Mugging the Monster/Quotes

I'm telling you that you're in the wrong film, fatboy. You're not in the cowboy film you thought you were. This is a different kind of movie. And you're in the scene where the redneck shitkicker picks on the stranger in town, only it turns out to be Big Arnie or a gang of vampires. I bet you've seen that a million times, cowboy.

—King Mob (kindly explaining the trope while threatening a Groin Attack), The Invisibles

Intent to rob, intent to assault, assault, and failing to be selective in your choice of victim. Bad day for you.

—Vlad Taltos, Iorich

Mister J: Who do you think you're talking to, old man? We're the Jokerz!
Bruce Wayne: Sure you are.

—Batman Beyond

They are attacked by bandits one day, people who thought that they were only targeting a simple maiden and a savage boy.
They were dead within moments.
"Idiots." Hugo murmurs, wiping the blood off his knife deliberately. "Isn't this a little too cliche nowadays?" the complaint is issued to no one.
"There will always be fools." Chris said quietly, accepting humanity's foolishness. "That's how we know who is wise."

—Eternity, a Suikoden fanfic

"Their [The Streib] last expedition was into Minbari space. We tracked them back to their homeworld... and made sure they understood the depth of their mistake."

—Ambassador Delenn, "All alone in the night," Babylon 5

As the veteran adventurer Torbras of Westgate put it, "If you accost a barefoot laborer digging in the mud of a turnip field and stained glass golems suddenly lurch out of nearby sheds or the columns of a barn come to life, and gemstones float out of the man's pockets to circle his head and spit lightning at you - well, you've found one of those fabled jewelers of Irl, and likely a swift end to your life, too!"

—The Border Kingdoms: "Irl - Jeweler's Paradise", by Ed Greenwood

Faelrae is apparently a Tashalan human but is in truth a song dragon. Ilden seems to be a male Shaaran human but reverts to his true silver dragon form when he feels the need.
That need usually arises either when a wizard decides that Hawkgarth looks ripe for being transformed into his or her domain (there have been several spectacular, midair spell-battles attendant on persuading such individuals that they're mistaken) or when an adventuring band, mercenary company, or (more rarely) neighboring ruler decides that Hawkgarth needs a new form of government - to whit, them.

—The Border Kingdoms: Hawkgarth pt.2 - The Countryside, by Ed Greenwood

There are people in this world who go about demanding to be killed. You must have noticed them. They quarrel in gambling games. They jump out of their automobiles in a rage. They humiliate and bully people whose capabilities they do not know. These are people who wander through the world shouting, "Kill me." And there's always someone ready to oblige to them.

—Vito Corleone, The Godfather video game

They had the heavy, stolid look of those thugs whose appearance in any narrative means that it's time for the hero to be menaced a bit, although not too much, because it's also obvious that they're going to be horribly surprised.

—Terry Pratchett, Mort

We have awakened a sleeping giant and filled him with a terrible resolve

—Attributed to Admiral Yamamoto

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