The Omniscient Council of Vagueness: Difference between revisions

A [[Surveillance As the Plot Demands|magic ball or screen on the wall showing the hero's every move]] is a required accessory.

 

 

The result is a lot of [[Cryptic Conversation|vague and pretentious doubletalk]] about how they know everything that's happening but don't actually mention what any of those things are, not even to themselves. Expect comments like "[[All According to Plan|Everything is going according to]] [[Evil Plan|Plan]]." and "[[Vagueness Is Coming|Great Darkness is coming.]] We will see if the hero can handle it." Except for what little tidbits the writer feels obliged to reveal, as little detail as possible is given. Also, as [[The Hero]] (and by extension, the audience) finds out more of "The Plan", The Omniscient Council Of Vagueness will have no problem discussing those parts directly, even when it was apparently taboo previously. (Though, of course, people tend not to talk in detail about things they all already know. Makes wiretapping a frustrating business.)

 

See also [[The Illuminati]], one of the most famous names for an Omniscient Council Of Vagueness. Often overlaps with the [[Secret Circle of Secrets]]. Compare [[Sinister Silhouettes]]. Contrast [[Not So Omniscient Council of Bickering]].

 

== Anime and Manga ==

 

== [[Fan Works]] ==

** In ''canon'', on the other hand, the Hyuuga Council enforces some truly nasty things (such as the sealing of the Branch House and arranging for Hiashi's brother to take his place as a [[Heroic Sacrifice]]), but they are not omniscient, nor are they vague about their intentions. And the existence of the Hyuuga Council and the Konoha Council are not secret at all.

* Lampshaded in the [[Touhou Project]] fanfiction, [[Imperfect Metamorphosis (Fanfic)|Imperfect Metamorphosis]]. When Yukari, Mima, and Eirin gather around a table to discuss the plan to destroy the [[Complete Monster]], Yukari mutters that, with all the powerful people in one room, she might as well break out the black hoods and smoke machines.

 

== Real Life ==

** The admins can sure seem this way when you don't particular know or care to know about admin politics. That is; unseen, incomprehensible, usually irrelevant.

*** More plausibly, all that's happening is a combination of [[Ghost in The Shell|stand alone complex due]] to [[This Wiki]] being a group of fairly like-minded people and social interactions that no one person can be aware of.

* In the Japanese education system, the ''PTA'' fills this role, being made up of mainly highly respected members of the local community (school principals, chief of police, etc) and having enormous sway with the Board of Education and individual schools. They can easily get a teacher they don't approve of fired or transferred, and their complaint about the ''[[Bobobo Bobobobo]]'' anime being "too violent" supposedly was one of the factors that caused its cancellation.

** The American PTA [[Your Mileage May Vary|can fill either example]], [[Depending On the Writer|depending on the school]].

* Subverted in the British and Australian political systems with the Shadow Cabinet, who consist of the current government's opposite numbers in the opposition party and exist entirely to criticize and annoy the people trying to do things. However, it makes the news much funnier to imagine that they ARE this trope.

** Seriously though, how many of the people in the Shadow Cabinet joined just so that they could say that they are a member of the [[Rule of Cool|"Shadow Cabinet"?]]