Out-of-Character is Serious Business: Difference between revisions

 

{{quote|'''Chuck:''' Does this seem like a particularly awkward silence?

 

 

Some classic [[Archetypal Character]]s who might be the cause of this:

* The character with a [[Hair-Trigger Temper]] waves off a slight.

* The [[Friend to All Children|Kid-Friendly]] adult actually [[Would Hurt a Child|attacks child]].

* The [[Man Child]] acts their age as in become social or intellectual matured and behave like one.

* [[The Messiah]] [[Beware the Nice Ones|wants to kill someone]].

* The [[Trickster Mentor]] clearly and directly tells their protege what they wants.

* One who practices [[Thou Shalt Not Kill]] takes a life.

 

A [[Super-Trope]] of:

* [[Batman Grabs a Gun]]

 

 

[[I Thought It Meant|Not to be confused]] with the way some people react to badly-written [[Fan Fiction]].

 

{{examples}}

* Tetsuya Tsurugi from ''[[Mazinger Z]]'' and ''[[Great Mazinger]]'' is serious, grim-looking and moody, and he seldom smiles. So when he grins, everyone freaks out and dons [[Oh Crap]] stares. Mainly Warrior Monsters, since it usually means they are about of dying horribly and painfully.

* Inverted in ''[[Soul Eater]]''- if Death starts acting ''in'' character, you know you're in some serious shit. He does occasionally put on his old scary voice just to scare his staff into paying attention, and is even more likely to treat the most dire of circumstances (Asura's resurrection, Kid's abduction) casually, even jokingly.

* ''[[Trigun]]''. Vash's reaction to Monev the Gale's wholesale slaughter of a small town in the anime is a definite example of this. Vash is usually a goofball and kind to the point of preferring to be injured himself [[Thou Shall Not Kill|rather than hurt anyone else]], even when people are ''actively'' trying to kill him, but after seeing what happened to the town he puts a gun to Monev's head gets ''this close'' to just blowing his head off.

* In ''[[One Piece]]'', as a result of massive [[Despair Event Horizon]], [[The Hero|Luffy]] becomes so depressed that he {{spoiler|admits his own weakness and renounces his worthiness for the title of the Pirate King.}}

* In ''[[Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle]]'', it's clear that [[Stepford Smiler|Fay]]'s mental state has taken a turn for the worse not becuase he grows his hair out after [[Eye Scream|losing his eye]] and takes on a generally more gloomy disposition, but it's because he [[The Nicknamer|drops the cutesy nicknames]] and actually calls Kurogane by his name. Later on when he starts using them again it's a huge relief to everyone since it indicates that he's getting better.

* In ''[[Bakuman｡]]'', [[Brilliant but Lazy|Hiramaru]], infuriated over the reasoning behind putting Detective Trap on hiatus until Mashiro graduates, storms off ''to work on his manga''.

* In ''[[Mai-Otome]]'', Arika's friends take note of how she isn't eating sweets when she's thinking about love, and become worried about her.

** Similarly, {{spoiler|his penguin #2, a [[Big Eater]] [[Extreme Omnivore]], only once decided to share his meal with his "sister" #3. She refused it and left him all dejected - a [[Foreshadowing]] of her and Himari ''leaving the Takakura family home''.}}

* This is a general (but important) plot point in ''[[Darker than Black]]''. Contractors are completely emotionless and self-serving, so when some of them ''aren't'', people always make note of it. Likewise, Dolls are so completely empty that they won't even eat without proper programming. At one point, one uses her [[Telepathy|specter]] to call for help, which is about the same as your cell phone calling to tell your friend you're getting mugged.

* In ''[[Aquarion Evol]]'', there's one way to make even the seemingly unflappable Zen Fudo [[Oh Crap|go stiff in horror]]: {{spoiler|the sight of Mykage killing off Jin, supposedly his ally, for pulling off a [[Heel Face Turn]]}}.

