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[[File:NoReflectionVanHelsing.jpg|link=Van Helsing|frame|Vampires seldom reflect on the emptiness of their unlives.]]
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 [[Masquerade|live among and prey on humanity]] with impunity. But their supernatural (and at times [[
These flaws in their façade are usually mixed and matched. So [[Our Monsters Are Different|your mileage may vary]] depending on the critter:
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* 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 [[Shape Shifter|Shapeshifters]], [[Cloning Blues|Clones]], [[Invasion of the Body Snatchers|Body Snatchers]], or [[Chest Monster
** Fairies and demons trying to pass for human were traditionally betrayed by their tails or cloven hooves.
** Anyone who is [[Demonic Possession|demonically possessed]] will usually grow tiny horns or [[The Corruption|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.
** An injury (perhaps a scar) that was acquired in another form.
* Mildly pronounced fangs (not huge, but big enough for the [[Wolf Man]] and vampire to stand out; compare [[Cute Little Fangs]]).
* [[Pointy Ears|Pointed Ears]]. A staple of vampires, fairies and Vulcans (though these last ones [[Straw Vulcan|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.
* [[Eyes Never Lie|Unusual eyes]]: Red or yellow colored eyes, or [[Hellish Pupils|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 [[Hologram
** [[Living Shadow|Shadow moves on its own]] (a staple of vampires and ''really'' nasty critters; also of [[Peter Pan]]).
** [[The Shadow Knows|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/[[Twilight (
* [[Holy Burns Evil|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.<ref>One story had a man ward off a vampire with a ''credit card'' this way.</ref>
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{{examples}}
▲== Anime & Manga ==
* Anything made of silver burns vampires in ''[[Hellsing]]''.
** Seras Victoria burns herself when handling silver bullets in the second episode of the anime. Later in the same episode she jokes about burning herself with silverware. It's not clear if this is the case in the manga as well, since she always handles her silver bullets while wearing gloves.
* Subverted in the ''[[Ghost in
* The wolves in ''[[
* [[The Count of Monte Cristo]] in ''[[Gankutsuou]]'' appears blurry and out-of-focus in photographs, and his voice cannot be heard in audio recordings.
* Nanami Jinnai in ''[[El Hazard]]'' gains the ability to see through illusions. However, she sees ''completely'' through, meaning she doesn't notice there is an illusion in the first place: She simply [[I Thought Everyone Could Do That|assumes everybody sees what she's seeing]] until she blurts out something that tips them off.
* On ''[[Pokémon (
** In ''[[Pokémon: Zoroark: Master of Illusions]]'', [[Cunning Like a Fox|Zorua]] could disguise itself as a human, but its tail would always remain visible and it would hold its hands up in an odd position.
* Medusa in ''[[Soul Eater]]'' has a tendency to form slit-like pupils when feeling particularly sinister, often accompanied with a [[Slasher Smile]].
** And one of those 'snakes' of hers forming a forked tongue on one occasion. The above is all the more disturbing when she [[Grand Theft Me|possesses]] a little girl.
* Midway through ''[[
* A variation of this occurs early on in ''[[Harukanaru Toki no Naka
* ''[[
* Rin of ''[[
** His classmates' apparent obliviousness is eventually explained: {{spoiler|people with some form of demonic heritage aren't uncommon at all, even in the world of exorcists. The big issue with Rin isn't that he's the son of a demon -- it's that he's the son of ''Satan''.}}
== [[Comic Books]] ==
* In the [[Marvel Universe]], there have been various ways over the years to detect the shapeshifting Skrulls, including superhuman senses, telepathy, magic, and various devices. Also, [[This Was His True Form|death]]. However, as of the ''[[Secret Invasion]]'' storyline, the Skrulls have figured out ways to trick telepaths, magic users, and super-senses, leaving technology (e.g. 3-D Man's special goggles) and improvised tactics (e.g. [[
== Comics ==▼
▲* In the [[Marvel Universe]], there have been various ways over the years to detect the shapeshifting Skrulls, including superhuman senses, telepathy, magic, and various devices. Also, [[This Was His True Form|death]]. However, as of the ''[[Secret Invasion]]'' storyline, the Skrulls have figured out ways to trick telepaths, magic users, and super-senses, leaving technology (e.g. 3-D Man's special goggles) and improvised tactics (e.g. [[Ms. Marvel (Comic Book)|Ms. Marvel]] shooting a whole crowd with a low-level energy blast strong enough to knock down the humans and leave the Skrulls standing).
** And then Reed figures out a way to reveal the Skrulls ''anyway''. Guess he's not so [[Reed Richards Is Useless|useless]] after all.
* Komodo from ''Avengers: The Initiative'' must maintain some level of consciousness to keep her transformation, otherwise she reverts back to her true form. She does exactly this in one issue when she accidentally falls asleep in front of her teammate Hardball. Inverted in that she's an attractive young woman in her true form, while transformed she's a lizard...thing. But played straight in that {{spoiler|in her human form, she has no legs}}.
* An interesting example is Mrs. Vashti, a.k.a. "Spell Syrin", one of the teachers of ''[[
** In that vein, Girl (Varied Number) from the ''Top Ten'' comic book series uses her color control over her android body to fake clothing. Too bad her commanding officer, a sentient dog, is colorblind. Punching ensues.
