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Cower Power: Difference between revisions
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[[File:CowerPower.jpg|link=Lost in Space|frame|Dr. Smith, as usual, cowers while Will Robinson takes care of business.]]
It's only natural to cower in the face of danger.<ref>this is actually a survival mechanism, which works for small animals because many of the larger animals that eat them can see motion really well, but have trouble spotting stationary things. Some animals, like humans and eagles, have good enough eyesight that they may be able to spot the "frozen" animal anyway, though it's still easier to spot something that's moving. Others don't even ''rely'' on eyesight, utilizing other senses such as smell or heat-sensing instead. Still, you'd be surprised how well this trick can work... for smaller animals, anyways. For larger creatures like humans, it's mostly an evolutionary holdover, though it might still work on occasion</ref>
▲It's only natural to cower in the face of danger<ref>this is actually a survival mechanism, which works for small animals because many of the larger animals that eat them can see motion really well, but have trouble spotting stationary things. Some animals, like humans and eagles, have good enough eyesight that they may be able to spot the "frozen" animal anyway, though it's still easier to spot something that's moving. Others don't even ''rely'' on eyesight, utilizing other senses such as smell or heat-sensing instead. Still, you'd be surprised how well this trick can work... for smaller animals, anyways. For larger creatures like humans, it's mostly an evolutionary holdover, though it might still work on occasion</ref>. As such, many a classic [[Damsel in Distress]] and fearful child will cower behind the nearest [[Love Interest]], parent, or [[Big Damn Heroes]] when presented with peril. Of course, most conscientious heroes and even [[Innocent Bystanders]] will naturally interpose themselves anyway to protect other innocents (and [[The Worf Effect|perhaps]] [[Foe-Tossing Charge|pointlessly]], but they do get props for chivalry). This kind of cowering stems from the classic pose of hero and heroine facing a monster on [[Film Posters]] for [[Touch of the Monster]]: the hero has a gun in his right hand pointed at the beast, his left hand holding the [[Love Interest]] back (what, he can't be left-handed?), while [[Security Cling|she clutches his shoulder]] with one hand and covers her mouth from shock with the other.
There's another kind of character who cowers this way too, the [[Dirty Coward]]. He'll grab a nearby [[Innocent Bystander]] and use him as a [[Human Shield]], hide behind the [[Littlest Cancer Patient]] when the [[Serial Killer]] with a soft spot for kids shows up, and might even shove his [[Love Interest]] towards [[Mars Needs Women|the Martian Woman Stealer]]. Villains also tend to do this when faced with an [[Implacable Man|implacable hero]], [[Inverted Trope|inverting]] the cower by using the [[Love Interest]] to ''[[Human Shield|hide from him!]]''
Sometimes this is used for comedic effect, with a hero who is [[Afraid of Needles]] reacting with complete terror to mundane things, sometimes even jumping into his [[Sidekick]]'s arms or ducking behind his [[Love Interest]] like a [[Damsel in Distress]]. The [[Fish Out of Water]] might hide from otherwise harmless things too (and notice who/what they're hiding behind looks far more threatening).
{{examples}}
== [[Comic Books]] ==
* Played with in volume 3 of ''[[Scott Pilgrim]]''. When [[Action Girl|Ramona]] is fighting against [[The Vamp|Envy Adams]], she's only able to get a hit in when Envy is distracted by Wallace's [[I Shall Taunt You|taunts]]. Envy accuses Ramona of hiding behind Wallace, which she denies [[Hypocritical Humor|while suddenly standing behind Wallace]] (who then runs off to the restroom while Ramona protests that she enjoys his company).
== [[Fan
* ''[[Kyon: Big Damn Hero]]'': After Haruhi's reaction to Tsuruya's report on what she and Kyon did to disband a illegal photographic ring (which included sleeping with him and bathing together -- [[It Makes Sense in Context]]), Mikuru automatically hides behind Tsuruya. [[OC Stand
* At one point in ''[[I Am What I Am (fanfic)|I Am What I Am]]'', well before she [[Take a Level In Badass|takes her level in badass]], Cordelia hides behind Jonathon when the Scoobies are faced with an enemy.
