History Main / TakeOurWordForIt

* In ''WesternAnimation/TurningRed'', when Ming flips through Mei's notebook she expresses shock and disgust at what she sees but only a few pages are actually seen which are fairly tame.

** All we see of Vaarsuvius using the spell [[CombatTentacles Evan's Spiked Tentacles of Forced Intrusion]] ("Wait, what?") in [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0020.html this strip]] is the horrified reactions of the rest of the party and screams of the victim. '''Never''' mess with a wizard if he/she hasn't used up all his/her spell slots.
** In the aptly named strip [[https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0313.html "Words Fai,l"]] about Roy and Celia's first date, we ''can'' see that they're having a great time talking to each other... but what they're actually ''saying'' is omitted.

* This can occur with Tali in ''VideoGame/MassEffect3''. At the conclusion of the Rannoch arc [[spoiler: assuming the player's decisions allow Tali to live]], there's a scene where Tali takes off her helmet's mask but the cutscene only shows her from behind. Both versions of Shepard make a comment implying that they consider her beautiful. If Male!Shep has not romanced Tali or the player is Female Shep, her face is never revealed to the player. If the player is Male Shep who is in a romance with her, Shepard will eventually get a portrait of her in his cabin.

* A critical portion of ''Franchise/{{Danganronpa}}'''s backstory revolves around something called "The Worst, Most Despair-Inducing Event in the History of the Human Race." The nature of the event isn't elaborated upon, but purportedly [[spoiler: it caused human civilization to collapse entirely.]] We do get to see parts of it throughout the series, and we might have seen what started it in the Despair Arc of ''Anime/Danganronpa3'', but we never see the whole event.

* While ''VisualNovel/SayaNoUta'' shows plenty of Fuminori's [[ThroughTheEyesOfMadness warped vision]] after the surgery that causes him to perceive everything as [[MeatMoss gore, blood, and organs]], we never get to fully see how he perceives humans (only describing them as "repulsive piles of flesh") nor does the game show [[spoiler: Saya's true form]], only being informed that most people who see it would go completely insane.

* In ''Webcomic/TheAdventuresOfDrMcNinja'' the [[spoiler: Dinosaur/Human ambassador]]'s speech isn't shown. Readers are informed that the text was omitted because of the effects it had on early readers, and if you had read it then best-case scenario, you would leave your family, and go do nothing but [[spoiler: hug dinosaur bones]]. Or you'd be dead.

** In the aptly named strip [[https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0313.html "Words Fail"]], about Roy and Celia's first date, we ''can'' see that they're having a great time talking to each other... but what they're actually ''saying'' is omitted.

* ''Radio/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'': At one point in the second series, we hear a version of the advertising jingle for the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation, infamous for their shoddy products, playing a flattened eighth out of tune and with bizarre lyrics. After it's over, the Guide states the actual lyrics are ''worse''.

** One memorable picture is Christoph Waltz's [[http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/2531/tumblrkqk7vbn1pr1qzwg4b.jpg reaction]] upon seeing ''Film/InglouriousBasterds'' {{yaoi}} {{fanfiction}} [[RuleThirtyFourCreatorReactions for the first time]].

See also BrownNote, UndisclosedFunds, HiroshimaAsAUnitOfMeasure, UnseenEvil, NoodleIncident, InformedAttribute, OrphanedPunchline, LostInTransmission, YouCannotGraspTheTrueForm, YouDoNotWantToKnow, HeadTiltinglyKinky, OffscreenAfterlife, OffscreenMomentOfAwesome, NarrativeProfanityFilter, NothingIsScarier. Compare ShowingOffThePerilousPowerSource, where the characters are the ones who can't have the direct experience; GreatOffscreenWar, where a vast budget-busting world-changing war is only obliquely referred to as {{backstory}}; and ObscuredSpecialEffects, where the special effects assets are partially concealed to ''prevent'' budget-busting.

