History Main / ObliviousToHints

* Donkey from the ''Franchise/{{Shrek}}'' films loves the talk and talk and talk and it takes a ''very'' long time for it to occur to him that people either aren't listening or just want him to shut-up.

-->'''Misato:''' "Everyone has their problems, Shinji. Sometimes we need someone else to help us solve them."\\
'''Shinji:''' "That's what Asuka said."\\
'''Misato:''' "She said she needed help?"\\
'''Shinji:''' "No, I needed help. She came to me because I needed it. She saw me, uh..."\\
'''Misato:''' "Shaking?"\\
'''Shinji:''' "She saw me and sat down with me. I guess she thought she owed me for the volcano, so she sat there and helped me out."\\
'''Misato:''' "Oh, wow. You're so damn oblivious it hurts."

* Subverted in ''Fanfic/TheSecondTry''. Hikari thinks that Shinji is oblivious to all hints dropped by Asuka, but he’s only pretending to not see them because [[SecretRelationship no one can know that he and Asuka got together]].

'''Sallah:''' Papers? ''[laughs]'' Of course! Run.\\

'''Sallah:''' Papers, sir, got it here. ''[pulls out a newspaper]'' Just finished reading it myself! ''[laughs]'' Run!\\

'''Sallah:''' ''[punches the Nazi agent through the newspaper]'' RUN!

--->'''Serleena:''' ''[nods in the direction of the kitchen]''\\
'''Scrad:''' ''[does nothing]''\\

'''Scrad:''' ''[does nothing]''\\

'''Scrad:''' ''[does nothing]''\\

--> '''Sam:''' Listen, there's three girls out there. Girl Number one, GIRL NUMBER TWO, and Girl Number three.\\

* ''Webcomic/MountainTime'' features a guy trying to [[http://mountaincomics.com/comic/mountain-time-321/ get his friends to guess which hand he's holding a key in.]] Somehow, they don't even realize there's a key in question.

* ''Series/{{Noob}}'' has a case in which the message isn't cryptic nor meant for the character, but the character is still lousy at picking up hints. Season 1 finale had the Noob guild discover that their dismal healer (Sparadrap) has a younger brother who actually knows how to play when he briefly takes over the avatar while the usual player is in the bathroom. In an early Season 2 episode, one of the guild's (other) members doesn't pick up on an elite player being Sparadrap's younger brother despite being present for a conversation that basically goes like this :
-->'''Elite Player:''' You're speaking to the leader of [game's best guild] Kevin.\\
'''Sparadrap:''' Hey, how do you know my real name? Do you play a the mindreader class?\\
'''Elite Player:''' Don't you recognize my voice?\\
'''Sparadrap:''' Err, no! But you do sound like my little brother! But that couldn't be! He's not here! I'm using computer! And he doesn't even know how to play! I try to teach him, but he runs off to the super café.\\
'''Elite Player:''' Cyber café. Just forget about it.

-->'''Link:''' In a lifetime, I've encountered (this item) more than three times?
-->'''Mayim:''' Oh yeah.
-->'''Link:''' But less than forty times?
-->'''Mayim:''' How old are you?
-->'''Link:''' Thirty-eight.
-->'''Mayim:''' (gives a sly nod.)
-->'''Link:''' Ooh... this has to do with me getting ''old''?
-->(several questions later, after he deduces that it is a food...)
-->'''Link:''' Is it seasonal?
-->'''Rhett:''' You'll see this fairly often just being around other people. But for you, for the one that's for you, you'll see it once a year.
-->'''Link:''' [[InsaneTrollLogic ...Is it at the dentist's office?]]
-->'''Mayim:''' (laughs)
-->'''Rhett:''' (walks away) [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere I'm leaving!]]

* In the WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes cartoon ''Don't Axe Me'', WesternAnimation/ElmerFudd's wife is having someone over for dinner and can't decide what to make. The dog, through pantomime, suggests roast duck (WesternAnimation/DaffyDuck, that is, whom the dog can't stand). [[IDoNotSpeakNonverbal But Mrs. Fudd keeps getting the cues wrong]], and the dog finally snaps and outright YELLS at his mistress in exasperation, "[[BigNo NO!]] Roast D-U-C-K, duck! Sheesh!"