* In ''[[
==
* In ''[[
* [[Megamind]]'s holo-watch allows him to look like anyone it scans beforehand. However, he, apparently, forgot to waterproof it. It also shuts off if he bumps it by accident.
** Also, while not noticed by any of the characters, his eye color remains the same no matter which form he takes.
* In [[John Carpenter]]'s ''[[They Live!]]'' (1988), aliens use a mind-controlling satellite signal to appear human, cloaking themselves from the eyes of Mankind while they take over governments and corporations. A resistance movement forms when someone creates [[Cool Shades|special sunglasses]] that can filter out the signal before it reaches the brain and allows the wearer to see the aliens as they truly are.▼
* ''[[The Shadow]]'' (1994) with [[Alec Baldwin]] as Lamont Cranston a.k.a. the mysterious Shadow, the titular character of this movie screen comic book adaption. His powers of deception, mind control and telekinesis are clearly [[Psychic Powers]], the result of a [[Training
▲* In [[John Carpenter]]'s ''[[They Live]]'' (1988), aliens use a mind-controlling satellite signal to appear human, cloaking themselves from the eyes of Mankind while they take over governments and corporations. A resistance movement forms when someone creates [[Cool Shades|special sunglasses]] that can filter out the signal before it reaches the brain and allows the wearer to see the aliens as they truly are.
▲* ''[[The Shadow]]'' (1994) with [[Alec Baldwin]] as Lamont Cranston a.k.a. the mysterious Shadow, the titular character of this movie screen comic book adaption. His powers of deception, mind control and telekinesis are clearly [[Psychic Powers]], the result of a [[Training From Hell]] by an ancient mysterious Asian mentor. Only two people can see through his hypnotic deception: his arch-enemy who has similar mental powers (and who can hide whole buildings from the eyes of passers-by), and the [[Mad Scientist's Beautiful Daughter|professor's blonde daughter]] who is a latent psychic herself and who catches a glimpse of The Shadow when she meets Cranston.
** Cranston also lands himself in hot water twice when the villains circumvent his ability to cloud mens' minds. The first time happens in Dr. Lane's lab when one of Shiwan's men begins shining a flashlight around the room, discovering him when the light falls on him and makes him cast a shadow. The second time happens when he tracks down Farley Claymore to a pressure testing chamber, thinking he's been brainwashed into helping Shiwan; the latter starts filling the tank with water, and spots Cranston by looking for signs of water flowing around a person's legs. He ends up getting shot on both occasions.
* In ''[[X-Men (
* The T-1000 in ''[[Terminator]] 2'' could imitate anything it touched, within certain limitations. However, when it's to hot, its mimicking technology got a bit... twitchy. Beyond that, your only clues are his precise movements from the [[Uncanny Valley]] Acting School, and a [[Bluff the Impostor]] moment when he's imitating John's foster mother.
** Early Terminators could be recognized by [[Evil-Detecting Dog|man's best friend]], and because of that the T-800 has an organic coating.
*** No, early Terminators had rubber skin and could be easily recognized. The ones with the organic coating are recognized by dogs due to their smell.
*** The dog trick works on the T-1000 as well.
* In ''[[Phantom of the Paradise]]'', Swan's lackeys always make sure that he's never photographed or filmed. It's revealed that {{spoiler|years ago he made a [[Deal
* In the ''[[Blade]]'' movies, the Glamour Failure ends up being needed. If you are a certain vampire's pet, you gets a tattoo so other vampires knows not to eat you. This helps (and oddly hinders) Blade. And relatedly, despite getting all the good bits of vampire powers in his origin (durability mostly) he cannot detect if his adversary is a human with fake pointy teeth. This also comes back to bite him on the ass (pun intended).
* The page image from ''[[Van Helsing]]'' shows one of the common ways in which vampires can experience
** This was parodied in ''[[Dracula: Dead and Loving It]]'', where a big dance scene ends up being ridiculous when seen in a mirror, particularly when Dracula is spinning the woman in the air. To be fair she was doing quite well on her own.
* In the 1986 remake of ''[[The Fly]]'', Seth Brundle realizes just how badly he has already been transformed when the computerized teleportation pods refuse to recognize his voice.
* ''[[Blade Runner]]'': Replicants are identical to humans. The only reliable way to detect them is the Voight-Kampff test which monitors answers and subtle physical response to emotional questions.
** [[Fridge Logic|Apparently they can't be detected by the fact that they're immune to both extreme heat and extreme cold]].
*** That only really matters if you don't mind a test which kills the innocent while leaving the replicants themselves unharmed...
*** [[Morton's Fork|Dunk the Witch]] anyone?
** And apparently even though every scale of an artificial snake has the manufacturer's serial number on them, no-one thought about putting anything similar to much more dangerous humanoid replicants.
*** The humanoid replicants, being sentient and intelligent, will just find a way to remove them. Also, it is stated in the book that the company who makes them are trying to make replicants that are indistinguishable from humans.