* A ''lot'' of the strange things that happen in ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}'' qualify. For example, Linus supposedly painted a mural depicting the entire story of civilization on the ceiling of Snoopy's doghouse, Snoopy was once trying to beat Babe Ruth's home run record before Hank Aaron could, and Linus' grandmother is so addicted to coffee she once drank thirty-two cups in one sitting. We have to take the characters' word on all of this.

* ''Wiki/SCPFoundation'': A number of details about each SCP are covered up with {{Censor Box}}es or deleted text marked with [REDACTED] or [DATA EXPUNGED]. These are usually the worst results of the SCP's unchecked behavior or influence because leaving them to the reader's imagination makes for better horror or comedy than pinning them down.

* In the Axe Ending of ''VisualNovel/NineHoursNinePersonsNineDoors'', Junpei finds [[spoiler:Clover]] alone and questions her why the group she was with isn't with her. Her answer is to drop each of their bracelets in front of Junpei, fully stunning him with the horrifying realization that she murdered all of them. Their bodies aren't shown, but [[spoiler:what Clover [[AnAxeToGrind does to Junpei]] moments later doesn't hide much]].

See also BrownNote, UndisclosedFunds, HiroshimaAsAUnitOfMeasure, UltimateEvil, NoodleIncident, InformedAbility, OrphanedPunchline, LostInTransmission, YouCannotGraspTheTrueForm, YouDoNotWantToKnow, HeadTiltinglyKinky, OffscreenAfterlife, OffscreenMomentOfAwesome, NarrativeProfanityFilter, NothingIsScarier. Compare ShowingOffThePerilousPowerSource, where the characters are the ones who can't have the direct experience; GreatOffscreenWar, where a vast budget-busting world-changing war is only obliquely referred to as {{backstory}}; and ObscuredSpecialEffects, where the special effects assets are partially concealed to ''prevent'' budget-busting.

Smells and tastes are a common form in visual media, as the audience has no other way to detect these aside from character reactions. Literature doesn't have this limitation, although as ''everything'' needs to be described anyway it's usually less overt.

** Mitsuru's "execution," which has the effect of the victims "not wanting to talk about it" or simply describing it as a "fate worse than death." The Manga implies that the "Execution" is her [[HumanPopsicle freezing them]]; because this breaks several elements of the plot (TheMasquerade and the fact that it was stated Persona can't be summoned outside of the dark hour), as well as killing the unknown, fans tend to ignore it.

* Spellbooks in ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'' are very dull and wordy. They seem to take on average 20 to 30 pages to describe a spell, and it's not like they spend all that time describing every possible interaction with other spells. It's just a simple description that rambles on and on. According to the author, we'll never see an excerpt longer than two or three words because he simply cannot write something so unreadable.
-->'''Elliot:''' I swear this thing makes up words to pad its length.

--> ''You're just too marvellous, too marvellous for words''
--> ''Like "glorious", "glamorous" and that old standby "amorous"''.
--> ''It's all too wonderful, I'll never find the words''
--> ''That say enough, tell enough, I mean they just aren't swell enough''.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

** On the other hand, Gamzee's and Tavros' rap-off, stated to be "one of the ''worst'' rap-offs in the history of paradox space" is [[http://www.mspaintadventures.com/scratch.php?s=6&p=005886 eventually shown.]]
** There is also a conversation between Jade and Dave that the former [[http://www.mspaintadventures.com/?s=6&p=005212 shares with Kanaya]]; the contents of daveisafunnyguy.txt are not shown, but Kanaya assures us that she is Laughing Pretty Hard At All That.

* ''VideoGame/{{Shantae}} and the Pirate's Curse'' has the Ammo Baron doing a quick sketch of the Ammo Town uniform he plans for Shantae. We don't get to see it, but we do see the deadpan reaction of the already {{Stripperific}} title character.