* In ''[[Katekyo Hitman Reborn]]'', Reborn always pushes Tsuna to succeed in any given situation and never gives him a break because he knows that Tsuna has the potential to pull it off. So it's a huge shock to Tsuna when Reborn tells him that he has ''no'' chance of defeating {{spoiler|the strongest member of the Vindice}}.

 

* Almost everyone in the Marvelverse knows that letting [[Incredible Hulk|Dr. Bruce Banner]] get angry is a one-way ticket to [[Serious Business]].

* Skalman from ''[[Bamse]]'', a Swedish comic series, almost never showed emotion, and always obeyed a strict schedule. When he stopped obeying that schedule for a bit, or snapped at his friends, you knew it was serious.

* Speaking of [[The Joker]], he is ''completely straight faced'' in ''[[The Killing Joke]]'' during the moment he's trying to actually ''reason'' with Batman.

** He finds no humor in tossing a baby to Sarah Gordon to get her to drop her sidearm then putting one through her head. It's the closest thing he has to a redeeming moment.

* And with [[Batman]], the one time to date (not counting his [[Early Installment Weirdness|very early comics]] and alternate universes) that he's actually [[Batman Grabs a Gun|used a regular gun]] on someone to kill them was with [[Darkseid]] in ''[[Final Crisis]]'', because the situation was ''that serious''. Also, whenever he seems to be seriously considering just offing someone it generally means that person has either [[Papa Wolf|threatened or hurt one of his adopted kids]] or just done something ''that bad'' if Batman's even considering [[Jumping Off the Slippery Slope]].

* Here's a tip if you're a villain in the [[Marvel Universe]]. If [[Spider-Man]] is fighting you and is not making [[You Fight Like a Cow|wisecracks, puns, and derisive comments about your intelligence or looks]], you're not going to have a good day. Because you did something to make Spidey pissed off at you, and you will notice you are fighting a super strong [[Big Creepy-Crawlies|Big Creepy Crawly]] in human form.

*** It's fair to say, though, that many of Spidey's rogues gallery actually are pretty lame and have earned his derision. Many of them are idiots who take Spider-Man lightly because he's relatively small for a superhero, instead of treating him like what he is - one of the worst heroes to ever pick a fight with.

*** Another popular interpretation is that Spidey is making jokes to cover up that he actually is terrified, the bigger danger the lamest jokes. So when he stops it usually means that no matter how terrifying and dangerous you are, he is not buying it anymore. Now all he feels is that he ''really'' wants to beat you unconscious. This theory was put forward by Stan Lee himself.

* In ''[[The Sandman]]'', there is one scene in which Delirium pulls herself together. Delirium, as her name suggests, is the [[Anthropomorphic Personification]] of ''insanity''. She even comments that it ''hurts'' to be sane.

{{quote|"I ''[[Go Mad from the Revelation|know things]]''."}}

* In ''[[Calvin and Hobbes]]'', as Calvin is lying sick in bed, [[Unnamed Parent|his mom]] tells him she's going to call the doctor, and ends with telling him it's Saturday, so he won't miss school. He responds with a weak, "I know." Since Calvin had, earlier, reacted with horror at the prospect of missing some of his time off school due to a lesser illness, his mother is sent racing to the phone. It must be serious.

* Rorschach of ''[[Watchmen (comics)|Watchmen]]'' is gruff, insulting, and arrogant most of the time, and also doesn't usually use pronouns or proper names. When he says, "Daniel, I apologize. I know it's difficult being my friend," you know he's being dead serious.

* [[Deadpool]], [[No Fourth Wall|the fourth-wall breaking]] [[Wild Card]] to end all wild cards, has his speech bubbles and thought rectangles shaded yellow, to show that he's the one guy in the entire comicverse who knows he's in the comicverse and is perfectly okay with it. On the rare occasions where his speech bubbles go to the normal white shading, meaning he's taking things seriously, you know it's ''significant.''

 

* In ''[[Undocumented Features]]'', Azalynn, who's been shown to be extremely forgiving, finds herself holding a grudge against Liza for {{spoiler|calling the Psi Corps on Devlin}}, even when everyone else has forgiven her. She is extremely shocked when she realizes how spiritually off-balance she is.