* In ''[[
{{quote|
** I think it's more because of what she was [[Naughty Tentacles|DOING with said tentacles]] that grossed him out.
* In ''[[Thor (
== [[Literature]] ==▼
* In ''Breaking Dawn'' of the ''[[Twilight (
* In the ''[[Modern Faerie Tales
* In [[Fighting Fantasy]], the true nature of [[Plant People|mandrakes]] — shapeshifters that pose as people — can only be revealed with a mirror.▼
* [[Discworld]]:
** The [[Discworld]] gods, despite their reality-altering powers, cannot change their eyes. Said eyes always reveal something about their true nature.
** In the novel ''[[
▲== Literature ==
▲* In Breaking Dawn of the ''[[Twilight (Literature)|Twilight]]'' series, when {{spoiler|the vampiric Bella meets Charlie for the first time after having been turned}} Alice tells her that {{spoiler|she should wear contact lenses so Charlie doesn't notice the difference in her eye-colour, but the lenses would only work for a few hours before the venom in her eyes disintegrated them, after which she'd have to change lenses.}}
▲* In the ''[[Modern Tales of Faerie]]'' one of the characters in [[Valiant]], Ravus (a troll) explains that no glamor is perfect and some trait of the faerie remains e.g cloven hooves or tails or backwards feet.(in his case he still has black and gold eyes). In [[Tithe]] Kaye see's her true unglamored reflection in a mirror briefly later explained when Roiben said glamor could be seen through out of the corner of your eye
▲* The [[Discworld]] gods, despite their reality-altering powers, cannot change their eyes. Said eyes always reveal something about their true nature.
▲** In the novel ''[[Discworld (Literature)/Reaper Man|Reaper Man]]'', there's a scene where a child sees [[The Grim Reaper|Death]] in his true form as a skeleton man, whereas Death is able to make adults see him as human (or they at least convince themselves they aren't seeing a skeleton). Blacksmiths (even Death's horse needs shoeing) use blindfolds when the time comes. Knowing Death is hanging around is a pretty scary proposition.
*** Death's glamour relies on a forced augmentation of the normal human [[Weirdness Censor]]: he convinces a person that they cannot possibly be seeing what they are, and so the brain makes up imagery that fits this impression. People who have a reason to see through the illusion or who already know what they're looking at aren't fooled.
*** And cats.
*** Also wizards, who are trained to see things as they really are (much harder than seeing what isn't there).
** In ''[[
*** The Glamour of the Elves is an active power they must concentrate on to keep it working. If you knock an elf unconscious, the Glamour vanishes.
* Computers
* In Nathaniel Hawthorne's story ''Feathertop'', the title character is a scarecrow with a pumpkin for a head who, due to a witch's spell, is made to appear as an elegant nobleman. When he first goes into public, adults are praising him, but it's mentioned that a small child "keeps babbling about a pumpkin." Later, Feathertop sees himself in a mirror and realizes he's not human and can no longer live with himself.
* In the ''[[Chronicles of Thomas Covenant]]'', no shapeshifter can change [[Red Right Hand|their eyes, which may be highly unnatural in color.]] On that basis, occasional
* In Robert Bloch's story "Shadow from the Steeple", which is a sequel to H.P Lovecraft's "Haunter in the Dark", the protagonists confronts the man he believes to be possessed by the god Nyarlatotep, noting that his skin has turned darker. The man explains this has been caused by exposure to radiation (he was a nuclear physicist), but when the protagonists doesn't believe him, he turns off the lights, causing his body to glow with unnatural light, and causing the protagonists to die of heart attack.
* A variation of this shows up in Mike Resnick's science fiction novel ''[[Santiago:
* In the ''[[Warhammer
** In [[Dan Abnett]]'s ''[[Brothers of the Snake]]'', a squad of marines finds themselves fighting foes that can ''only'' be seen with the naked eye; all their equipment will not recognize them. They bare their faces and win, though several die because of the vulnerability. Later, a Chaos daemon infiltrates a Chapter House. After one Marine recognizes it and kills its host, it escapes, but a second one manages to recognize it. (It also manages to make the rest of the House believe that the first Marine was raving in his cell, but the second one manages to see that in fact, the man is sitting there quietly, and talks with him.)
** Another ''WH40k'' example: in the ''[[
* In [[Stephen King]]'s story "The Ten O'Clock People" (found in ''Nightmares & Dreamscapes''), only very light smokers can see the "batpeople" who are steadily taking over. Non-smokers and heavier smokers alike simply see humans where the titular group sees the monsters.
* There isn't any real way to tell that Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are the same person (other than [[It Was His Sled]] anyway), but they do have the same handwriting in the original novel.
* Although in ''[[Jonathan Strange
** There are subtle hints in the few descriptions of Lost-hope in ''[[Jonathan Strange
* Several stories in C.B. Colby's ''Strangely Enough'' feature animals detecting the unusual and supernatural. "Black Knight of Canterbury" has a dog detecting the passing of a ghostly knight, and in "The Frightened Dog" the title animal detects the approach of a weird threat before the humans he's with do.
{{quote|
* [[Rod Serling|Rod Serling's]] ''[[The Twilight Zone]]'' anthology, story "The Avenging Ghost". A Great Dane named Duke is able to detect and see the ghost of his dead master before the humans with him can.
* In Carrie Vaughn's ''[[Kitty Norville]]'' series, dogs can detect lycanthropes. Said dogs are not of the [[Evil-Detecting Dog|evil detecting variety]], since they go berserk [[Dark Is Not Evil|even in the presence of the titular heroine]].
