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* Cleverly employed by Wrestling/RandyOrton in early 2009, when he was still a heel and the leader of the Legacy stable. Having just won the Wrestling/RoyalRumble the night before, Orton announced that he was going to bring a lawsuit against Wrestling/{{WWE}} for threatening to fire him despite his having been guaranteed a title shot at ''Wrestling/WrestleMania'' (when in fact the [=McMahons=] had [[LogicalFallacies threatened to fire him]] ''[[LogicalFallacies before]]'' [[LogicalFallacies he won the Rumble match]])....and also threatened a ''second'' lawsuit, this time applying the WGG in a subtle way. He claimed that he had slapped, kicked, and punted the head of Wrestling/VinceMcMahon because he was suffering from a made-up disease called Intermittent Explosive Disorder [[AluminumChristmasTrees (which, apparently, is actually a real disorder)]] that causes its victim to resort to violence when provoked (in Orton's case, he had been slapped by Vince's daughter Stephanie, heard his father "Cowboy" Bob Orton insulted, and seen Wrestling/ChrisJericho fired in a KickTheSonOfABitch moment and feared that he might be next). Randy accused WWE of knowing that he had IED but refusing to treat it, even though there was no way he could prove this. He announced that the two lawsuits combined would drive WWE to bankruptcy and cause ''Wrestling/WrestleMania'' to be cancelled. Orton's machinations backfired: not only did ''everyone'' in WWE outside of the Legacy turn bitterly against him, but he angered Stephanie's husband Wrestling/TripleH into launching multiple attacks on him and terrorizing his family.
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* Cleverly employed by Wrestling/RandyOrton in early 2009, when he was still a heel and the leader of the Legacy stable. Having just won the Wrestling/RoyalRumble the night before, Orton announced that he was going to bring a lawsuit against Wrestling/{{WWE}} for threatening to fire him despite his having been guaranteed a title shot at ''Wrestling/WrestleMania'' (when in fact the [=McMahons=] had [[LogicalFallacies threatened to fire him]] ''[[LogicalFallacies before]]'' [[LogicalFallacies he won the Rumble match]])....and also threatened a ''second'' lawsuit, this time applying the WGG in a subtle way. He claimed that he had slapped, kicked, and punted the head of Wrestling/VinceMcMahon because he was suffering from a made-up disease called Intermittent Explosive Disorder [[AluminumChristmasTrees (which, apparently, is actually a real disorder)]] that causes its victim to resort to violence when provoked (in Orton's case, he had been slapped by Vince's daughter Stephanie, heard his father "Cowboy" Bob Orton insulted, and seen Wrestling/ChrisJericho fired in a KickTheSonOfABitch moment and feared that he might be next). Randy accused WWE of knowing that he had IED but refusing to treat it, even though there was no way he could prove this. He announced that the two lawsuits combined would drive WWE to bankruptcy and cause ''Wrestling/WrestleMania'' to be cancelled. Orton's machinations backfired: not only did ''everyone'' in WWE outside of the Legacy turn bitterly against him, but he angered Stephanie's husband Wrestling/TripleH into launching multiple attacks on him and terrorizing his family.
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* One interpretation of the infamously scary [[Wiki/SCPFoundation SCP-087]] (an infinite dark staircase where one can hear the cries of a girl, and no one who went far enough down has come up again) is that there is no girl at all, but a creature resembling a girl that uses this to lure in victims.
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* One interpretation of the infamously scary [[Wiki/SCPFoundation [[Website/SCPFoundation SCP-087]] (an infinite dark staircase where one can hear the cries of a girl, and no one who went far enough down has come up again) is that there is no girl at all, but a creature resembling a girl that uses this to lure in victims.
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[[folder:Asian Animation]]
* ''Animation/BoBoiBoy'': In Season 2 episode 9, Adu Du pretends to be badly hurt by [=BoBoiBoy=] and on the verge of dying to gain the audience's sympathy in his talk show and cause them to side with him. While [=BoBoiBoy=] ''did'' hurt him, it was to stop Adu Du, the ''bad'' guy, and wasn't anywhere near as bad as he makes it out to be.
[[/folder]]
* ''Animation/BoBoiBoy'': In Season 2 episode 9, Adu Du pretends to be badly hurt by [=BoBoiBoy=] and on the verge of dying to gain the audience's sympathy in his talk show and cause them to side with him. While [=BoBoiBoy=] ''did'' hurt him, it was to stop Adu Du, the ''bad'' guy, and wasn't anywhere near as bad as he makes it out to be.
[[/folder]]
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* In ''Machinima/RedVsBlue'', [[spoiler:Felix lets himself gets shot in the leg by his partner, Locus, in order to trick the stranded Reds and Blues into trusting him. Later on when Felix's true motives are revealed, he takes great pleasure in taunting them about it]].
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* In ''Machinima/RedVsBlue'', ''WebAnimation/RedVsBlue'', [[spoiler:Felix lets himself gets shot in the leg by his partner, Locus, in order to trick the stranded Reds and Blues into trusting him. Later on when Felix's true motives are revealed, he takes great pleasure in taunting them about it]].
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* ''Website/GoodbyeStrangers'': The [[https://strangers.atrocityland.com/enter/site/module/primer/s_fressidrene.html fressidrene]] imitates the voice of a person crying for help to lure people into climbing into its mouth. If a person actually does crawl into its mouth it switches to laughing at them. Luckily it can't actually close its mouth and doesn't digest its victims so it is possible, though difficult, to just climb back out. And since the fressidrene isn't actually intelligent, it is possible to tell whether or not a real person is trapped inside of it by by paying attention to if the voice can actually have a conversation.
