Defensive "What?": Difference between revisions

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Man, that White Magician Girl is hot. What I wouldn't give to have twenty minutes alone with her and a packing crate of spam.

[[[Beat]]]

What?

Basically, when someone says or does something outlandish or offensive for whatever reason, only to realize that everyone is staring at him, while he evidently didn't think whatever he said was that odd.

Could be because he just said the dumbest thing anyone has ever heard in their lives, because it was horrifically offensive, or maybe even because he just spouted an unexpectedly inspired bit of brilliance and doesn't realize it yet.

Related to Big "What?" and Flat What. Can be used to Lampshade Hanging an Out-of-Character Moment. Often overlaps with Funny Background Event.

Examples

Anime and Manga

This is Chiri's reaction in Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei when the rest of the class reacts to her treating "juicing her sister" as something completely natural.

Film

The Big Bad Wolf says this when Shrek finds him sleeping in his (Shrek's) bed in the first movie.
- And again in the second movie when Prince Charming finds him in Fiona's bed.
When Gideon kicks Ramona down a flight of stairs in the climax of Scott Pilgrim Versus the World, Scott and Knives give him an appalled look and he responds with this. Then they beat him to a pulp.

Literature

In Monstrous Regiment, Jackrum gets defensive after laying out the bouncer in the camp seamstresses' tent.

Jackrum: What? What! He was coming in here with his club!

Polly: [knowingly] And why was he doing that, Sarge?

Jackrum: [approvingly] Oh, you-- all right, I'd just given Madame the old 'quietus'...

Live Action TV

Babylon 5: When the station fails to explode or disappear.

Ivanova: No boom today. Boom tomorrow. There's always a Boom tomorrow.

[[[Beat]]], as Sinclair and Garibaldi wordlessly walk away.

Ivanova: What? Look, somebody's gotta have some damn perspective around here! Boom. Sooner or later. BOOM!

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: In one case, used to lampshade that Xander was the one to know some key bit of information.

Xander: What, I can't have information sometimes?

Giles: It's just somewhat unprecedented.

Norm Peterson did this at least once on Cheers.

Video Games

In the Meet the Spy video for Team Fortress 2, the BLU Soldier delivers one of these after shooting the BLU Spy.

Soldier: What? It was obvious, he's the RED Spy!

Mass Effect's Kaidan, when having his infamous Covert Pervert moment. "It does sound like something that you'd find on an extranet fetish site. [beat] ...what?"

Web Comics

Tedd of El Goonish Shive frequently finds the need to use these. Here and here are good examples. Catalina Bobcat gets one here, oddly enough Susan seems to be a cause of these.
Black Mage in Eight Bit Theater does this a lot, whenever he's caught doing something awful.
As does Fuzzy in Sam and Fuzzy. Probably goes with Sociopathic Hero territory.
Belkar Bitterleaf from The Order of the Stick also does this quite a bit, especially when caught doing or saying something entirely in-character for him, like murdering an innocent gnome for his pack mule. Definitively a Sociopathic Hero trait.

Western Animation

In the premiere episode of My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic, this is Pinkie Pie's reply to the others' stares after she eats a cupcake smothered in hot sauce.
In The Venture Brothers, when Phantom Limb tranquilizes Brock for insulting Dr. Girlfriend.

"What? I'm a supervillain."

Robot Chicken lists the top ten things co-headwriter Doug Goldstein could have done with the $12,000 he blew on his timeshare. One example is putting a dollar in $12,000 g-strings. When he is seen doing just that with a male dancer, he gives a defensive what before explaining he ran out of chicks.

