History Main / OstentatiousSecret

** V's gender would qualify for this as well.

* In ''LightNovel/{{Slayers}}'', the motives of [[ManipulativeBastard Xellos]] are always a secret. In one manga chapter, two nobles have a secret box they keep sending back and forth to each other. It eventually turns out to contain a diary which they use to exchange shallow gossip.

* ''Series/{{Felicity}}'' used this with Felicity's witchy roommate Meghan, who made a big issue of no one having permission to look in her locked box. In this case the box was used as a running gag and its contents were never revealed, although there was a SomethingCompletelyDifferent episode styled after ''Series/TheTwilightZone1959'' in which it was intimated that all the series regulars were actually trapped in a magical universe within the box.

* ''Series/DoctorWho''? ''Series/DoctorWho''?? ''Series/DoctorWho''??!

* ''Series/{{Passions}}'' did it a bunch of times, but really milked it with TC's shed.

* ''Series/{{Felicity}}'' used this with Felicity's witchy roommate Meghan, who made a big issue of no one having permission to look in her locked box. In this case the box was used as a running gag and its contents were never revealed, although there was a SomethingCompletelyDifferent episode styled after ''Series/TheTwilightZone'' in which it was intimated that all the series regulars were actually trapped in a magical universe within the box.

* In general, intelligence agencies seems to have a bit of a fetish for prominent architecture. The CIA has the George Bush Center, the NSA has that sinister black monolith at Fort Meade (Which is engraved with a variety of messages encrypted by different methods. One of the messages is only known by ''two'' people, the man who invented the algorithm and the man who chose the message to encrypt and engraved it on the monolith), MI6 has 85 Vauxhall Cross, GCHQ has that doughnut-shaped building in Cheltenham, the NKVD and KGB has the Lubyanka Building in Moscow. All together, it does project a vague "come at me, bro" attitude to their enemies.

[[folder: Anime and Manga ]]

* In LightNovel/{{Slayers}}, the motives of [[ManipulativeBastard Xellos]] are always a secret. In one manga chapter, two nobles have a secret box they keep sending back and forth to each other. It eventually turns out to contain a diary which they use to exchange shallow gossip.

[[folder: Comic Books ]]

--> ''Sure, you like to play it mysterious, but it's a '''loud''' kind of mysterious. Especially lately.''

[[folder: Newspaper Comics ]]

[[folder: Film ]]

* ''Film/ThePrestige'': Borden's cryptic comment in the page quote alludes to his own secret: [[spoiler:He is an identical twin. Not very impressive on its own. The trick he uses it for? The Transported Man, wherein he appears to be teleported instantly across the stage. The trick works so well because ''no one'' knows the secret. Not even one twin's wife or the other's lover.]]

[[folder: Literature ]]
* A running question in Emma Lathen's novels about banker/amateur detective Literature/JohnPutnamThatcher is what's in that tin box in his secretary's desk? Thatcher is too much the gentleman to peek when Miss Corsa is elsewhere, but that doesn't interfere with his attempts to deduce the solution.

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]
* The series ''Series/{{Felicity}}'' used this with Felicity's witchy roommate Meghan, who made a big issue of no one having permission to look in her locked box. In this case the box was used as a running gag and its contents were never revealed, although there was a SomethingCompletelyDifferent episode styled after the ''[[Series/TheTwilightZone Twilight Zone]]'' in which it was intimated that all the series regulars were actually trapped in a magical universe within the box.

* ''Series/{{Passions}}'' did it a bunch of times, but really milked it with TC's shed.

[[folder: Mythology ]]

[[folder: Video Games ]]

[[folder: Webcomics ]]

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

* A meta-example for ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'' is whatever Titania whispers to Fox at the end of "The Gathering." Creator Creator/GregWeisman [[WordOfGod has said]] that he wants to keep it secret in case he ever gets to make the series again and use it, but admits that it's [[AntiClimax not as great as people are probably hoping]].
* ''WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants'', "The Secret Box": [=SpongeBob=] tests his friendship with Patrick to the limits when he tries to learn the contents of Patrick's "secret box", and eventually resorts to sneaking into Pat's house in the dead of night. It turns out to be... [[spoiler:a string. After [=SpongeBob=] leaves, it turns out that pulling the string opens a secret compartment, with an embarrassing photo of [=SpongeBob=] in it, specifically from the Christmas party (which is actually one of the guesses Spongebob made at the contents of the box).]].
* Robin's incredibly important stolen briefcase in ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'' is revealed to contain [[spoiler:[[TheUnreveal _____________]]]].

[[folder: Web Original ]]

* ''Roleplay/SurvivalOfTheFittest'' character Alice Jones has her backpack as an Ostentatious Secret. What's inside? [[spoiler:The ''severed head'' of Guy Rapide, her almost-boyfriend.]] Not so much her wanting everybody to know about it than it being extremely obvious that she's keeping something in her pack.
-->''''Boxer' Carvalho:''' ''(uneasily)'' What's in there?\\
'''Alice Jones:''' ''(smiles)'' ...It's a secret.

[[folder: Real Life ]]

** According to [[http://www.cracked.com/article_19138_7-hotly-debated-movie-questions-that-totally-have-answers.html this article]], it was originally just diamonds, but they decided that an OstentatiousSecret would be more interesting.

-->''''Boxer' Carvalho (uneasily):''' What's in there?
-->'''Alice Jones:''' *smiles* ...It's a secret.

* The mysterious blue box in the David Lynch film ''MulhollandDrive'', which has a matching blue key. It is shown to open once or twice, though the MindScrew makes it hard to tell what if anything is going on.

* The series ''{{Felicity}}'' used this with Felicity's witchy roommate Meghan, who made a big issue of no one having permission to look in her locked box. In this case the box was used as a running gag and its contents were never revealed, although there was a SomethingCompletelyDifferent episode styled after the ''[[Series/TheTwilightZone Twilight Zone]]'' in which it was intimated that all the series regulars were actually trapped in a magical universe within the box.

* ''SurvivalOfTheFittest'' character Alice Jones has her backpack as an Ostentatious Secret. What's inside? [[spoiler:The ''severed head'' of Guy Rapide, her almost-boyfriend.]] Not so much her wanting everybody to know about it than it being extremely obvious that she's keeping something in her pack.

--> -- '''Alfred Borden''', '''''Film/ThePrestige'''''

* A meta-example for ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'' is whatever Titania whispers to Fox at the end of "The Gathering." Creator GregWeisman [[WordOfGod has said]] that he wants to keep it secret in case he ever gets to make the series again and use it, but admits that it's [[AntiClimax not as great as people are probably hoping]].

* In general, intelligence agencies seems to have a bit of a fetish for prominent architecture. The CIA has the George Bush Center, the NSA has that sinister black monolith at Fort Mead, MI6 has 85 Vauxhall Cross, GCHQ has that doughnut-shaped building in Cheltenham, the NKVD and KGB has the Lubyanka Building in Moscow. All together, it does project a vague "come at me, bro" attitude to their enemies.