* At the end of the second ''VideoGame/GoldenSun'' game, [[spoiler:the first town of the first game has been destroyed, but none of the effects are shown on-screen--only the characters' reactions are shown, and for that matter, purely as white text on a black background.]]
* ''VideoGame/GranblueFantasy'': the game renders scenes in a manner not unlike a VisualNovel, which means that most of its "action" can only be displayed to the player as static character images moving around, trembling or crashing into one another. Specific images for particular scenes do exist, but are very rare, so anything that features a fight or performance of any kind is bound to be mostly described and reacted to, not shown.
* ''VideoGame/{{Shadowverse}}'': Like other Visual Novel-type narratives of Cygames such as Granblue, the movement of characters during dialogue is represented by static images moving around, shaking, or suddenly jumping. There are also cases when a character is mentioned to be lying or sitting down, with their static portraits simply adjusted downwards. The greatest offender would probably be the depiction of combat, where the two character portraits simply "bump" each other, while animated strikes and special effects are included whenever they connect attacks.

* In ''VideoGame/SamAndMaxHitTheRoad'', If you try to get the main characters to go upstairs in their office building, they'll say they don't go upstairs, "[[NoodleIncident not since the accident]]".
** In ''Night of the Raving Dead'', the game is told in flashback as Sam is reminding Max of [[HowWeGotHere how they got here]]. When Sam gets to "the most epic battle of our career", Max interrupts and says that he remembers the rest now.
* ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheSacredStones'' does not have a facial portrait for [[FaceHeelTurn Orson's]] [[CameBackWrong dead and reanimated]] [[LoveMakesYouEvil wife.]] After beating Orson, our heroes are visibly disgusted when they find his wife and immediately destroy it. Orson never noticed, probably because he was mad with grief.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Runescape}}'' player has to help a dwarf to get some rats out of his home. The dwarf is also a heavy smoker, and the player character has to help him to catch his breath, so the PC pats his back and he dislodges something nasty from his lungs then comments it to player that he does not want to look at it and we should take his word that you do not want to know about it.

* ''[[VideoGame/CastlevaniaChroniclesOfSorrow Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow]]'' makes reference to the extremely epic ''Demon Castle's Wars'' in which [[spoiler:Dracula was ''finally'' defeated and Castlevania was sealed in the eclipse]]. Apparently the thing was ''so awesome'' that, to this day, Konami thinks no game should represent those events as it '''ought''' to be ''the best Castlevania game ever made''.

* This can occur with Tali in ''VideoGame/MassEffect3''. At the conclusion of the Rannoch arc [[spoiler: assuming the player's decisions allow Tali to live]], there's a scene where Tali takes off her helmet's mask but the cutscene only shows her from behind. Both versions of Shepard make a comment implying that they consider her beautiful. If Male!Shep has not romanced Tali or the player is Fem!Shep, her face is never revealed to the player. If the player is Male!Shep who is in a romance with her, Shepard will eventually get a portrait of her in his cabin.

* A critical portion of ''{{Franchise/Danganronpa}}'''s backstory revolves around something called "The Worst, Most Despair-Inducing Event in the History of the Human Race." The nature of the event isn't elaborated upon, but purportedly [[spoiler: it caused human civilization to collapse entirely.]] We do get to see parts of it throughout the series, and we might have seen what started it in ''Dangan Ronpa 3'', but we never see the whole event.

** Godot apparently can do an excellent impression of a previous witness, but seeing as the games are text-based all that happens is that his LeitMotif changes.
*** Godot gets to perform impressions of ''two'' witnesses. When he's impressioning a female witness, the speaking-beeps switch to the higher-pitched female ones too.

* In [[http://www.webcomicsnation.com/shaenongarrity/narbonic_plus/series.php?view=archive&chapter=28589 this strip]] from ''Webcomic/{{Narbonic}}'', Dave's drunkenly expressed lustful desire for Helen is apparently not physically possible.