@@ Line 16: / Line 16: @@
 == [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==
-* This is Chiri's reaction in ''[[Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei (Manga)|Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei]]'' when the rest of the class reacts to her treating "juicing her sister" as something completely natural.
+* This is Chiri's reaction in ''[[Sayonara, Zetsubou-sensei|Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei]]'' when the rest of the class reacts to her treating "juicing her sister" as something completely natural.
 == [[Film]] ==
-* The Big Bad Wolf says this when ''[[Shrek (Animation)|Shrek]]'' finds him sleeping in his (Shrek's) bed in the first movie.
+* The Big Bad Wolf says this when ''[[Shrek]]'' finds him sleeping in his (Shrek's) bed in the first movie.
 ** And [[Call Back|again]] in the second movie when Prince Charming finds him in Fiona's bed.
 * When [[Big Bad|Gideon]] [[Kick the Dog|kicks Ramona down a flight of stairs]] in the climax of ''[[Scott Pilgrim Versus the World]]'', Scott and Knives give him an appalled look and he responds with this. Then they beat him to a pulp.
 == [[Literature]] ==
-* In ''[[Discworld (Literature)/Monstrous Regiment|Monstrous Regiment]]'', Jackrum gets defensive after laying out the bouncer in the camp [[The Oldest Profession|seamstresses']] tent.
+* In ''[[Discworld/Monstrous Regiment|Monstrous Regiment]]'', Jackrum gets defensive after laying out the bouncer in the camp [[The Oldest Profession|seamstresses']] tent.
 {{quote| '''Jackrum''': What? What! He was coming in here with his club!<br />
 '''Polly''': ''[knowingly]'' And why was he doing that, Sarge?<br />
@@ Line 34: / Line 34: @@
 '''[[[Beat]]], as Sinclair and Garibaldi wordlessly walk away.''' <br />
 '''Ivanova''': What? Look, somebody's gotta have some damn perspective around here! Boom. Sooner or later. '''BOOM!''' }}
-* ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)|Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'': In one case, used to lampshade that [[The Fool|Xander]] was the one to know some key bit of information.
+* ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'': In one case, used to lampshade that [[The Fool|Xander]] was the one to know some key bit of information.
 {{quote| '''Xander:''' What, I can't have information sometimes?<br />
 '''Giles:''' It's just somewhat unprecedented. }}
-* Norm Peterson did this at least once on ''[[Cheers (TV)|Cheers]]''.
+* Norm Peterson did this at least once on ''[[Cheers]]''.
 == [[Video Games]] ==
-* In the ''Meet the Spy'' video for ''[[Team Fortress 2 (Video Game)|Team Fortress 2]]'', the BLU Soldier delivers one of these after shooting  {{spoiler|the BLU Spy}}.
+* In the ''Meet the Spy'' video for ''[[Team Fortress 2]]'', the BLU Soldier delivers one of these after shooting  {{spoiler|the BLU Spy}}.
 {{quote| '''Soldier:''' What? It was obvious, he's the RED Spy!}}
-* ''[[Mass Effect (Franchise)|Mass Effect]]'''s Kaidan, when having his infamous [[Covert Pervert]] moment. "It does sound like something that you'd find on an extranet fetish site. ''[beat]'' ...''[[Defensive What|what]]''?"
+* ''[[Mass Effect]]'''s Kaidan, when having his infamous [[Covert Pervert]] moment. "It does sound like something that you'd find on an extranet fetish site. ''[beat]'' ...''[[Defensive What|what]]''?"
 == [[Web Comics]] ==
-* Tedd of ''[[El Goonish Shive (Webcomic)|El Goonish Shive]]'' frequently finds the need to use these. [http://egscomics.com/?date=2008-04-23 Here] and [http://egscomics.com/?date=2008-04-25 here] are good examples. Catalina Bobcat gets one [http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2011-01-07 here], oddly enough Susan seems to be a cause of these.
+* Tedd of ''[[El Goonish Shive]]'' frequently finds the need to use these. [http://egscomics.com/?date=2008-04-23 Here] and [http://egscomics.com/?date=2008-04-25 here] are good examples. Catalina Bobcat gets one [http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2011-01-07 here], oddly enough Susan seems to be a cause of these.
 * Black Mage in ''[[8-Bit Theater (Webcomic)|Eight Bit Theater]]'' does this a lot, whenever he's caught doing something awful.
-* As does Fuzzy in ''[[Sam and Fuzzy (Webcomic)|Sam and Fuzzy]]''. Probably goes with [[Sociopathic Hero]] territory.
+* As does Fuzzy in ''[[Sam and Fuzzy]]''. Probably goes with [[Sociopathic Hero]] territory.
-* Belkar Bitterleaf from ''[[The Order of the Stick (Webcomic)|The Order of the Stick]]'' also does this quite a bit, especially when caught doing or saying something entirely in-character for him, like murdering an innocent gnome for his pack mule. Definitively a [[Sociopathic Hero]] trait.
+* Belkar Bitterleaf from ''[[The Order of the Stick]]'' also does this quite a bit, especially when caught doing or saying something entirely in-character for him, like murdering an innocent gnome for his pack mule. Definitively a [[Sociopathic Hero]] trait.
 == [[Western Animation]] ==
-* In the premiere episode of ''[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (Animation)|My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic]]'', this is Pinkie Pie's reply to the others' stares after she eats a cupcake smothered in [[Blazing Inferno Hellfire Sauce|hot sauce.]]
+* In the premiere episode of ''[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic|My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic]]'', this is Pinkie Pie's reply to the others' stares after she eats a cupcake smothered in [[Blazing Inferno Hellfire Sauce|hot sauce.]]
-* In ''[[The Venture Brothers (Animation)|The Venture Brothers]]'', when Phantom Limb tranquilizes Brock for insulting Dr. Girlfriend.
+* In ''[[The Venture Brothers]]'', when Phantom Limb tranquilizes Brock for insulting Dr. Girlfriend.
 {{quote|  "What? I'm a supervillain."}}
-* ''[[Robot Chicken (Animation)|Robot Chicken]]'' lists the top ten things co-headwriter Doug Goldstein could have done with the $12,000 he blew on his timeshare. One example is putting a dollar in $12,000 g-strings. When he is seen doing just that with a male dancer, he gives a defensive what before explaining he ran out of chicks.
+* ''[[Robot Chicken]]'' lists the top ten things co-headwriter Doug Goldstein could have done with the $12,000 he blew on his timeshare. One example is putting a dollar in $12,000 g-strings. When he is seen doing just that with a male dancer, he gives a defensive what before explaining he ran out of chicks.
 {{reflist}}