* In ''[[Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality]]'', when Dumbledore asks Harry what Quirrell could be plotting that requires him to bring a Dementor into the castle, Harry argues that this is completely in-character for him, and naturally, [[Inverted Trope|in-character is business as usual]]. But he realizes that something is wrong anyway, because even coming out of his own mouth it's a [[Suspiciously Specific Denial]].

* In the ''[[Death Note]]'' fic ''[[A Cure for Love]]'' Matt realizes things are serious when he hears that Mello gave L his chocolate.

 

* Very notably in ''[[South Park]]: [[The Movie]]'', when Kenny takes off his hood to say goodbye after [[Heroic Sacrifice|sacrificing himself]] to an eternity in Hell to [[Save the World]], [[Set Right What Once Went Wrong|altering the past to avert a war]].

* ''[[Treasure Planet]]'': When [[Lovable Rogue|Silver]] stops trying to sweet-talk [[The Captain]], you know he's serious. She does, too.

{{quote|'''Silver:''' You heard the boy! Get this blasted heap turned 'round!}}

* When [[View Askewniverse|Silent Bob]] speaks, ''you listen.'' Though this tendency begins to annoy Jay after a while. This tradition is itself subverted in ''[[Clerks II]]'', when Bob's cue to speak arrives and he can't think of anything to say...

* ''[[Star Wars]]''. What would it take to get quiet, innocent, ancient little Yoda to pull out his lightsaber and suddenly become a living blender? Something ''really'' serious, that's what.

* Tiffany spends almost all of ''[[Hellbound Hellraiser II]]'' as [[The Voiceless]]. Her only line, when first encountering {{spoiler|Dr. Channard in cenobite form}}, is [[Oh Crap|"Shit!"]].

* In the [[Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen]] movie ''It Takes Two'' (a rip-off of ''[[The Parent Trap (1961 film)|The Parent Trap]]''), the girly girl of the [[Tomboy and Girly Girl]] duo is trying her first sloppy joe. After doing so, she claims it's her favorite, "for a [[Gosh Dang It to Heck|durn]] good reason." After a [[Beat]], the camp counselor turns to the girl and asks "Did you just say 'durn?'" Then quickly checks the girl's temperature, clearly fearing an illness.

* In one of the ''[[Dirty Harry]]'' films, the title character is tipped off to a robbery in the coffeeshop that is his usual haunt by the waitress breaking a years-long routine and dumping a large amount of sugar into his coffee.

* Gonzo the Great is such a [[Cloudcuckoolander]] that when he opts out of a barmitzva appearence in [[Muppets from Space]], Kermit is quick to take notice.

** Also, Marianne is shown to be a bit snide, condescending, and utterly dedicated to attempting to correct other's supposed sins, but she does it without being out-and-out confrontational. But after she snaps, she full on slaps Olive across the face. Which is most decidedly ''not'' a typical Christian value.

 

* In the ''[[Ciaphas Cain]]'' series, the titular character will always outwardly act like he's scared of nothing because it's part of the image he doesn't want to lose even though he's actually a big coward, so when decides to show genuine fear with no regard how it might make him look, you know it's warranted.

* ''[[The Dresden Files]]'': Mac [[The Bartender]] is also [[The Quiet One]]. The seriousness of any particular book is proportional to the number of words that he says. A complete sentence or two is enough to scare Dresden. In [[Wham! Episode|''Changes'']] he goes on for a good sized paragraph.

* In ''Roadkill'', the last book of the Cal Leandros series, {{spoiler|Robin Godfellow}}, aka lust incarnate, becomes ''monogamous''. All of his friends instantly assume he must be seriously ill.

* ''[[Discworld]]''

** [[Magnificent Bastard|Vetinari]] takes pride in his ability to play Sam Vimes like a fiddle and get him to do the best job imaginable...all by keeping him suitably pissed off. Vimes even tends to punch the wall outside Vetinari's office as he leaves, sometimes hard enough to require repair. Until one day Vimes departs, and Vetinari doesn't hear the telltale thump, and realizes that he might have gone too far.