* The main character of ''Peter Schlemihls wundersame Geschichte ("Peter Schlemihl's Remarkable Story")'' [[Deal
* Rather inverted in ''[[The Obsidian Trilogy
* In ''[[The Moorchild]]'', one can see through the [[Fair Folk]]'s glamour by applying Folkish ointment to the eyes.
* While her whole glamour was probably much more extensive than that, Lena in ''[[Night Watcher]]'' is outed as a vampire when her lover notices that she reeks of blood as soon as her mind control fades.
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* In the [[Twelve Houses]] series, moonstones burn the skin of and temporarily take powers away from (most) mages, such as showing a shapeshifter in his/her true form. This is a problem where mages aren't liked very much and gets the heroes in big trouble on occasion. Senneth is powerful enough that she actually wears moonstones, though she ''is'' weakened by them.
* Mac from the ''[[Fever Series]]'' can see through any Fae's glamour. It's just one of the reasons they're so eager to kill her.
* In a series as heavy on the supernatural as ''[[The Dresden Files]]'', it's only natural for this trope to show up on occasion.
** Vampires of the Red Court can be forced to drop their flesh mask by exposing them to True Sunlight, presumably because they can't maintain the focus to keep it up.
** When a vampire of the White Court is about to be controlled by it's Hunger, silvery flecks show in their eyes.
** Faerie glamour can be seen through by a wizard's Sight or by using magical ointment on your eyes. Or you can just throw a nail at the fairie in question and watch them drop anything and everything to get away from it; even the strongest of faeries are vulnerable to iron's touch, which breaks through their magic and burns on contact.
** As per the RPG rulebook, anyone with some magical talent gets some sensitivity toward others' supernatural natures, particularly with physical contact. While [[Muggle
** Most non-human creatures don't have souls, allowing a wizard who looks in their eyes to know they're not human, even if they can't tell exactly what they are.
* In [[Robert E. Howard]]'s [[Conan the Barbarian]] story "The Scarlet Citadel", Pelias scares away a giant snake by letting it look at him. Conan is very afraid that it was an [[Evil-Detecting Dog|evil-detecting snake]].
{{quote|
* An auditory example: in the third novel of ''[[Sentou Yousei Yukikaze]]'', JAM prevented humans from perceiving machines. Rei realized this when he heard the noise cancellation system emitting anti-phase engine noise.
* [[Deltora Quest|Ols]] can be identified by the mark of the Shadow Lord somewhere on there bodies, and by their form wavering once every three days. Inverted for Grade 3 Ols, whose shape shifting is perfect enough that they even die like humans.
* At least once in ''[[
** In the [[Animorphs (TV series)|TV series]], controllers would often be betrayed by their habit of ear-scratching, but this did not appear in the books.
** Also, when Marco morphs the wolf spider, he can see through the Chee hologram due to the spider's ultraviolet-capable vision. Before this, they key in on Erek because their dog morphs smell absolutely no scent at all on him.
** Controllers can often be picked out by the revulsion and hatred in their voices and actions when they or someone else says "Andalite!" The kids can't reveal that they know what an Andalite ''is,'' so this is never used as a means of picking bad guys out of a crowd. In fact, a Controller once says "Andalite" to see if one of the kids was an Andalite infiltrator (the Controllers think they're looking for Andalites and not humans. The heroes would ''very much'' like to keep it that way.) but she seamlessly replies that yes, more lighting would be good.
* In ''[[Paranormalcy]]'', Evie's main ability is that she can see underneath paranormal creatures' glamours. She sees both their glamour and their real self.
*
▲== Live Action TV ==
* Several villains on ''[[Are You Afraid of the Dark?]]?'':▼
▲* ''[[Battlestar Galactica Reimagined (TV)|Battlestar Galactica Reimagined]]'': Humanoid Cylons are very difficult to detect in isolation, but once more than a few get together it gets much easier as there are many copies, but only twelve "models". Their very existence is sniffed out this way by Helo in Season 1, and again by Kendra Shaw in the movie. {{spoiler|Although five models exist as individuals without additional copies.}}
▲* Several villains on ''[[Are You Afraid of the Dark]]?'':
** ''The Tale of the Mystical Mirror'': A woman who killed young girls in a ritual to keep herself eternally young and beautiful looked like an old hag (and so did her portraits) in mirrors. Hence why one girl wondered while visiting her house, "How can you be so vain and not have a mirror in your bathroom?"
*** Clearly taken from the folklore surrounding Transylvanian (Romanian) Countess Erzebet (Elizabeth) Bathory.
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** One episode of ''[[Quantum Leap]]'' had Sam leap into the body of a madman who fancied himself a vampire, in order to protect a young woman from being killed by the vampire cult. Throughout the episode, Sam scoffs at the existence of vampires, until just before he leaps out; he finally sees a mirror, only to find that he has no reflection.
** In another episode, a police psychic was able to see the real Sam after awhile, meaning she is either insane or the real deal.
* The [[Telenovela]] ''La Mujer en el Espejo'' ("The Woman in the Mirror") is about a homely woman who finds a magic mirror that gives her a beautiful
* ''[[
** Faith mentioned being able to tell if Angel was anywhere in a building, so it works pretty well for her. Apparently Buffy just has the sensitivity of a brick given the number of times vampires have been able to get right up to her (or on one occasion, ''make out with her'') without being detected.
