Eldritch Adorable
"Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn... Would you like a cookie?"
You know the drill: an otherworldly entity from beyond space and time, incomprehensible to human minds, with a form that drives mortals to madness. But what if, instead of wanting to destroy all of creation, this cosmic horror just wants to be your girlfriend?
Enter the Eldritch Adorable, a character trope that subverts expectations by presenting an ostensibly terrifying alien deity as unexpectedly cute, friendly, and even endearing. These entities may still possess incomprehensible power and an appearance that defies human understanding, but their personality is more likely to inspire "awws" than screams of terror.
The appeal of this trope lies in its ability to surprise and delight audiences by playing with established conventions. It creates a humorous and often heartwarming contrast between the character's appearance and their actual nature. This subversion can lead to charming interactions between the eldritch being and human characters, as well as opportunities for fish-out-of-water comedy as the cosmic entity attempts to navigate human social norms.
Eldritch Adorable characters often serve as a reminder not to judge by appearances and can be used to explore themes of friendship, acceptance, and the nature of humanity itself. They may also act as a bridge between the mundane and the cosmic, helping human characters (and by extension, the audience) to comprehend the incomprehensible.