*** There's one occasion when someone calls him a monkey, ''and he pats their hand comfortingly.''

* In the ''[[Gaunt's Ghosts]]'' books, Daur is considered the most straitlaced and disciplined of the lot. In ''Only In Death'', he nearly hits Rawne, which is taken as a sign of the insidious effects of Hinzerhaus. In ''Blood Pact'', when {{spoiler|he is caught helping out in one of Rawne's scams}}, Hark thinks that the regiment's discipline and morale has hit a new low.

** ''Only In Death'' has some more of these. Normally unflappable Mkoll gets spooked, chatty Maggs is unusually silent...

{{quote|'''Beowulf:''' Elephant, have you noticed a tendency in me to use profanity for emphasis?

'''Elephant:''' No, not really.

* In ''[[Artemis Fowl]]'', Julius Root apologizing after referring to another fairy as 'human-blooded' is used to convey just how serious an insult [[Humans Are the Real Monsters|'human-blooded']] is amongst fairies. In the second book, the LEP realise just how screwed they are when the usually gung-ho Captain Kelp orders a retreat.

 

* ''[[Burn Notice]]'': There's an episode where Michael sends Sam to escort Madeleine to safety. Madeleine isn't hearing of it, offers Sam a beer. Sam refuses the beer, at which point Madeleine starts taking him seriously.

* ''[[Doctor Who]]'': the Ninth Doctor is cheerful, silly, happy, and above all, calm. Nothing fazes him. Then in a secret lab, he sees a heavily damaged, barely-alive Dalek (in the episode by the same name) -- and immediately loses his shit in a big way. In the old show, and in public consciousness even more so, Daleks were often played for laughs. This signals very effectively that on the new ''Doctor Who'', Daleks ain't funny—as everyone else learns quickly enough.

** By a similar token, the Tenth Doctor is very decidedly anti-gun, turning one down repeatedly when Wilfred tells him to take one and kill whatever it is that has been predicted to kill him in "The End of Time". The mere mention of the possibility of {{spoiler|the Time Lords returning}} causes him to pick up the gun without a second thought. It's how we know shit just got serious.

** Sam acting considerate and helpful worries Carly and Freddie, and they start to believe Sam is in love with their new intern.

* ''[[The Vampire Diaries]]'': When [[Chaotic Evil|Damon]] stops [[Deadpan Snarker|Deadpan Snarking]] and starts actually being helpful, you know things are pretty bad.

* ''[[Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide]]'' has Buzz Rodriguez (guy that never speaks) in Loomer's gang makes a point/ delivers some kind of lesson on the good things volunteering. Everyone currently on scene [[Lampshade Hanging|Lampshades]] it.

{{quote|'''Mose:''' Did he just talk? He never talks!

* ''[[Leverage]]'': One of Eliot's catchphrases is "I don't like guns," usually said while reflexively unloading one after taking it off someone else. {{spoiler|When he shoots someone (instead of killing him hand-to-hand) in ''The Big Bang Job'' it's a fairly good indicator of how seriously he takes this particular mark.}}

* The writers of ''[[Mad Men]]'' do this on a meta level in Season 4 (which begins a few months after Don Draper's divorce). Don had previously established himself as a moderate drinker who never got more than just a bit lubricated; when Season 4 starts, he's seen stumbling home from bars, being drunk on duty, and being called an [[The Alcoholic|alcoholic]] by at least two other characters. Furthermore, he had previously been a [[Chivalrous Pervert]] who would never hit on or be creepy toward any of the women in the office, let alone have an affair or even a one-night stand with one; Season 4 brings on the occasional pass and finally an ill-advised affair with his secretary Allison. Things only start getting better for him when he finds a relationship (first with statistician Faye, and then with his secretary Megan<ref>A relationship that had started platonically when he needed a babysitter to supervise his kids when he took them to California.</ref>). However, by this point, everyone—and particularly the audience—has gotten the message: Don's marriage was really important to him despite his seemingly cavalier attitude, and despite his womanizing, he needs a girlfriend/wife to keep him on level.