** Some of the classic tropes also apply in the Buffyverse. Vampires, for example, don't cast reflections (prompting Willow to ask Angel at one time, "How do you shave?"). They also have a tendency to shift into their [[Game Face]] when emotional. Also, only children or people suffering from infections could see Die Kinderstod in the episode "Killed by Death".
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** On Angel, a [[Genre Savvy]] vampire actually makes sure to keep all mirrors out of their surroundings to avoid this. Unfortunately for him, this, along with the heavy curtains and slightly suspicious behavior, causes the even more [[Genre Savvy]] Cordelia to figure out exactly what he is.
* The Rakshasa are featured in ''[[Kolchak the Night Stalker]]''. This variation could appear as someone its victim trusted and/or loved; it could be repelled by the Swastika, which was a sacred symbol long before Nazi Germany co-opted it. This version was the direct inspiration for the ''D&D'' version, being vulnerable to a blessed crossbow bolt.
* The first episode of ''[[Merlin (TV series)|Merlin]]'' uses the mirror variant with a vengeful crone who kills an esteemed guest of Camelot and takes her form.
** More broadly, sorcerers in Merlin are indistinguishable from 'Muggles' until they cast a spell, when their eyes flash gold.
* Used several times in ''[[Supernatural (TV series)|Supernatural]]''. Mainly the true reflection variant (such as the Changelings, or the Siren). Occasionally, they'll thrown in the physical defect variant (the "flip-to-silver" eyes for the shapeshifters, a retractable layer of fangs for vampires.) But since most of the characters in the show ''hunt'' these nasties, they also have several tests, just in case. For starters, iron and [[Holy Burns Evil|holy water]] are pretty good indicators that a baddie is about.
** Bobby actually uses these tests on Dean after the latter {{spoiler|gets out of Hell}}, just to make sure Dean is, in fact, Dean. Bobby, being a [[Crazy Prepared]] [[Badass]] offers everyone he thinks ''might'' be a demon a shot of holy water, or, if he's certain, gives them a beer with holy water in it. He does this test to Sam in ''Born Under a Bad Sign'' {{spoiler|(he's possessed)}} and Ellen in ''All Hell Breaks Loose'' {{spoiler|she's not}}.
* ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]'''s brand of Changelings, the Founders, are liquid beings that can perfectly mimic any object (though some, like Odo, can't get the faces right). In later years, the only way for the Federation to scope out a Founder is through blood tests, as any material drawn from a changeling reverts back to its own natural liquid state (that looks very different from blood).
* ''[[The X-Files]]'' episode "The Unnatural" is about an alien who falls in love with baseball, taking on the form of a Negro player in 1947 Roswell. At one stage while he's asleep another character sees his true [[The Greys|Grey alien face]] reflected in the window of the bus they're traveling on. The image disappears when he wakes up.
* In the ''[[
* In the ''[[Ultraviolet (TV series)|Ultraviolet]]'' series (not ''[[Ultraviolet (
* [[Monster of the Week]] Primator from ''[[Mighty Morphin Power Rangers]]'' had the ability to assume the form of any Ranger, but would be forced out of it when he looked at his reflection.
* In the ''[[True Blood]]'' season 4 opener, Sookie finds herself in the Fairy Realm, which looks like a beautiful garden filled with young, attractive people, all of whom are either faries or [[Half Human Hybrids|fairy/human hybrids]], like Sookie herself. After Sookie realizes that the "light fruit" is a trap for the hybrids (anyone who has tasted it can never return to the human world), she blasts the fairy queen with her light powers. Suddenly, the garden turns into a desolate landscape, and the fairies reveal their true appearance - that of goblin-like creatures with sharp teeth, pointy ears, and claws. Apparently, the queen was the one who maintained the illusion of a paradise.
** Also, in a literal case of
* The supernatural beasties in ''[[Grimm (TV)|Grimm]]'' reveal their [[Game Face]] when excited or caught off-guard. Even then, ordinary people still perceive the human disguise; only the eponymous line of monster hunters can detect the
* ''[[
** Nick and the other vampires had typical vampire reactions to sunlight, garlic, crosses (though Nick could hold one for a few moments due to a built up tolerance)ect. Nick wasn't supposed to show up in a mirror, but budget limitations led to occasions where it was said his humanity let him show up in the mirror.
* ''[[Highlander (TV series)|Highlander]]'': The buzz that one immortal felt from the presence of another nearby.
* Cole in ''Tracker'' could sense the life force of another alien if they were close enough. Varied with hybrids, though, Mel was part Cirronian but though Cole seemed to have suspected, he couldn't pick up on her life force. Also could be impared if he was too close to lodestone.
* In ''[[Outer Limits]]'' "First Anniversary", two stranded female aliens who look, smell, and feel horrible to human senses and sensibilities, decided to mimic humans to cope with their loneliness. By using their [[Psychic Powers]], they could make themselves look and act like any man's ideal woman. Unfortunately, humans develop an immunity to their powers after a year of close contact, and the men inevitably go insane when they realize their wives' true nature. By the end of the episode, "Ady's" glamour no longer works on her husband who is last seen strapped to a gurney on the way to a mental hospital. In the final scene she already has her sights set on her ex's best friend and has already taken a new form to appeal to his tastes.
