History Main / TheInnerReveal

OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent Alice and her [[{{Mons}} magical]] BondCreature, Bob, have been [[TheMasquerade secretly]] fighting off an AlienInvasion. Alice has gone through all the basics: She's [[BatmanInMyBasement hidden Bob in her bedroom]], she's [[WakeUpGoToSchoolSaveTheWorld balanced going to school and saving the world]], and she's managed to keep that annoying [[IntrepidReporter kid from the school newspaper]] off her tail. But things have become...complicated. Alice can no longer hide Bob from her family alone, and people are getting suspicious. So she spills.

Alice has just gone through The Inner Reveal.

A sub-trope of TheReveal, The Inner Reveal happens when, for whatever reason, specific characters decide to reveal details of which they and the audience have been fully aware to characters who were out of the loop. It doesn't have to be some [[BrokenMasquerade world-shattering secret being revealed to the world]], or, really, any world-shattering secret at all. It can simply be two characters who have been secretly dating finally making it clear to everyone else that they are a couple, or a male character finally making it clear to the ClingyJealousGirl that he doesn't like her.

A very common trope in shows that involve a SecretIdentity or TheMasquerade in any way, shape or form. Note that if the information revealed isn't believed, then it isn't this trope. Situations like that should go under CassandraTruth.

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!!Examples:

[[AC:{{Anime}} and {{Manga}}]]
* ''Anime/DigimonTamers'': Takato eventually shows Guilmon to ''his entire class''. What follows is an episode of middle schoolers playing with a little red dinosaur. [[HeartwarmingMoments Dawwwww.]] This case is unique in that there was no real reason for doing so until later, when Takato wanted to sneak Guilmon on the school camping trip.
* In ''MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaAs'', the eponymous 9 year old heroine finally confesses to her parents that over the past half a year, she has been working part-time as a ChildSoldier for HumanAliens on a job that could have very well left her crippled for life or dead. They take it surprisingly well (but then again, given [[MasterSwordsman her dad's]] [[VideoGame/TriangleHeart3SweetSongsForever background]], they must have been very proud of her).
* Shu explains about Voids (and the fact he's a member of Funeral Parlor) to a few of his classmates halfway through ''GuiltyCrown''.

[[AC:ComicBooks]]
* Thanks to several {{retcon}}s over the years, [[SpiderMan Peter Parker]] has had to do this on more than one occasion. Most notably, ''twice'' with the Comicbook/FantasticFour.
* In a special crossover, {{Superman}} calls out the fact that [[ComicBook/{{Shazam}} Captain Marvel]] had nearly killed the criminal he was attempting to subdue. The captain promptly turns into his schoolboy true self, Billy Batson, and explains that the criminal in question had hospitalized his best friend in an attempt to assassinate him. Superman is very much shocked that a kid has to deal with so much.

[[AC:FanFic]]
* Luso reveals the fact that he was from another world to his clan mates after the events of the Mistwalker arc in FanFic/TheTaintedGrimoire.

[[AC:{{Film}}]].
* Happens off screen between the first and second ''Film/{{Transformers}}'' films. In ''TransformersRevengeOfTheFallen'', it's revealed that Sam's parents are fully aware of the fact that their son's car is a giant alien robot in disguise.
* ''Film/ETTheExtraTerrestrial'': The kids obviously have to explain things to their mother when Elliot falls ill from E.T.'s PsychicLink. And this is moments before the government stepped in and placed their entire house under quarantine.
* In ''Film/RepoTheGeneticOpera'': The audience fully knows that Nathan is the killer from the beginning, and yet it is treated as a major plot twist when Shilo finds out near the end.