* In the ''[[How I Met Your Mother]]'' episode "Do I Know You?", Barney, who has recently fallen in love with Robin, takes her out to dinner on Lily's advice to make a good impression so that Robin will take him seriously and not dismiss him as the sleazy, womanizing idiot he usually is. His attempt at being chivalrous and tasteful is ''so'' impressive (he doesn't even bat an eye when the buxom waitress practically dangles her breasts under his nose) it completely weirds Robin out and she tries to make Barney act like himself again:

{{quote|'''Robin:''' Hey, so I went to the chiropractor yesterday... [[Double Entendre|That guy bent me over the table and pounded me for a good hour...]]

** There's one episode where a radio host is a suspect in a crime, and Monk appears on his show to interview him. The story of Trudy's death comes up, and one of the hosts offers his condolences. The suspect, who's a bit of a [[jerkass]], starts making tasteless jokes. You ''know'' Monk is pissed when the normally mild-mannered detective who abstains from physical contact ''jumps across the table to tackle the man.''

* Subverted in "The Concert", during ''[[The Middle]]'''s third season. After an early exit from a spelling bee, an event he had gone all the way to the regionals in the previous season, Brick, usually cool and unflappably optimistic, is angry and then depressed, remaining in his room the next day and vowing never to return to school. His parents are actually happy because it's an emotionally appropriate response from a child not known for them.

* In an episode of ''[[Red Dwarf]]'': When Rimmer seems against filming women in the showers, Holly remarks "Alright, who are you, and what have you done with our Rimmer?"

* In ''[[The A-Team]]'', when Howlin' Mad Murdock drops his psychosis of the week and takes a turn for the serious, you know something big is going down.

 

* Since wrestling announcers are supposed to be loud and talking all the time, it was always a pretty safe bet that when they went completely silent, it was a sign that someone was ''legitimately'' hurt (instead of when they kept talking, which showed it was part of the show). However, that's not quite as accurate now, since the people behind the scenes have caught on to this, and have started to use dead air when trying to sell a Kayfabe injury.

 

* A number of character-driven RPGs give characters compulsions to act in certain ways and require expending resources to ignore them, effectively making Out-Of-Character a form of [[Limit Break]].

* The ''Monstrous Compendium'' for the ''[[Ravenloft]]'' setting says this is a surefire way to identify someone who is under the control of a [[Expy|Doppleganger]] [[The Thing (1982 film)|Plant]]; the victim tends to have drastic changes in personality, preferences, diet, and so on.

 

* In ''[[Disgaea: Hour of Darkness]]'', Etna's final episode preview does not focus on her and is actually an accurate portrayal of the final chapter. The other characters promptly freak out.

* ''[[Baldur's Gate]] II'' character [[Cloudcuckoolander|Jan Jansen's]] reaction to virtually any situation is to regale the party with long, rambling and [[The Munchausen|highly implausible]] stories about his supposed past adventures which have a (highly tenuous) connection to their current predicament. Except when everyone gets dragged down to [[Hell|The Abyss]], where after much searching he [[I've Never Seen Anything Like This Before|admits to being stumped]]. Haer'Dalis immediately [[Cue the Flying Pigs|predicts the arrival of the apocalyse]].

* In the ''[[Mass Effect]]'' games, the [[Motor Mouth]] salarian doctor Mordin Solus never uses personal pronouns. Except once, in [[Mass Effect 3|the third game]], {{spoiler|if, when trying to talk him out of curing the genophage, you point out he was the one who previously helped strengthen it.}}

{{quote|'''Mordin:''' I MADE A ''MISTAKE''!}}

** On a lesser scale, he says "My mistake" on his loyalty mission when he finds out that {{spoiler|Maelon was not kidnapped and instead was voluntarily helping to cure the genophage}}.

