Glamour Failure: Difference between revisions

* Physical defect (usually for [[Shape Shifter|Shapeshifters]], [[Cloning Blues|Clones]], [[Invasion of the Body Snatchers|Body Snatchers]], or [[Chest Monster|Chest Monsters]]). See [[Red Right Hand]].

** Fairies and demons trying to pass for human were traditionally betrayed by their tails or cloven hooves.

** [[Undeathly Pallor]] for those who are possessed by ghosts, are turning into a zombie, or are vampires.

* Mildly pronounced fangs (not huge, but big enough for the [[Wolf Man]] and vampire to stand out; compare [[Cute Little Fangs]]).

 

== Films -- Live Action ==

* ''[[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 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.

*** 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?

* In Breaking Dawn of the ''[[Twilight (novel)|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 Faerie Tales]]'' 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

** In the novel ''[[Discworld/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.

*** Also wizards, who are trained to see things as they really are (much harder than seeing what isn't there).

** In ''[[Discworld/Lords and Ladies|Lords and Ladies]]'', those who get close enough to [[The Fair Folk|the elves]] or who are wearing or carrying enough iron can see through the glamour they cast and notice that they look... well, ''alien''. Dwarfs, trolls and animals (such as everyone's favourite sentient orangutan, The Librarian) get this ability for free. Dwarfs and trolls go into "crush, kill, destroy" mode on sight of an elf. Whether this is an ability that all Dwarves are born with, a side effect of their intense hatred of elves, or a result of the armor they're typically clad in is up for debate.

* Computers -- [[Magical Computer|whether they run on magic like Hex or not]] -- aren't easy to fool in any of [[Terry Pratchett]]'s works; even if it's just a throwaway line, they ''will'' see through glamour and respond appropriately. Specific examples include a military base's automated security system raising the alarm when Death and company enter an off-limits section in ''[[Good Omens]]'', or a computer chitchatting with [[Santa Claus]] in a short story.

* 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 [[Glamour Failure]] is not that surprising.

* A variation of this shows up in Mike Resnick's science fiction novel ''[[Santiago: A Myth of The Far Future]]'', although that is more due to a lack of knowledge on the villain's part. In order to kill the bounty hunter Sebastian Nightingale "Songbird" Cain, the assassin Altair of Altair somehow makes him hallucinate that he is back on his home planet of Sylaria being asked by someone he cared about to help her across a brook (as a lure to get Cain close enough to Altair for her to stab him). At the last moment, he shoots her and tells her corpse, "There aren't any brooks on Sylaria." Apparently Altair [[Did Not Do the Research]].

* In the ''[[Warhammer 40000]]'' universe, daemonhosts (a daemon [[Sealed Evil in a Can|sealed in the body of a human]] by means of occult rituals and symbols) generally resemble the person whose body they're possessing, but with distinct physical changes that identify them for what they are. For example, in the final ''[[Eisenhorn]]'' novel ''Hereticus'', Inquisitor Eisenhorn notes that while the daemon Cherubael has made all the usual physical alterations to its host body - small horns, glossy golden skin, blank eyes, and claws - the daemonhost still bears a chilling resemblance to {{spoiler|his old friend Godwyn Fischig}}.

** Another ''WH40k'' example: in the ''[[Gaunt's Ghosts]]'' novel ''Ghostmaker'', {{spoiler|an Eldar Farseer is manipulating the memories and perceptions of the Tanith First and Only, making them believe that they are back on their doomed homeworld, fighting for its survival}}. The illusion isn't perfect, however, as several characters get the sense that something is wrong, and eventually the glamour fails when {{spoiler|mildly psychic teenager Brin Milo looks at a disguised Eldar warrior through the appropriately-named "Mad" Larkin's [[See-Thru Specs|sniper scope]], revealing that the tall, thin "Tanith" with white and red hair is in fact a [[Super Soldier|Dire Avenger Aspect Warrior]]}}.

* 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.

* Although in ''[[Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell]]'', [[The Fair Folk]] are [[The Beautiful Elite]], in some tales from the story collection set in the same universe ''The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories'', they and the other creatures they consort with are shown as actually being monstrous and their fabulous palaces are similarly an illusion hiding squalor.

** There are subtle hints in the few descriptions of Lost-hope in ''[[Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell]]'', for example, there are tapestries made of skin. It's never commented on and is probably quickly forgotten by the average reader.

* 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.