[[AC:{{Literature}}]]
* ''Literature/TheHeirChronicles'': Jack and friends do have to explain their magical powers to their parents (and the local police chief) in the final book. The Roses had [[spoiler:formed a truce and]] begun to launch a full-scale assault on their hometown, you see...
* In ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'', Harry slowly starts revealing details of the magical world to his BadassNormal friend Karrin, when he needs her help.
* In ''Deep Wizardry'', the second book in the ''YoungWizards'' series, Nita and Kit repeatedly break curfew while trying to make sure that a SealedEvilInACan ''stays'' sealed, forcing them to come clean about being wizards to her parents. At first the adults think that it's a combination of trickery and hypnosis, so Nita and Kit up the ante by taking them on a trip to the Moon (Nita's younger sister Dairine is not happy about having been left out of the trip). Nita's parents (and eventually Kit's parents) seem to be unusually undisturbed about their children risking their lives to fight evil, but given that the only way to stop them would be to keep them permanently unconscious, that might just be the adults dealing with the hand they've been dealt.
* The opening chapters of Jane Linskold's ''[[Literature/BreakingTheWall Thirteen Orphans]]'' were ''meant'' to be this for the main character Brenda, being brought into the full knowledge of lore that her father and others have inherited over the generations. What was planned as a gradual reveal turned into a crash course fairly quickly though.
* Lori and Dimity together do this in ''[[AuntDimity Aunt Dimity's Death]]''. Lori has just discovered Dimity is writing to her from beyond the grave, and Bill finds her just after the first time this happens. Lori tells him about it and shows him the journal page, which looks blank to him—until Dimity writes something to Bill which only he can read. Later in the series, Lori demonstrates the journal link to Emma Harris, and Dimity addresses herself to her as well.

[[AC:LiveActionTV]]
* The plot of ''Series/{{Alias}}'' begins when Sydney reveals her status as a spy to her fiance, and he is promptly killed by SD-6.
* This happens gradually for ''Series/{{Chuck}}'' with his close circle. The only two people still LockedOutOfTheLoop? [[ThoseTwoGuys Jeff and Lester]].
* In the season 2 finale of ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', circumstances force Buffy to finally tell her mother about the supernatural world and the role she plays in it. She had actually tried once before, but her parents assumed she was crazy and put her in a mental institution for several months. This time, she's able to prove it.
* ''Series/{{Friends}}'': The multi-episode Season 5 arc ending with "TOW Everyone Finds Out" in which first Joey, then the others find out that Monica and Chandler have been secretly dating.

[[AC:WebOriginal]]
* ''Series/{{Noob}}'' had a few episodes during which the audience knew that Sparadrap's younger bother was playing the game, but [[ObliviousYoungerSibling Sparadrap himself wasn't aware of it]]. His brother ends up setting things straight after it turns out that blackmail is going on between members of their respective guilds (one of Sparadrap's teammates is a ManipulativeBastard).

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]
* A variant is offered in ''WesternAnimation/StaticShock''. The titular hero's father quickly figures out that his son is Static when he's kidnapped in order to lure the locally famous superhero out.
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A sub-trope of TheReveal, TheInnerReveal happens when, for whatever reason, specific characters decide to reveal details of which they and the audience have been fully aware to characters who were out of the loop. It doesn't have to be some [[BrokenMasquerade world-shattering secret being revealed to the world]], or, really, any world-shattering secret at all. It can simply be two characters who have been secretly dating finally making it clear to everyone else that they are a couple, or a male character finally making it clear to the ClingyJealousGirl that he doesn't like her.

* ''DigimonTamers'': Takato eventually shows Guilmon to ''his entire class''. What follows is an episode of middle schoolers playing with a little red dinosaur. [[HeartwarmingMoments Dawwwww.]] This case is unique in that there was no real reason for doing so until later, when Takato wanted to sneak Guilmon on the school camping trip.

Alice has just gone through TheInnerReveal.

[[AC:Web Original]]
* ''Series/{{Noob}}'' had a few episodes during which the audience new that Sparadrap's younger bother was playing the game, but [[ObliviousYoungerSibling Sparadrap himself wasn't aware of it]]. His brother ends up setting things straight after it turns out that blackmail is going on between members of their respective guilds (one of Sparadrap's teammates is a ManipulativeBastard).

* The opening chapters of Jane Linskold's ''Thirteen Orphans'' were ''meant'' to be this for the main character Brenda, being brought into the full knowledge of lore that her father and others have inherited over the generations. What was planned as a gradual reveal turned into a crash course fairly quickly though.

