Locked Out of the Loop: Difference between revisions

** Later, it becomes a frequent strategy to bring someone along who is Locked Out of the Loop when you talk to Princess Ida, so that they can suggest ideas that would help the quest along and trigger her talent that way. Usually this is explained to them as soon as they leave Ida's company, even though that means they can't be used for that purpose again. In one case Demoness Mentia, Metria's half-crazy [[Split Personality|alternate self]], [[The Plan|has an elaborate plan]] to free someone from a curse this way.

* ''[[His Dark Materials]]'', in which it is prophesied that Lyra will change the fate of the worlds (plural)--but ''only'' if she doesn't know about her destiny and what she will have to do to fulfill it. Naturally, every adult in her life knows and is busy trying to manipulate her to their own ends.

* [[Mark Twain]]'s short story "[http://www.portitude.org/literature/twain/ss-californians_tale.php Californian's Tale]" revolves around this trope.

** Averted in ''[[Harry Potter/Harry Potter and The Order of The Phoenix|Order of the Phoenix]]'' when Dumbledore explains that there was a prophecy made about Harry that Dumbledore kept wanting to tell Harry about (And Harry had even asked him about in book one), but he had succumbed to the "Old man's error" each year in feeling Harry was too young for such heavy information. Dumbledore then actually does get Harry up to date on things - but only on the things Dumbledore is absolutely sure of at the time.

** In ''[[Harry Potter/Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban|Prisoner of Azkaban]]'', Dumbledore, Mr. Weasley, all the teachers, Hagrid, and Malfoy all knew that Sirius Black was Harry's godfather, and {{spoiler|they thought they knew that}} he was partly responsible for the deaths of Harry's parents. Nobody told Harry this.

*** Although the Dursleys' [[Abusive Parents/Literature|mistreatment of Harry]] is not remotely Dumbledore intended. He gives them a very strong [["The Reason You Suck" Speech|dressing down on this]] in the sixth book.

* The Druids of the [[Shannara]] series have a long history of doing this to people they need help from. Walker Boh absolutely ''hates'' them for this tendency, and is less than pleased when he realizes that he has to do the same thing when he becomes a Druid himself.

* In ''[[Young Wizards|A Wizard Alone]]'', the autistic wizard-to-be Darryl is actually {{spoiler|an avatar of God.}} His very ''life'' depends on his being Locked Out of the Loop.

** The reasoning is rather convoluted, but logical. {{spoiler|An abdal, like Darryl, is a channel that passively allows [[God|The One's]] power into the world. If he were told what he is, he could no longer be passive and would no longer be usable as an abdal, so The One's power would leave him. Since that power is the only reason he exists, losing it would mean no longer existing.}}