Infernal Paradise: Difference between revisions

 

== [[Film]] ==

** In fact they are usually summoned by someone "seeking the pleasures of heaven or hell, it doesn't matter which". They tend to change their mind about how much like a paradise that sounds after a couple of decades.

 

 

== [[Live Action Television]] ==

** [[Lampshade Hanging|Lampshaded]] and Subverted when [[Complete Monster|Spike]] decided to help the good guys save the world, because:

{{quote| '''Spike:''' We like to talk big, vampires do. 'I'm going to destroy the world.' It's just tough guy talk - strut round with your friends over a pint of blood. The truth is I like this world. You've got dog racing, Manchester United, and you've got people - billions of people walking around like Happy Meals with legs. It's all right here.}}

 

== [[Tabletop RPG]] ==

* [[White Wolf]]'s [[Old World of Darkness]] setting.

* ''[[Exalted]]'' has the whole hierarchy of death (the [[Eldritch Abomination|Neverborn]], their Deathlord servants, and the Abyssal Exalted) directed to follow the idea that the complete [[Cessation of Existence]] that would come about by feeding all of Creation into Oblivion would bring about eternal peace and bliss. This is mainly because the Neverborn themselves [[And I Must Scream|have been dealing with flesh-eating bacteria of the soul for millennia on end]], and can't pass on as long as Creation exists to fetter them to it. And even then, many of their Deathlord servants are in it for their own ends, with only three really preaching the blessed peace of Oblivion.

** This is also a strong theme of [[Social Darwinist|Cecelyne, the Endless Desert]], one of the [[Demon Lords and Archdevils|Yozis]], and thus passes on to her Infernal charges via her Charm set. As she wants those who follow her to be [[Dark Messiah|priests of a gospel of the strong over the weak]], many of her Charms rely around the creation of holy lands (by inflicting desolation on an area) and the production of manna from heaven (in the form of delicious locusts that will turn anyone who eats enough of them into a creature of darkness).

* Crazy cultist Claudia in ''[[Silent Hill 3]]'' is convinced that the deformed monsters, bleeding walls, rusting landscape and all the other lovely things the [[Dark World]] has to offer are a beautiful example of God's love and the wonderful paradise she's building. Vincent responds with the above quote.

** To be fair, though, [[Word of God]] has it that everyone's vision of Otherworld is different, and the player only ever sees it through the main character's eyes. It's extremely likely that Claudia, at least up until that point, really ''was'' seeing paradise. Which, [[Fridge Brilliance|if you think about it]], [[Unwitting Pawn|is actually kind of sad]].

* The demons from [[Disgaea]] would have you believe that their worlds are like this. Given that the cinemas describe seas of sulfur, hordes of terrible monsters and Home-Ec classrooms that you may never return from, they might have a point.

* A more subtle example: as part of a deal with [[Eldritch Abomination|The One King]], [[The Dragon|Valfred]] and his followers in ''[[Suikoden Tierkreis]]'' aren't erased from existence when the One King is summoned, instead living in the "one true world" of perfect order. The heroes actually get to see this world, and {{spoiler|it's a [[Groundhog Day Loop]] of each person's perfect day.}} But that's not this trope. What's this trope is when {{spoiler|they realize that their memories don't match, and they can't all have lived the same day. Then they see this "paradise" from the outside, as those in it blindly wander through the ruins of the normal world, [[Lotus Eater Machine|hallucinating the presence of their friends and family]]. And Valfred ''knew'' it was all an illusion--he simply could not let go of the family he lost, and he was willing to sacrifice everything and everyone for their imaginary resurrection.}}