* Luso reveals the fact that he was from another world to his clan mates after the events of the Mistwalker arc.

* In a special crossover, {{Superman}} calls out the fact that CaptainMarvel had nearly killed the criminal he was attempting to subdue. The captain promptly turns into his schoolboy true self, Billy Batson, and explains that the criminal in question had hospitalized his best friend in an attempt to assassinate him. Superman is very much shocked that a kid has to deal with so much.

* In ''TheDresdenFiles'', Harry slowly starts revealing details of the magical world to his BadassNormal friend Karrin, when he needs her help.

* The plot of ''{{Alias}}'' begins when Sydney reveals her status as a spy to her fiance, and he is promptly killed by SD-6.
* This happens gradually for {{Chuck}} with his close circle. The only two people still LockedOutOfTheLoop? [[ThoseTwoGuys Jeff and Lester]].
* In the season 2 finale of ''BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', circumstances force Buffy to finally tell her mother about the supernatural world and the role she plays in it. She had actually tried once before, but her parents assumed she was crazy and put her in a mental institution for several months. This time, she's able to prove it.

* A variant is offered in ''StaticShock''. The titular hero's father quickly figures out that his son is Static when he's kidnapped in order to lure the locally famous superhero out.

* ''Film/ETTheExtraTerrestrial'': The kids obviously have to explain things to their mother when Elliot falls ill from E.T.'s PsychicLink. And this is moments before the government stepped in and placed their entire house on quarantine.

* In ''Deep Wizardry'', the second book in the ''YoungWizards'' series, Nita and Kit repeatedly break curfew while trying to make sure that a SealedEvilInACan ''stays'' sealed, forcing them to come clean about being wizards to her parents. At first the adults think that it's a combination of trickery and hypnosis, so Nita and Kit up the ante by taking them on a trip to the Moon (Nita's younger sister Dairine is [[{{Understatement}} not happy]] about having been left out of the trip). Nita's parents (and eventually Kit's parents) seem to be unusually undisturbed about their children risking their lives to fight evil, but given that the only way to stop them would be to keep them permanently unconscious, that might just be the adults dealing with the hand they've been dealt.

* ''ETTheExtraterrestrial'': The kids obviously have to explain things to their mother when Elliot falls ill from E.T.'s PsychicLink. And this is moments before the government stepped in and placed their entire house on quarantine.

* ''[[Literature/TheHeirChronicles The HeirChronicles]]'': Jack and friends do have to explain their magical powers to their parents (and the local police chief) in the final book. The Roses had [[spoiler:formed a truce and]] begun to launch a full-scale assault on their hometown, you see...

* ''DigimonTamers'': Takato eventually shows Guilomon to ''his entire class''. What follows is an episode of middle schoolers playing with a little red dinosaur. [[HeartwarmingMoments Dawwwww.]] This case is unique in that there was no real reason for doing so until later, when Takato wanted to sneak Guilomon on the school camping trip.
* In ''NanohaAs'', the eponymous 9 years old heroine finally confesses to her parents that over the past half a year, she has been working part-time as a ChildSoldier for HumanAliens on a job that could have very well left her crippled for life or dead. They take is surprisingly well (but then again, given [[MasterSwordsman her dad's]] [[VideoGame/TriangleHeart3SweetSongsForever background]], they must have been very proud of her).

* ''ETTheExtraterrestrial'': The kids obviously have to explain things to their mother when their entire house is placed on quarantine by the government.

OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent Alice and her [[{{Mons}} magical]] BondCreature, Bob, have been [[TheMasquerade secretly]] fighting off an AlienInvasion. Alice has gone through all the basics: she's [[BatmanInMyBasement hidden Bob in her bedroom]], she's [[WakeUpGoToSchoolSaveTheWorld balanced going to school and saving the world]], and she's managed to keep that annoying [[IntrepidReporter kid from the school newspaper]] off her tail. But thing have gotten...complicated. Alice can no longer hide Bob from her family alone, and people are getting suspicious. So she spills.