*** The key word in both of these examples is "mistake." Mordin is never insensitive to the consequences of his actions, but his tremendous intelligence and pride make it difficult for him to acknowledge when he's made a bad decision, {{spoiler|which means he'll defend the genophage modification as [[Well-Intentioned Extremist|distasteful but necessary]] every time you confront him about it up until you reach the Shroud.}} His explanation for why he's participating in [[Mass Effect 3]] isn't even that he feels guilty; it's the condescending, at best neutral, "Someone else might have gotten it wrong."

* In [[Tales of the Abyss]], [[Deadpan Snarker|Jade]] says, after weighing the possible benefits of Luke {{spoiler|sacrificing himself}}, tells Luke that "as (his) friend" he feels compelled to stop him, prompting Luke to point out that he never called him his friend before. Jade then apologizes, something that's equally uncharacteristic of him. Earlier, Jade gets visibly angry when he realizes that the villains are using fomicry.

 

** Similarly, the single time when {{spoiler|Kenji}} calms down enough to speak reasonably and offer {{spoiler|Hisao}} emotional support, you ''know'' it's gonna bring up a [[Tear Jerker]].

** In Emi's route, when Emi and Hisao {{spoiler|meet after throws Hisao out of her house}}, [[Cloudcuckoolander|Rin]] becomes surprisingly direct and to-the-point.

** In Lilly's route, Shizune, a typically blunt girl who has a rivalry with Lilly, responds to Hisao telling her that he's going out with Lilly by saying that it's his business who he dates, and she hopes they go well together, which Misha implies is her not saying what's on her mind. She then is about to say something more, but has Misha not translate her signing, which makes Hisao wonder why Shizune would pull a punch or speak without forethought

 

* ''[[Erfworld]]'': [[Master of Illusion|Jack]] [[Cloudcuckoolander|Snipe]] [[Pungeon Master|never,]] ''[[The Jester|ever]]'' stops cracking jokes and speaking in riddles, even to [[Lady of War|Wanda]]. Except when [http://www.erfworld.com/book-2-archive/?px=%2F2011-01-17.jpg she's just barely recovering consciousness] after {{spoiler|killing her own mount, plummeting hundreds of feet to the ground and just barely getting healed back from the brink of death}}. Once Wanda's back on her feet, though, Jack [[Crowning Moment of Funny|picks it right back up again.]]

* ''[[Sinfest]]'': [[Beware the Nice Ones|Sweet]], [[Incorruptible Pure Pureness|caring]], [[The Smart Guy|smart]], [[Shrinking Violet|shy]] little boy. [[Fantastic Racism]] [https://web.archive.org/web/20110629032948/http://www.sinfest.net/archive_page.php?comicID=3666 against Fuchsia].

* ''[[Homestuck]]''

** Dave Strider is normally an [[The Stoic|unflappable]] [[Badass]], so when he [[Heroic BSOD|stares at his blood-stained hands for ten minutes]] {{spoiler|after throwing the corpse of an [[Alternate Timeline]] version of himself out of a window}}, the audience knows that the [[Cerebus Syndrome]] has kicked into high gear.

* ''[[This Is the Worst Idea You've Ever Had]]''

{{quote|"Oh my God! She's letting him drive her car!"}}

'''Kiki''': Bun-Bun doesn't say 'uh-oh!'

'''Aylee''': Uh-oh... }}

** [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0141.html The first time] [[Spoony Bard|Elan]] proves he can actually be useful, it comes as a shock to his teammates. Belkar, naturally, also takes advantage of this to trick Roy.

** [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0591.html Vaarsuvius passing on a perfect opportunity] to say "[[I Told You So]]" can get Durkon really worried.

** Belkar is a [[Heroic Sociopath]] [[Blood Knight]] at all times, so when he suddenly starts [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0620.html advocating the most peaceful solution to a conflict] to reduce the bloodshed... it seriously freaks out Haley and Celia. ([[Genre Savvy|Which was of course his intention all along.]])

** [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0796.html Thog gets mean and nasty].

{{quote|'''Dan McNinja''': (Returning with a method to cure his wife) How is she?

'''Sean''': Well... She gave me the "I'm sorry I was a horrible mother" speech.

