Humans Are Cthulhu: Difference between revisions

Humanity isn't always on the [[Puny Earthlings|low end of the cosmic totem pole]]. If a story takes the point of view of [[Talking Animal|animals]] or relatively weak or primitive non-humans, there'll be a [[Perspective Flip]] related to [[Clarke's Third Law]] where [[Humans Through Alien Eyes|modern humans]]—excuse us; '''''MAN''''' -- shall be seen as unnaturally and [[Humans Are Ugly|nauseatingly]] ''[[Eldritch Abomination|inconceivable]]''.

 

 

To meet this trope, the non-humans must consider either individual (completely normal) Man or the Man's civilization as a whole to be:

 

== Fan Works ==

* The sixth chapter of the ''[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic]]'' fanfic ''[http://www.fimfiction.net/story/1451/The-Monster-Mash The Monster Mash]'' manages to do this ''without humans existing in-universe''. {{spoiler|Twilight casts a spell to look through reality and [[Go Mad from the Revelation|goes mad from the revelation]] - screaming about how people nopony else can see are watching her. After Pinkie Pie, who's [[This Explains So Much|known about these watchers all along]], helps her come to terms with the situation, Twilight [[Breaking the Fourth Wall|breaks the fourth wall to address the reader]].}}

 

** Of course, the third book of the trilogy reveals that the talking box the nomes have been carrying around for thousands of generations is actually {{spoiler|an artificial intelligence inhabiting the command module of the main computer of the huge starship that the space-faring ancestors of modern day nomes arrived in on Earth. A ship that is still "parked" under the surface of the moon. Which makes the nomes of old an alien species.}}

** Fray, the destructive force of nature of which ''[[The Carpet People]]'' (by [[Terry Pratchett]]) live in constant fear, is presumably some human activity. Most likely footsteps, but it might be a hoover. Beyond that, humans are [[The Precursors]], given the entire world is inside a shaggy carpet and the major resources are metal from a dropped penny, wood and ash from a matchstick and rare varnish from the distant Achairleg.

** The fact that most '''actual''' ''[[Discworld]]'' gods can barely find their own noses without a mirror makes Wuffles' faith in his master even more justified.

* Alan Dean Foster's science fiction trilogy ''[[The Damned]]'' has two vast coalitions of aliens at war with each other for millenia across the Milky Way. One faction (the good-guy underdogs) discovers Earth and finds that compared to every other known intelligent species modern-day humans are unbelievably fast and strong and savage, both physically and psychologically (none of the other species is particularly good at the concept of "waging war"). They ultimately decide they have no choice but to recruit humanity to their cause anyway, knowing that once the war is won they'll have a very dangerous situation on their hands trying to figure out how to live safely with their allies.

** His short story ''With Friends Like These...'' takes a look at the theme from another angle. Ages ago, the old galactic civilization deemed humanity too dangerous and [[The Wall Around the World|sealed off Earth]] until it became a myth, but now aliens needs Mankind's skill at battle against another alien race. So a few representatives go to Earth, see a quiet pastoral culture relaxing in a hammock, and ask the "mythical creatures" to help. Cue the [[Freak-Out|little shock]] when aliens see {{spoiler|that humans are so calm because their hammock is [[Sufficiently Advanced Alien|too high]] on [[Abusing the Kardashev Scale For Fun and Profit|The Kardashev Scale]] to worry. Not only have humans evolved psionic powers and are in telepathic contact with various other mammalian species (which presumably they [[Uplift]]ed), not only is the whole planet filled with machinery and computers for miles below the surface, but ''the entire freaking planet Earth (with moon) breaks orbit to follow the aliens' starship''!}}.

* In ''[[Twokinds]]'', Humans regularly show up and enslave the [[Petting Zoo People]] after completely wrecking their towns. Humans also live about four times as long as they do (80–90 years to their 20-30), and can use Magic without relying on its crystallized form. The [[Petting Zoo People]] think that humans are devoid of mercy or compassion, and that they eat the ones who can't be used for slave labour. A Keidran's reaction to an average human is, understandably, just short of pants-shitting terror. However, some have figured out that humans are really just sparsely-furred sentient apes with a slow metabolism and [[Humans Are the Real Monsters|a mean streak]], and thus die just as good as anything else when you shoot them with poisoned arrows.

* ''[[Off White]]'': The wolf Gebo, upon seeing a human with a gun on a horse, interprets this as a two headed elk with a voice like thunder.

 

== Web Original ==

* Another /tg/ original, [[The Veil of Madness]], tells of how when humans finally achieved interstellar travel, they came across the remnants of countless alien civilizations, all of them having succumbed to madness and self destruction. Finally, when the make contact with non-insane aliens, they learn the truth. Humanity resides in a pocket of space that makes all sentient lifeforms within it go insane, yet humans are somehow immune. When the non-insane aliens see human ships coming out of their equivalent of the Bermuda triangle, they virtually crap their pants. The humans decide to play up their Cthulhu status, noting that it makes negotiations very easy and deters the aliens from attacking them. Funnily enough, humanity notes that the fact that they're essentially playing a galaxy-sized practical joke lends credence to the idea that they're actually a little crazy.

* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSER3yml1iM&feature=feedu This video.]

 

== [[Western Animation]] ==

== [[Real Life]] ==

* See the [[Humans Are Cthulhu/Fridge|Fridge]] page for more ideas.

* There's a theory that Centaurs (half-men, half-horses) were inspired by sights of the first horse-riding peoples who tore through Greece and terrorized the locals.

* Some Native Americans had legends about "pale skinned people who would come from the sea foam". As such, the European invaders were mistaken for these mythological people.

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Cosmic Horror Tropes]]

[[Category:Humans Are Indexed]]

[[Category:Nightmare Fuel Station Attendant]]

[[Category:Tropes of Hats]]