== [[Oral Tradition]], [[Folklore]], Myths and Legends ==
* [[Older Than Print]]: In Japanese mythology, a [[Kitsune]]'s (fox's) human-disguise is often revealed because:
** A Kitsune cannot hide its real eyes in reflections.
** A young, inexperienced, drunk, or just plain careless kitsune may accidentally reveal its fox ears or tail(s); this seems to show up especially often in anime.
** Kitsune are said to be incapable of saying "moshi moshi", which
* [[Norse Mythology|Odin]] gave up one of his eyes for wisdom. He usually is unable to fully conceal this.
** Loki has less luck, however, with his [[Kaleidoscope Eyes]].
* In Jewish, Russian, and some other folktale traditions, demons and vampires had bird feet which they couldn't conceal no matter what form they took.
* There is a story about the Welsh Saint Collen who entered a fairy castle at the behest of its king. He was invited to a banquet there, but wisely refused to eat, remarking that the food was only tree leaves. When the king asked what he thought of the red and blue garments worn by the castle servants, Collen said that the red signified the side being burnt and the blue signified the side being frozen. He then poured holy water on the ground, causing the castle to vanish.
* In Swedish folklore, trolls, sorcerers and the Devil can ''förvända synen'' -- "warp the sight"
* According to some Arabic folklore, [[Our Ghouls Are Creepier|Ghouls]] can change form except for their telltale hooves.
* In [[Celtic Mythology]] The Morrígan tried to interfere 3 times during one of Cú Chulainn's fights in an attempt to make him lose. Each time in a different form, and each time she sustained an injury. At some point after the fight Cú Chulainn encounters an old woman with those injuries and heals her because she gave him milk. Of course Cú Chulainn didn't know it was Morrígan when he healed her.
== [[Tabletop Games]] ==▼
* In ''[[
▲== Tabletop Games ==
** In ''[[
▲* In ''[[Changeling: The Lost (Tabletop Game)|Changeling: The Lost]]'', the Mask that disguises changelings as mortals always shows some small hint of their true nature and appearance. This gets worse as they become more powerful -- the most powerful, although still human in appearance, look decidedly ''off'', and are unlikely to be able to go anywhere without drawing unwanted attention. Also, certain people can sometimes see through the Mask -- the insane, those who are high, [[Tomato in The Mirror|fetches]], very young children, people with certain forms of brain damage... it's not a sure thing, though. Furthermore, a changeling's shadow '''always''' shows hints of their true nature -- if you were turned into a mountain goat, your shadow's going to show horns, even if you strengthen the Mask to the point that even other Changelings can't see through it, or use Contracts (Fae magic) to appear as something or someone else entirely. Fortunately, the shadow only looks 'off' to other fae or creatures that can see through the Mask, not to everyone in general.
** Vampires in ''[[
▲** In ''[[Promethean: The Created (Tabletop Game)|Promethean: The Created]]'', Prometheans appear human, but other people can sense that there's something ''wrong'' about them on a deep, fundamental level. This feeling can build over time until the point where a lynch mob is forming. It gets worse when a Promethean uses their innate powers around another person, because then the glamour fails utterly and they can see the Promethean in their true form - an animated corpse.
** Vampires in ''[[
▲** Vampires in ''[[Vampire: The Requiem (Tabletop Game)|Vampire: The Requiem]]'' typically leave blurry images in mirrors, photos, and films though they can usually make the image look normal by focusing their will. The Hollow Embraces never leave any reflection of after- image at all.
▲** Vampires in ''[[Vampire: The Masquerade (Tabletop Game)|Vampire: The Masquerade]]'' do not have any problems with cameras barring any supernatural Flaws that do something about it. However the Lasombra either don't leave images on cameras and mirrors, or they have a weird abnormality which means their reflection is that of what they would really look like if they weren't turned into vampires: usually a rotting corpse or a walking skeleton.
*** Also in ''Masquerade'', the Obfuscate Discipline (which either makes the user invisible or appear to be someone else) is generally ineffective against cameras or other mechanical sensors.
** In ''[[
* The tiger-like Rakshasa in ''[[Dungeons
** This has varied over the years from the hands being upsidedown to the palms being on the wrong side. i.e. the left and right hands were switched. Another version from the spinoff parody ''Dungeon Hack'' described their hands as being upsidedown and switched, so that the palms faced inward, but the thumbs were on the bottom and the pinkies on top. This is the only version where the palms faced inward.
* ''D&D'' also brings us the "Changelings", a sort of doppleganger/human hybrid who can appear like any sort of humanoid they wish. However, a ''true seeing'' spell will easily reveal their true form. For the record, they're grey, with gangly and slightly off proportion limbs, white eyes, and only the slightest indication of a nose and mouth. [[This Was His True Form|They also turn back if killed]].
** Infant changelings are also unable to maintain a fake appearance while asleep, returning to their true form. There are also certain size and mass limitations for a changeling's transformation.
** An article on Changelings in one ''[[
** While vampires of [[Dungeons
* In ''[[
** Also in ''Exalted'', Solars have a awareness charm that make them ignore glamour as if it were not there.
* Many of the
* In the ''[[Shadowrun]]'' universe, mages have to learn and cast a more difficult (reflected in drain rating) version of illusions if they wish them to fool electronic sensors too. (Cybereyes don't count because they are bought by the owner's essence.)