A sub-trope of TheReveal, TheInnerReveal happens when, for whatever reason, specific characters decide to reveal details that they and the audience have been fuly aware of to characters that were out of the loop. It doesn't have to be some [[BrokenMasquerade world-shattering secret being revealed to the world]], or, really, any world-shattering secret at all. It can simply be two characters that have been secretly dating finally making it clear to everyone else that they are a couple, or a male character finally making it clear to the ClingyJealousGirl that he doesn't like her.

A very common trope in shows that involve a SecretIdentity or TheMasquerade in any way, shape, or form. Please more that if the information revealed isn't believed, then it isn't this trope. Situations like that should go under CassandraTruth.

* DigimonTamers: Takato eventually shows Guilomon to ''his entire class.'' What follows is an episode of middle-schoolers playing with a little red dinosaur. [[HeartwarmingMoments Dawwwww.]] This case is unique in that there was no real reason for doing so until later on, when Takato wanted to sneak Guilomon on the school camping trip.

* Thanks to several retcons over the years, [[SpiderMan Peter Parker]] has had to do this on more than one occasion. Most notably, ''twice'' with the Fatastic Four.
* In a special crossover, {{Superman}} calls out the fact that CaptainMarvel had nearly killed the criminal he was attempting to subdue. The 'cap promptly turns into his school-boy true self ad explains that the criminal in question had hospitalized his best friend in attempt to assassinate him.. Superman is very much shocked that a kid has to deal with so much.

* Happens off screen between the first and second Transformers films. In ''TransformersRevengeOfTheFallen'' it's revealed that Sam's parents are fully aware of the fact that their son's car is a giant alien robot in disguise.
* ETTheExtraterrestrial: The kids obviously have to explain things to their mother when their entire house is placed on quarantine by the government.

* [[Literature/TheHeirChronicles The HeirChronicles]]: Jack and friends do have to explain their magical powers to their parents (and the local police chief) in the final book. The Roses had [[spoiler: formed a truce and]] were about to launch a full-scale assault on their home town, you see...

* A variant is offered in StaticShock. The titular hero's father quickly figures out that his son is Static when he's kidnapped in order to lure the locally famous superhero out.

* TheHeirChronicles: Jack and friends do have to explain their magical powers to their parents (and the local police chief) in the final book. The Roses had [[spoiler: formed a truce and]] were about to launch a full-scale assault on their home town, you see...

* A variant is offered in StaticShock. The titular hero's father quickly figures out that his son is Static when he's kidnapped in order to lure the locally famous superhero out.

OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent Alice and her [[{{Mons}} magical]] BondCreature, Bob, have been [[TheMasquerade secretly]] fighting off an AlienInvasion. Alice has gone through all the basics: she's [[BatmanInMyBasemenf hidden Bob in her bedroom]], she's [[WakeUpGoToSchoolSaveTheWorld balanced going to school and saving the world]], and she's managed to keep that annoying [[IntrepidReporter kid from the school newspaper]] off her tail. But thing have gotten...complicated. Alice can no longer hide Bob from her family alone, and people are getting suspicious. So she spills.

* A variant is offered in StaticShock. The titular hero's father quickly figures out that his son is Static when he's kidnapped in order to lure the locally famous superhero out.

OrdinaryHiSchoolStudent Alice and her [[{{Mons}} magical]] BondCreature, Bob, have been [[TheMasquerade secretly]] fighting off an AlienInvasion. Alice has gone through all the basics: she's [[BatmanInMyBasemenf hidden Bob in her bedroom]], she's [[WakeUpGoToSchoolSaveTheWorld balanced going to school and saving the world]], and she's managed to keep that annoying [[IntrepidReporter kid from the school newspaper]] off her tail. But thing have gotten...complicated. Alice can no longer hide Bob from her family alone, and people are getting suspicious. So she spills.

* A variant is offered in StaticShock. The titular hero's father quickly figures out that his son is Static when he's kidnapped in order to lure the locally famous superhero out.