** 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|Muggles]] might walk right by a Red Court vampire without knowing about it, if a wizard did the same they'd at the least know ''something'' was up.

** 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.

** More broadly, sorcerers in Merlin are indistinguishable from 'Muggles' until they cast a spell, when their eyes flash gold.

** 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).

* In the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' episode "[[Doctor Who/Recap/S31 E06 The Vampires of Venice|The Vampires of Venice]]", the vampires cannot be seen in mirrors, are burned by the sun, and reveal [[Fangs Are Evil|scary fangs]] when they attack. {{spoiler|Turns out to be ''literal'' [[Glamour Failure]], as they are actually a race of non-humanoid [[Fish People]] called Saturnynians, using a "perception filter" to look human. However, the combination of actual reflection + perception filter confuses your mind, so it just doesn't see any reflection, the fangs is your subconscious warning your conscious mind of the danger, and they fear the dehydrating heat of the sun rather than the light, since they're, well ''fish''}}.

* In the ''[[Ultraviolet (TV series)|Ultraviolet]]'' series (not ''[[Ultraviolet (film)|Ultraviolet]]'', but also about vampires) they don't show up in mirrors, camera or film, they can't be heard in audio recordings, and when they captured one they found they were unable to even take a fingerprint from it.

* 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 [[Glamour Failure]], the vampiric "glamour" ability (akin to hypnosis) is completely ineffective on Sookie (what with her not being fully human and all).

** 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 ''[[Eberron]]'' sourcebook dedicated a section to "ways to spot a Changeling". The top causes of [[Glamour Failure]] are [[Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping|an incorrect accent]], incorrect clothing (the body might transform, but the clothes do not) and a lack of knowledge on local customs.

* In ''[[Exalted]]'', the Lunar Exalted are shapeshifters extraordinaire, but each one possesses a single animal feature -- its Tell -- that remains consistent regardless of what form it takes. The Tell is usually fairly subtle, such as an oddly-colored patch of hair or strange-looking eyes, but it does allow anyone who knows what he's looking for to identify the Lunar.

* Many of the [[Glamour Failure|Glamour Failures]] in ''[[Deadlands]]'' are exactly what one would expect from a series were [[All Myths Are True]]: silver repels even human-form werewolves, and so on. The series' most unique form of [[Came Back Wrong|revenant]], the Harrowed, bear most extensive discussion: they carry the [[Evil Smells Bad|smell of death]] everywhere they go, have a distinctly [[Evil Albino|pale complexion]], keep a [[Red Right Hand|scar from their cause of death]], and are prone to [[Evil-Detecting Dog|setting off]] nearby wildlife. If a lot of their giveaways make them sound like evil incarnate, it's worth remembering that even the [[Anti-Hero|nice]] [[Heroic Willpower|ones]] have a [[Jekyll and Hyde]] complex.

* 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.)

* The ''[[Dungeons and Dragons]]''-based [[Beat'Em Up]] ''Tower of Doom'' has a Displacer Beast as the boss of Fort Cruth. It does the species's traditional projecting-a-false-image... but a guard you meet just before the battle notes, "Why would two beasts only cast one shadow?" Indeed, the real one is the one with the shadow.

* ''[[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 with Fire|"BURN THE VAMPIRE!"]]

 

 

* In ''[[Dan and Mab's Furry Adventures]]'', the Cubi all possess powerful shape-shifting abilities, which obviously comes in handy [[Horny Devils|for many things]]. However, they all have a single "marking" on them that they cannot change -- and which also shows what clan they belong to. If you manage to spot such a mark, and happen to know what they mean, you'll both know that you're actually facing a Cubi -- and ''usually'' whether it's the kind that feasts on pain, terror and suffering, or the kind that feeds on lust, joy and happiness. Very handy for determining what your next response should be, really. Although make-up or clothing can conceal them, but only real clothing, not clothing made by shapeshifting.

* In ''[[Gunnerkrigg Court]]'', certain individuals are living Glamour Failure, who unconsciously dispel illusions by their very presence. Antimony is one such person, as her encounter with the ghost in the hospital showed.

* [http://headtripcomics.comicgenesis.com/d/20060622.html A very subtle one] in ''[[Head Trip]]''. Look at the teacher's shadow on the chalkboard.

* 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.

** 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]]'' 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.

{{quote|'''Beast Boy''': Do I hear an undercover mission coming on, 'cause I'm a master of disguise!

'''[[Deadpan Snarker|Raven]]''': Yeah, a green mongoose is gonna blend right in. }}