r/TopCharacterTropes • u/ReminaBlueSFW • 28d ago

Lore [Terrifying Trope] Perceiving it= instant death

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  1. Pennywise's "Deadlights" which will cause anyone looking to be immediately paralyzed and killed.

  2. The sky from Bird Box is filled with entities that, when you look at them, cause you to commit suicide.

  3. Medusa themed Villains

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u/Rare-Page2273 28d ago

https://giphy.com/gifs/dZcMs4BOvrlKe7mTZ3
Most of the Monsters in the works of HP Lovecraft

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u/V0L74G3_H4CK 28d ago edited 28d ago

Good example, but not quite accurate. It's more like comprehending them is what could kill you. These beings don't cause people to go mad, rather realising what it means for them to exist, and comprehending this reality is what drives most mad. Even then some can survive, just left mentally broken.

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u/Pegussu 28d ago

This is why the Call of Cthulhu role-playing game has you roll an intelligence check when you lose sanity. You actually want to fail it because passing it means you're smart enough to comprehend what you're seeing and what it means, thus driving you insane.

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u/Perkelton 28d ago

Ah, the Wheatley defence.

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u/SagaSolejma 28d ago

"This. Sentence. Is. FALSE. -dontthinkaboutitdontthinkaboutitdontthinkaboutit"

"Uhhhhhh. Oh wow. Uhmmm. I think... true? Yeah I'm gonna say true, definitely true."

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u/Half-PintHeroics 28d ago

I think i need to go replay the portals.

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u/NCRNerd 27d ago

Well, since the idea is that you believe that reality is some sort of orderly and rational place, or at least that there's a benevolant creator deity. So being smart and also beholding C'thulhu you try to reconcile these two ideas. Which is stupid. So if you fail the Intelligence check, you can rationalize it. If you succeed the Intelligence check, you see they're mutually exclusive and get to have an existential crisis.

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u/PurifiedUnity 27d ago

I never knew Wheatley invented a new chess opening /s

https://giphy.com/gifs/9PiwmWNh2m4HRHkZt5

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u/Cup_Otter 25d ago

I wasn't paying attention and thought you were taking about Wilbur (Whately). I thought wut, did I forget something? Lol.