'''Bristlecone''': I can only assume that he was distracted.

'''Kaff Tagon''': We ''are'' in trouble. }}

 

* Vixen of the ''[[Desu Des Brigade]]'' is very relaxed, informal and happy in most of her reviews, even in a lot of the shows that [[Squick]] her out. Then came her Film Fox review of ''The [[Twilight (novel)|Twilight]] Saga: New Moon'', where she's in complete distress with no escape throughout and screams more than once.

* It has been noticed recently in [[Marble Hornets]] by many that [[The Dragon|Totheark's]] [[Mind Screw|videos]] have become [[Nightmare Fuel|disturbingly]] more coherent.

* [[The Nostalgia Chick]] never apologizes. So when she tells Nella that she's sorry for not including her in a review, you can see the manipulation coming a mile off.

 

* Happens a few times in ''[[Teen Titans (animation)|Teen Titans]]'', such as when [[Perpetual Frowner]] [[Deadpan Snarker|Raven]] acts cheerful for whatever reason, like in “The End Part I” (when this was just an act) and “The End Part III” (when it was genuine). Also when the [[Hot-Blooded]] [[The Determinator|Robin]] doesn’t yell at his team to insist he’s fine after he breaks his arm and instead decides to give up and watch television in the episode “Fractured”, much to the shock of his friends.

* In ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]'', [[The Silent Bob|Longshot]] speaks just once as {{spoiler|Jet is dying}}... and it stuns everyone who hears him because it's so rare. It stunned the fandom just as much; up until that point, nearly everyone thought he was a mute!

* In the ''[[Ed, Edd 'n' Eddy]]'' episode "Little Ed Blue", Ed, who is normally the resident [[Perpetual Smiler]], spends the episode angry, bitter, and has a huge need for isolation from everyone else, including his own friends Edd and Eddy. Edd is concerned, and Eddy is too impatient to deal with it, and because of Eddy's impatience, Ed {{spoiler|goes on a rampage, until Jonny and Plank show up and everyone finds out that Ed has a pebble in his shoe.}}

** It's very telling that Sarah, who will willingly jump on and beat the crap out of anybody up to and including Rolf (physically the strongest among the kids except for Ed), [[Oh Crap|looked at Ed much as the Eds look at her when she's mad]] and told everyone to back off ''the instant she realized Ed wasn't backing down.''

*** And come the season 2 finale, we see the normally calm Princess get truly pissed. We're talking {{spoiler|try and scorch the Changeling Queen with a [[Frickin Laser Beam]] pissed.}}

** Fluttershy does this all the time. She is normally extremely fearful, but when her friends are in trouble, she'll stand up to a Manticore, a Cockatrice or a ''giant firebreathing dragon''. And if there isn't a threat around, it means trouble for her ''friends'' (see "Putting Your Hoof Down" and "Dragon Quest" for examples).

** In the [[Beach Episode]], Linda becomes very concerned when she doesn't recieve a call from Candace about the boys' activities.

* In ''[[Justice League Unlimited]]'' a season finale sees Lex Luthor divide the league, make the public hate and fear them, and he tops it off by merging with Brainiac to be a [[A God Am I|limitless technological god-being]] who defeats the primary league members singlehandedly, leaving only the Flash left to kill. The normally happy-go-lucky Flash runs away.... and returns having circumnavigated the globe in seconds to build up the speed to hit Luthor/Brainiac hard enough to hurt him. Appearing deadly serious, Flash does this nearly a dozen times becoming a literal bolt of lightning pummelling Luthor into dust. Until this episode, nobody realised that the most powerful member of the team was not Superman.

{{quote|'''Goliath:''' I will find the ones who did this to [[Papa Wolf|my daughter]]. And I will ''kill them''.}}

 

* [[Stephen Colbert]] testified to Congress, in character, about the terrible and paradoxical treatment of migrant workers in the US. When asked why he felt that this issue, as opposed to others, was so important, [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cu9SSxe5bz0 he displays this trope in such a subtle yet beautiful way.]

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Characterization Tropes]]