not. It's ''much'' more pronounced if you use this power for evil, as your party members snap out of it after killing whoever you've set them against and react with horror.
* Presumably this is how the move Attract works in ''[[Pokémon]]''. If it hits an opponent of the opposite gender, they end up infatuated and may not be able to make a move. The effect wears off after the battle ends or the affected Pokémon is switched out.
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== Real Life ==
* This is how certain individuals who claim to be part-dragon justify the fact that no one else can see their supposed claws and scales. Insanity, perhaps, but a shared insanity if
* Hey, here's your dose of [[Paranoia Fuel]] today. Modern neurology, while advanced, isn't quite exact. Technically it wouldn't be defying modern neurological science for this to happen. Not paranoia fuel yet? well there's also a distinct lack of proof that this hasn't been done subconsciously by everyone you love.
** Oxytocin? If one could secrete it into the air...
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Mind Manipulation Tropes]]
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