▲* In ''[[Fighting Fantasy]]'', the true nature of [[Plant People|mandrakes]] — shapeshifters that pose as people — can only be revealed with a mirror.
* In the first [[Dream Sequence]] of ''[[Lady in The Dark]]'', Liza Elliott dreams of herself as a wealthy, glamorous lady in blue. As in her dream she is a renowned celebrity with legions of admirers, she can hardly refuse to allow her portrait to be painted. When the portrait is unveiled, it shows Liza as the austerely dressed, neurotic magazine editor she really is. Consternation ensues.▼
== [[Theatre]] ==
▲* In the first [[Dream Sequence]] of ''[[Lady in
== [[Video Games]] ==
* In ''[[The Legend of Zelda:
** Which makes it very odd that, when you first rescued her from the dungeon, she asked "Please, take me outside."
* In ''[[Phantasy Star Online]]'', in the Seabed area, there are robot enemies that are usually invisible. However, you can see their reflections in the water and reflective surfaces that are usually common throughout the area, making it possible to attack them. Also, using a lightning spell will short out the invisibility for some time.
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* In the [[Kingdom Hearts]] series, the screen tends to fill with TV static when {{spoiler|artificially-made memories start to fail}}.
* Bart Simpson can see through the aliens disguises with X-ray specs in ''Bart Vs. The Space Mutants''.
* In ''[[
** In ''[[Paper Mario (
* In ''[[Devil May Cry]]'', when Dante and Vergil's father Sparda took human form, his shadow remained shaped like a demon.
* ''[[Bayonetta]]'' features a similar example to ''[[Devil May Cry|DMC]]'' in that her physical form is always the normal but her cast shadow will display her butterfly wings that she uses to double-jump.
* Spies in ''Team Fortress 2'' have both an invisibility watch and a disguise kit. The invisibility will flicker if the spy is shot or if someone runs into them, and the disguise will fail if they use their gun or knife. If an enemy pyro lights a spy on fire, the disguise and cloak are maintained, but they are completely worthless as friendly players cannot be lit on fire, and the player is clearly a spy once they're on fire.
** Plus, ya know, the whole "burning to death" thing.
* Next time you fight a [[Demonic Spiders]] in ''[[God Hand]]'', take a look at the other [[
* In ''[[Metroid Prime]] 3'', Samus' ship refuses to let her back in because the [[Toxic Phlebotinum]] has overwritten her DNA to the point that she isn't even classifiable as a [[Half-Human Hybrid]] anymore.
* There's a point in ''[[Okami]]'' where you must encounter a creepy old couple. Pull them into the moonlight and their shadows reveal that they're demons. Though due to their creepy and somewhat disturbing demeanor, it's not that much of a surprise when they reveal themselves. In fact, it makes more sense.
* Scotia in ''[[Lands of Lore]]: The Throne of Chaos'' possesses a magical ring that allows her to take any form she wants. The only thing she can't disguise is her eyes, which are always yellow. On several occasions, she uses this ability to try and trick the player.
* The ''[[Dungeons
* ''[[Skyrim]]'': The more a vampire feeds, the less powerful they are but also the more normal looking they appear. If the player becomes one, going one or two days without feeding and people start noticing odd things like how pale your skin is or your creepy eyes. On day three you suffer catastrophic glamour failure and most NPCs will start shouting [[Kill It
** Werewolf players also have minor glamour failures according to guard banter. "Is that... fur? Coming out of your ears?" or "Tending your hounds? You smell like wet dog."
▲== [[Web Comics]] ==
* The protagonist of ''[
== Web Comics ==▼
▲* The protagonist of ''[http://www.magickitsune.com Fox Tails]'', Keen Kotaru, possesses a so-far unexplained ability to see through the Glamours of the various animal-spirits that are otherwise maintaining a [[Masquerade]] in our world. His ability to thus notice the remaining animal features of transformed spirits is what drives the plot, and allows him to effectively fight the evil spirits...
* In ''[[Errant Story]]'', the Elven Rangers who move around the world of men in search of 'Errants' (half-elves who frequently become psychotic) often uses glamours to disguise their elven nature. At one point, however, a young child can see through it, though her mother dismisses it...
* In ''[[Dan and
* In ''[[
* ''[[Last
** For [[Our Vampires Are Different|Vampire Djinn-si]], though, it's just part of their [[Game Face]] (though if you piss one off enough, you can still cause an [[Accidental Reveal]]).
* [http://headtripcomics.comicgenesis.com/d/20060622.html A very subtle one] in ''[[
* In ''[[Tales of the Questor]]'', the illusions of the Fae can be pierced by someone born with "the second Sight..." or by someone with the latent ability who daubs their eyes with elderflower balm or drinks elderberry wine.
* In ''[[
* The
* In the original [[The Slender Man Mythos|Slender
▲* The webnovel ''[[John Dies At the End]]'' tells the story of two college dropouts who discover and fight an otherworldly invasion after a chance run-in with a supernatural drug changes their perceptions forever. As a result, they see a lot of freaky stuff [[Invisible to Normals|invisible to everyone else]], but they also gain a lot of experience identifying subtle clues that ordinary people could notice if they paid attention. They learn mirrors can be used to circumvent certain illusions, religious symbols can be used to flush out and ward off evil, and household pets can be used to detect and identify paranormal beings.
