Flat What: Difference between revisions
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''"What."''
Written as presented, this trope is a [[Stock Phrase]] of sorts that uses a single word to speak volumes about how absurd (or absurdly mundane) the situation is, with spoken examples leaning on the inflection in the speaker's voice - or typically a lack thereof: The "flat" part that distinguishes this from the "What?" that signals a standard (or at most somewhat rude) response or a request for clarification, as well as from the more surprised "What?!" that follows something disturbing or surprising. Further contrasts include:
* "What!?" - Typically the [[Defensive "What?"]], used in response to accusatory stares towards the speaker's actions, or as a form of intimidation (e.g. "I'm in your face, what are you going to do about it!?")
* "WHAT?!" et. al. - The [[Big "What?"]] that signals new levels of absurdity, and is also used primarily for comic effect.
'''Unless someone actually says one in the work, DO NOT list or
▲* "What." You've just been witness to something so [[Mind Screw|bizarre]], so [[The Ditz|eye-crossingly]] [[Too Dumb to Live|stupid]] (or possibly [[Nightmare Fuel|so mind-crushingly terrifying]] [[Ghostbusters|as to put you beyond the capacity for rational thought]]), [[Sarcasm Failure|that your brain no longer has the cognitive faculties to put together a more articulate response]].
And that's exactly how it's written, too: "what" with a period at the end. Some people cut this down even farther, going with "wha", "wat", "wut?" or similar. Sometimes appears on forums and image boards as the [[Memetic Mutation|memes]] "what is this i don't even" and "i am 12 and what is this" (no punctuation whatsoever and the i not capitalized) and the immortal LOL WUT (all caps, spelling of the second word, and no punctuation whatsoever)-- more complex, but still indicating that the speaker is too gobsmacked to be capable of a coherent sentence.▼
▲'''Unless someone actually says one in the work, DO NOT list or''' '''[[Pothole]]''' '''this trope on other pages. This is not an [[:Category:Audience Reactions|Audience Reaction]].'''
{{examples}}
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== Web Original ==
* This is a common response online to signal confusion, bemusement and the like, and is particularly common on [[Fora|forums]], [[Image Boards]], social media, or many other online platforms, undergoing various [[Memetic Mutation]]s all the while. It may be written with or without the period at the end, and may also occur as "wha", "wat", "wut?" or similar; a deliberate lack of punctuation may be used to emphasize the flat tone.
** "what is this i dont even" (sic) is a longer form of this response, originating in 2007 when an anonymous Paheal user posted the phtase in the "source link" field of a [[Squick]]y Rule 34 post.
** "i'm 12 and what is this" is another form of this, originating from a confused [[YouTube]] comment under a video of an X-rated clip misleadingly (and deliberately) titled "Jonas Brother Live on Stage"; the video was posted on May 20th, 2009 during a [[4chan]] [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8061979.stm raid on YouTube.] Naturally, [https://kotaku.com/bioware-bans-old-republic-player-for-using-internet-mem-5878669 some instances of the meme have lead to bans] with the user posting the phrase being mistaken for someone actually underage.
** The "LOL WUT" meme works in a similar vein, and originated with the quoted words being placed on an image of [https://www.deviantart.com/ursulav/art/The-Biting-Pear-of-Salamanca-29677500 Ursulav's "Biting Pear of Salamanca"].
▲
** In the long''est'' form (verbose): [[Delusions of Eloquence|"I have become quite profounded from your previous statement, so much so that it has become quite humorous how abnormal the said statement is."]]
* The unofficial [[
* Pretty much the primary catchphrase of the Goosebumps series review blog, [[Blogger Beware]].
* Uttered by Ironyuppie in ''[[AH Dot Com the Series]]'' "Casino Imperiale", after she finds out that Landshark beat her nemesis before she could.
* The RPGNet [[Hive Mind]] is fond of "man what" (no punctuation) as a response to any completely brain-spraining statement. This was inspired by and often associated with a certain photograph of [[Bob Marley]],
** The hive mind seems to have determined it actually came as a response to [http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?t=206199 someone discussing] the Inferi from ''[[Harry Potter/Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince|Harry Potter]]''... to the tune of "The Happy Wanderer" (the "Valderie, Valdera" song). "In-fer-iiiii... in-fer-aaaaaaa..." The first post after that was a prematurely-launched post consisting entirely of "man what"
*** NOTE: The absence of a period at the end of the previous entry is entirely deliberate and proper. The phrase expresses such a profound and utter state of confusion that it ''eradicates'' any and all punctuation and grammar within a radius of one post.
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