See also BrownNote, UndisclosedFunds, HiroshimaAsAUnitOfMeasure, UltimateEvil, NoodleIncident, InformedAbility, OrphanedPunchline, LostInTransmission, YouCannotGraspTheTrueForm, YouDoNOTWantToKnow, HeadTiltinglyKinky, OffscreenAfterlife, OffscreenMomentOfAwesome, NarrativeProfanityFilter, NothingIsScarier. Compare ShowingOffThePerilousPowerSource, where the characters are the ones who can't have the direct experience; GreatOffscreenWar, where a vast budget-busting world-changing war is only obliquely referred to as {{backstory}}; and ObscuredSpecialEffects, where the special effects assets are partially concealed to ''prevent'' budget-busting.

* The instruction manual for the original ''VideoGame/{{Super Mario Bros|1}}'' game actually shows sprites of each character from the game accompanying their descriptions, but for some reason, Princess Peach's description is accompanied by a question mark! And for a good reason: GAH!!!

--> '''Shantae''': That's... small.

* ''Webcomic/{{Nodwick}}'' did it in [[http://nodwick.humor.gamespy.com/gamespyarchive/index.php?date=2001-09-19 this strip]]. They also had a story arc which revolved around "[[TheseAreThingsManWasNotMeantToKnow That Which Man Was Not Meant to Know]]," which reportedly made your head explode. It turned out that ''women'' could know what it was just fine, leading to the following exchange:
-->'''She Who Must Be Obeyed''': "''This''? ''This'' makes male heads go ''pop''? ''This''?!!"\\
'''Piffany''': "Uh-huh. They're kind of ''sensitive'' about stuff like that..."

-->'''Oona:''' Such thrilling, hard-fought battles, though! So many twisting and turning!\\

** In the prequel book ''Start of Darkness'', we see varying reactions of a crowd seeing the [[UnseenEvil Monster in the Darkness]]. Reactions range from vomiting to "Hideous, yet strangely beautiful..."

* [[TakeOurWordForIt/LiveActionFilms Film — Live-Action]]

!!Other examples

[[folder:Professional Wrestling]]

[[folder:Webcomics]]
* ''Webcomic/EightBitTheater''. Thief and Fighter consider it unbelievable that Red Mage was capable of getting them out of a burning Deathtrap (an airship) with the use of an Ice spell, an immovable rod, and a BagOfHolding. The audience is left to wonder.

* ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick''

** In the aptly named strip [[https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0313.html "Words Fail,"]] about Roy and Celia's first date, we ''can'' see that they're having a great time talking to each other... but what they're actually ''saying'' is omitted.
** In the prequel book ''Start of Darkness'', we see varying reactions of a crowd seeing the [[UnseenEvil Monster In The Darkness]]. Reactions range from vomiting to "Hideous, yet strangely beautiful..."

--->So, yesterday I finally revealed the face of Shazzy, Mike and Tamara's son. A few people have asked why it took me so long. The truth is I'd never really intended to drag out the "unseen face" thing as long as I did. The problem was getting his face design right. I felt i'd built up how horrifying the kid looked that there was no way he could actually live up to the awful\\
\\
More than a few of you have happily informed me he lived up to your expectations.\\
\\
I dunno if I should be proud of myself or apologize.

* From ''Website/TheOnion'': [[https://www.theonion.com/new-study-too-frightening-to-release-1819565374 "New Study Too Frightening To Release."]]

[[quoteright:233:[[Webcomic/{{Housepets}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/2009-03-20-impenetrable-wall-of-text_250_px_3667.gif]]]]
[[caption-width-right:233:Yeah, because we can never get to see how awesome that [[ShowWithinAShow book within the book]] really is. [[note]][[{{Defictionalization}} Or can we?]][[/note]]]]

!!Examples:

* [[Series/CrocodileHunter Steve Irwin's]] final moments were caught on tape as he filmed a nature documentary. The only footage of the incident was turned over to his widow, who says it was destroyed unwatched.