▲* In the original [[The Slender Man Mythos|Slender man Mythos]], The Slenderman ''did'' have a face, but it did not show on cameras due to [[Glamour Failure|Glamour failure]]
* The French supervillain Mindscape, from the ''[[Global Guardians PBEM Universe]]'', avoids cameras as often as he can, because anyone viewing him on film or in photographs can instantly tell he's a deformed hunchback and not the GQ-quality supermodel-handsome man he uses his powers of illusion to pretend to be.
* In [http://www.scp-wiki.net/953-interview-a this] [[SCP Foundation]] interview, Agent █████ ███ ████ recounts his role in the retrieval of SCP-953. SCP-953 had glamour failure two times in this tale, the first of which was [[Invoked Trope|intentional]], as a way of luring the agents into a false sense of security.
== [[Western Animation]] ==▼
* Hilariously done on the children's show ''[[
▲== Western Animation ==
* ''[[
▲* Hilariously done on the children's show ''[[Count Duckula (Animation)|Count Duckula]]'', where the eponymous duck decides to redecorate the castle and one decorator hired does the place up in all windows. Since the duck is a vampire, he can't see himself in any of them.
▲* ''[[Batman Beyond (Animation)|Batman Beyond]]'': Whenever Derek Powers got angry, which was frequently, his powers would flare up and start to burn through his artificial skin, revealing that of the [[I Love Nuclear Power|radioactive]], [[Power Glows|glowing]] villain Blight. Actively using his powers for even a few seconds will completely shatter it, requiring him to have new skin grafted on. His inability to keep his skin on through the events of any given workday actually makes him a case of [[Blessed With Suck]].
** This worsens as he undergoes a [[Villainous Breakdown|figurative meltdown]], followed by a literal [[Superpower Meltdown|meltdown]] which left him apparently [[Killed Off for Real]].
* In ''[[The Grim Adventures of Billy
** The most notable
* In ''[[Samurai Jack]]'', anything Aku transforms into has the same black/green/red color scheme he does, and his true form shows up in reflections. He's clearly aware of this, as he doesn't use the power to try fooling Jack. Except for that one time he disguised himself as a beautiful woman and fooled Jack all the way till the end of the episode, when it was too late as Aku managed to destroy the [[MacGuffin]] Jack had spent the episode trying to locate. To be fair to Jack, this was the first time Aku had pulled this trick on him. When Aku tries it in a later episode, he gets thoroughly owned.
* While not a person, an episode of ''[[Justice League]] Unlimited'' has Hawkgirl discover a mine on a faraway planet was fake (and, thus, a trap) when the holographic shadows it cast from her [[Power Glows|glowing mace]] didn't follow the same direction of the other shadows the mace cast.
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** And there is the whole "In Blackest Night" episode, where John is tried for destroying a planet. The others notice the planet's sattelite is still orbiting it, find the holoprojector, and blast it apart, causing the planet to reappear right in front of the judges.
* In ''[[Code Lyoko]]'', XANAfied people and Polymorphic Specters can be recognized by their [[Mind Control Eyes|pupils turning into]] [[Hellish Pupils|"Eye of XANA" symbols]], or by their tendency of getting blurry with "static" from time to time. They can usually suppress this long enough to force a [[Spot the Imposter]] Check, though.
* ''[[X-Men: Evolution]]''
** Kurt's image inducer. Given that it really only needs the settings "off" and "on" was there really the need to give it so many options and make the off button so incredibly easy to press by accident? As the image inducer only makes him LOOK human, anyone who touches him can still feel his fur. In the comics, he uses it at least once to trick a villain. It could've been a set-up for future writers that just never got used.
** Quicksilver has his moments too. It's implied that being super-fast is his natural state and that it takes an effort to slow down to human pace, and, as such, he speaks slightly faster than any other character and often can't restrain his powers over small distances; for example, in his first appearance, when he zooms around Evan in the locker room ''before'' revealing himself more dramatically later on.
* ''[[The Simpsons (animation)|The Simpsons]]'' episode "Bart Sells His Soul" features a number of these: automatic doors don't open for soulless Bart, he can't fog up glass with his breath, he can't laugh, his eyes briefly turn cat-like as he performs a [[Hiss Before Fleeing]], etc.
* [[Teen Titans (
{{quote|
'''[[Deadpan Snarker|Raven]]''': Yeah, a green mongoose is gonna blend right in. }}
* The [[Christmas
* [[
** "The Invisible Mouse" has a variation; when Jerry renders himself invisible with invisible ink, Tom at one point is able to locate him when he sees his shadow. [[Fridge Logic|How an invisible body casts a shadow]] [[Rule of Funny|is never explained.]]
** Another episode with the same shtick had Jerry get coated in flour, thus rendering his invisibility useless.
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Evil Tropes]]
[[Category:Speculative Fiction Tropes]]
[[Category:
[[Category:Paranormal Tropes]]
[[Category:Index Failure]]
[[Category:Magic and Powers]]
▲[[Category:Trope]]
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