== [[Film]] ==
* Crane does this in ''[[Sleepy Hollow (Film)|Sleepy Hollow]]'' when he approaches a particularly creepy hovel, using Young Masbeth as a shield and aiming his pistol over the boy's shoulder.
== [[Literature]] ==
* The book and movie of ''[[The Dead Zone]]'' use this to let the world know its villain is a bad man. Or at least this is what ruins him. [[Rule of Perception|We, the readers/audience]], know from early on that the bad guy is really bad. But this is what {{spoiler|destroys his image to the [in-story] public. I mean, '''NO ONE''' would vote for someone for president of the USA who used ''[[Eats Babies|a baby]]'' to shield himself from an assassin}}.
* In [[Robert E. Howard]]'s ''[[Conan the Barbarian]]'' story "[[The Pool of the Black One]]" Sancha grovels after being thrown to the ground.
* In the second book of the ''[[Gone (novel)]]'' series, Hunter cowers behind Astrid, who is protecting him from Zil's lynch mob.
== [[Live
* As seen above, Doctor Smith from ''[[Lost in Space]]'' would cower behind Will Robinson ''at least'' once an episode. Sometimes the Robot, for variety.
** Which makes him look more creepy than cowardly. Who looked at it and did not think "child molester", honestly?
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** Don't forget the surgery that hacked out part of her brain.
* ''[[Stargate Atlantis]]'' has a hilarious moment in the fourth season where Sheppard and McKay are rewarded with a portrait that features them and a young princess who they'd just saved from the Genii and her treacherous older sister. Sheppard, who the princess grew to dislike, is depicted cowering fearfully behind the little girl, while Rodney stands out front firing his gun and (presumably) letting out a war cry. [[Crowning Moment of Funny|Very amusing]].
* ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'', of course, has a gender inversion from the movie poster description above.
{{quote|'''Xander''': Where'd you get that accent, ''[[Sesame Street]]''?
'''Buffy''': Xander, I'm pretty sure that's [[Dracula]].
'''Xander''' (jumping behind Buffy): Hey, sorry, man. }}
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== [[Professional Wrestling]] ==
* A favorite tactic of the heels, who are not above grabbing a female at ringside (either the face's girlfriend or their own) to stop from getting attacked, and then shoving said female into the opponent! [[Edge]] used to do this all the time. [[Eddie Guerrero]] made it particularly reprehensible when he grabbed Rey Mysterio's young son Dominick; [[Papa Wolf|this made Mysterio]] [[This Is Unforgivable!|very angry]].
== [[Recorded and Stand Up Comedy]] ==▼
* Rich Hall's ''Otis Lee Crenshaw'' character has a song called "Do Anything You Want To The Girl (Just Don't Hurt Me)".▼
== [[Video Games]] ==
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* ''[[Mother 3]]:'' When traveling with [[The Woobie|Salsa]], [[Jerkass|Fassad]] will occasionally do this in battle, despite the fact that (as an NPC) monsters don't target him anyway, ''and'' he's easily several times stronger than Salsa.
* ''[[Amnesia: The Dark Descent|Amnesia the Dark Descent]]'' has this trope as the player's only means of defense. You are given no weapons of any kind and any time you're attacked, the only thing you can do is run and hide in the dark, usually behind crates, until the monster gets bored and leaves.
* From one standpoint, '''any''' Stealth-based game or game with a [[Stealth
== [[Web Comics]] ==
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== [[Western Animation]] ==
* [[Played for Laughs]] ''and'' played straight in ''[[Teen Titans (animation)|Teen Titans]]''; both examples feature teams of males hiding behind their female leader. In the humorous version, The Titans East hides behind Bumblebee when Control Freak drops in unexpectedly; the serious one features the H.I.V.E. five hiding behind Jinx in nervous anticipation for Madam Rouge's verbal abuse.
▲== [[Stand Up Comedy]] ==
▲* Rich Hall's ''Otis Lee Crenshaw'' character has a song called "Do Anything You Want To The Girl (Just Don't Hurt Me)".
{{reflist}}
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[[Category:Rule of Perception]]
[[Category:Stock Poses]]
[[Category:Cower Power]]▼
[[Category:Power]]
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
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