* Resasuke from ''Anime/{{Aggretsuko}}'' is completely incapable of understanding indirect communication. When Retsuko points out they've been walking a lot and asks if he wants to eat, instead of realizing she's tired and wants to take a break, he just says he's not tired and keeps walking with her. [[spoiler:It's eventually made clear that this is one reason why he and Retsuko are ultimately incompatible with one another; Resasuke is never able to pick up on any hints Retsuko gives him that she's being worn down by their outings, and Retsuko is unwilling to confront him about it directly.]]

Bob is trying to pass a clue or message on to Alice, [[HintDropping but in a way that won't be too conspicuous]]. Perhaps he's talking in [[PigLatin Igpay Atinlay]], maybe he's leaning his head or eyes in the direction he wants Alice to look, he could even be winking. This may be a QuietCryForHelp. Whatever it is, Alice is completely oblivious to this, or she thinks Bob is trying to say [[DramaticallyMissingThePoint something else]].

* Creator/GeorgeCarlin complained about this in his last show, ''It's Bad For Ya''. He discusses at people's inability to take a hint that they're boring the crap out of him when he finally rants.

* ''Fanfic/AdviceAndTrust'': After kissing for the first time, Asuka asks Shinji why he had never responded any of her advances favorably if he liked her. Dismayed, she learns that Shinji was completely oblivious to her hints. In chapter 2:

* There are many of these in ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'':

** In "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?", Homer finds out that he has a half-brother who was given up for adoption when he was still little. When he goes to the Shelbyville Orphanage to try and find out where his brother went, the orphanage director tries to help via CouldSayItBut ("You know, Mr. Simpson, if you ask me, the city of '''brotherly''' love isn't Philadelphia, it's '''Detroit'''."). But of course, Homer's too thick-headed and [[SeriousBusiness blind with the obsession to not lose his lead]] [[ItSeemedTrivial to take the hint]] and eventually the director gets so frustrated that he outright ''says'' that Homer's brother is named Herb Powell and lives in Detroit.

** One of the best known is in "Bart Carny" when Homer and Bart are working the ringtoss booth at the carnival. Wiggum tries to get Homer to bribe him, (Bart, of course, gets it immediately) but after three tries (one of which includes mentioning his friend "Mr. Bribe"), Wiggum decides "screw this", and shuts the booth down. Later in the episode, Wiggum refuses to help the Simpson family when the owners of that booth took over their house. Homer ''still'' doesn't get it.

* The appropriately titled ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'' fic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9354068/1/Dropping-Hints Dropping Hints]]'' starts with Starfire screaming in desperation because Robin won't ask her out. Raven recommends she stop being subtle, and start dropping a lot of hints for him. Then Starfire asks Beast Boy what that means... his answer is somewhat unusual, but at least it works perfectly.
* In ''FanFic/FantasyOfUtterRidiculousness'', Patchouli is completely unaware that [[CasanovaWannabe Jamie]] isn't talking with her solely to pass the time. All of Koakuma's attempts to spell it out for her fail miserably.

* In one episode of ''Series/FawltyTowers'', Polly keeps hinting to an oblivious Basil that their gourmet chef is deeply drunk, while Basil entertains dinner guests.

* Resasuke from ''Anime/Aggretsuko'' is completely incapable of understanding indirect communication. When Retsuko points out they've been walking a lot and asks if he wants to eat, instead of realizing she's tired and wants to take a break, he just says he's not tired and keeps walking with her. [[spoiler:It's eventually made clear that this is one reason why he and Retsuko are ultimately incompatible with one another; Resasuke is never able to pick up on any hints Retsuko gives him that she's being worn down by their outings, and Retsuko is unwilling to confront him about it directly.]]

* Resasuke from ''Anime/AggressiveRetsuko'' is completely incapable of understanding indirect communication. When Retsuko points out they've been walking a lot and asks if he wants to eat, instead of realizing she's tired and wants to take a break, he just says he's not tired and keeps walking with her. [[spoiler:It's eventually made clear that this is one reason why he and Retsuko are ultimately incompatible with one another; Resasuke is never able to pick up on any hints Retsuko gives him that she's being worn down by their outings, and Retsuko is unwilling to confront him about it directly.]]

This can also be a character trait where a person is oblivious to any amount of HintDropping. The more annoying ones will misunderstand every attempt or interpret it as the opposite. In a particularly bad case you can't get it through them even if you spell it out for them or shout it in their face, and don't even bother with subtlety anymore. They might also be immune to criticism via InsultBackfire.

* Creator/GeorgeCarlin complained about this in his last show, ''It's Bad For Ya''. He discusses at people's inability to take a hint that they're boring the crap out of him, when he finally rants.

* ''Fanfic/AdviceAndTrust'': After kissing for first time, Asuka asks Shinji why he had never responded any of her advances favorably if he liked her. Dismayed, she learns that Shinji was completely oblivious to her hints. In chapter 2:

* ''Fanfic/ACrownOfStars'': At the beginning of the story Shinji finally finds out that Asuka had been constantly dropping hints, and he missed every one. Several characters also inform Asuka that Shinji had not responded any of her hints because he was oblivous and not because he was uninterested.

* ''Fanfic/LastChildOfKrypton'': Despite having enhanced senses, Shinji is ''horrible'' at noticing hints. In chapter 2 Asuka meets him for first time. She stiffens and stares at him for several seconds before quickly looking away lest he notices she was staring. Shinji, despite of being able to sense the heat rising from her skin, misses this.

* ''Fanfic/TheOneILoveIs'': Shinji never got all hints Asuka had constantly dropped at his direction. Not even when she said she wanted to kiss him in chapter 4 he thought she might like him. She had to resort to blurt her feelings out blatantly.

** In the first movie, Laurel is trying to indicate to J that the Bug is in the morgue (and holding her leg under the table between them) by pointing down and repeatedly saying "I'd like to leave with you now" and "I have to show you something." J thinks she's talking about... something else....

* In ''Literature/DragonBones'', Oreg tries to give the others (especially Ward, it may be assumed) hints that [[spoiler:Axiel is a half-dwarf]]. He is really obvious about it from the reader's point of view, one time asking [[spoiler:Axiel what a word he used means]], and immediately afterwards calls [[spoiler:Axiel a "grumpy old dwarf"]]. Ward notices that Oreg seems a bit smug, and that the other person involved seems a bit irritated, but he doesn't understand the implications.
* In ''Literature/FireAndHemlock'', Tom desperately tries to make Polly understand that he is [[spoiler:in danger of being made a human sacrifice, and she can save him by clinging to him (as friend) for nine years. He sends her fairytale books and everything, but she fails to notice it.]] Justified in that she's a child for most of the narrative, and the hints ''are'' very subtle.

** One of the best known is in "Bart Carny", when Homer and Bart are working the ringtoss booth at the carnival. Wiggum tries to get Homer to bribe him, (Bart, of course, gets it immediately) but after three tries (one of which includes mentioning his friend "Mr. Bribe"), Wiggum decides "screw this", and shuts the booth down. Later in the episode, Wiggum refuses to help the Simpson family when the owners of that booth took over their house. Homer ''still'' doesn't get it.
** In the episode "Cape Feare", the Simpson family is to be put in the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Federal_Witness_Protection_Program Witness Protection Program]] so as to avoid Bart getting killed by Sideshow Bob. Two FBI agents discuss the family's new identity, and Homer is completely oblivious to the name change. Some time later, they are still unable to convince him to acknowledge his new identity. Can be [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfft9Jx9gJk viewed here]].
** In "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?", Homer finds out that he has a half-brother who was given up for adoption when he was still little. When he goes to the Shelbyville Orphanage to try and find out where his brother went, the orphanage director tries to help via CouldSayItBut ("You know, Mr. Simpson, if you ask me, the city of '''brotherly''' love isn't Philadelphia, it's '''Detroit'''."). But of course Homer's too thick-headed and [[SeriousBusiness blind with the obsession to not loose his lead]] [[ItSeemedTrivial to take the hint]] and eventually the director gets so frustrated that he outright ''says'' that Homer's brother is named Herb Powell and lives in Detroit.