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*** In the sequel, ''VisualNovel/SuperDanganronpaAnother2'', part of [[spoiler:Nikei's]] plan in case four involved [[spoiler:him knocking himself out with a stun gun in order to trick Yuki into thinking Shinji had attacked him]].
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Expand summary
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Using self-inflicted injuries, real or fake, to deceive others and manipulate them into doing what you want. Often used to frame a third party, this strategy is particularly effective for, and often used by, women, [[DoubleStandard due to societal prohibitions against]] [[WouldntHitAGirl hurting women]]. Named for the trick sometimes used by a mother gazelle (as well as certain birds and deer) of pretending to be injured in order to lure a predator away from her young. Once a safe distance is reached, the pretense can be dropped, and the mother can bound away, leaving the hapless predator in the dust.
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Using self-inflicted injuries, real or fake, to deceive others and manipulate them into doing what you want. Often used to frame a third party, this strategy is particularly effective for, and often used by, women, [[DoubleStandard due to societal prohibitions against]] [[WouldntHitAGirl hurting women]]. Named for the trick sometimes used by a mother gazelle (as well as certain birds and deer) of pretending to be injured injured, and thus an easy meal, in order to lure a predator away from her young. Once a safe distance is reached, the pretense can be dropped, and the mother can bound away, leaving the hapless predator in the dust.
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This is by no means limited to personal injuries. The EvilOverlord can [[FalseFlagOperation injure his own people and try to blame another country]], providing a quick and easy [[ThisMeansWar justification for war]]. This is mentioned as #34 ([[RuleThirtyFour not that kind]]) in UsefulNotes/TheThirtySixStratagems, making this one of TheOldestTricksInTheBook. Do note, however, that feigning injury so as to attack an enemy who comes to render you aid is a war crime under [[UsefulNotes/TheLawsAndCustomsOfWar the Hague Conventions]]; on the other hand, making your own position look untenable to lure the enemy into attacking you, then flipping the tables on them, is fine.
Can cover anything from a lame excuse to MaliciousSlander. For a slandered party, it often precludes ICanExplain, and can lead to PoorCommunicationKills. Can overlap with ISurrenderSuckers. If you're a member of a minority, EverythingIsRacist is a convenient way to invoke this trope. When done against police, it's often a PoliceBrutalityGambit. When done on a large scale, it's often a FalseFlagOperation. FalseRapeAccusation is a very specific subtrope of this. If done against a motorist for insurance money, see StagedPedestrianAccident. If the target is actually guilty, see FramingTheGuiltyParty. The BullyHunter and WifeBasherBasher easily fall for this trick. The HeroWithBadPublicity also tend to get their reputation from these.
Can cover anything from a lame excuse to MaliciousSlander. For a slandered party, it often precludes ICanExplain, and can lead to PoorCommunicationKills. Can overlap with ISurrenderSuckers. If you're a member of a minority, EverythingIsRacist is a convenient way to invoke this trope. When done against police, it's often a PoliceBrutalityGambit. When done on a large scale, it's often a FalseFlagOperation. FalseRapeAccusation is a very specific subtrope of this. If done against a motorist for insurance money, see StagedPedestrianAccident. If the target is actually guilty, see FramingTheGuiltyParty. The BullyHunter and WifeBasherBasher easily fall for this trick. The HeroWithBadPublicity also tend to get their reputation from these.
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This is by no means limited to personal injuries. The EvilOverlord can [[FalseFlagOperation injure his own people and try to blame another country]], providing a quick and easy [[ThisMeansWar justification for war]]. This is mentioned as #34 ([[RuleThirtyFour not that kind]]) in UsefulNotes/TheThirtySixStratagems, making this one of TheOldestTricksInTheBook. Do note, however, that feigning injury so as to attack an enemy who comes to render you aid is a war crime under [[UsefulNotes/TheLawsAndCustomsOfWar the Hague Conventions]]; on the other hand, making your own position look untenable to lure the enemy into attacking ''attacking'' you, then flipping the tables on them, is fine.
Can cover anything from a lame excuse to MaliciousSlander. For a slandered party, it often precludes ICanExplain, and can lead to PoorCommunicationKills. Can overlap with ISurrenderSuckers. If you're a member of a minority, EverythingIsRacist is a convenient way to invoke this trope. When done against police, it's often a PoliceBrutalityGambit. When done on a large scale, it's often a FalseFlagOperation. FalseRapeAccusation is a very specific subtrope of this. If done against a motorist for insurance money, see StagedPedestrianAccident. If the target is actually guilty, see FramingTheGuiltyParty. The BullyHunter and WifeBasherBasher easily fall for this trick. The HeroWithBadPublicity alsotend tends to get their bad reputation from these.
these.
Can cover anything from a lame excuse to MaliciousSlander. For a slandered party, it often precludes ICanExplain, and can lead to PoorCommunicationKills. Can overlap with ISurrenderSuckers. If you're a member of a minority, EverythingIsRacist is a convenient way to invoke this trope. When done against police, it's often a PoliceBrutalityGambit. When done on a large scale, it's often a FalseFlagOperation. FalseRapeAccusation is a very specific subtrope of this. If done against a motorist for insurance money, see StagedPedestrianAccident. If the target is actually guilty, see FramingTheGuiltyParty. The BullyHunter and WifeBasherBasher easily fall for this trick. The HeroWithBadPublicity also
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* ''Doctor Zero'' answers a fake distress signal from an American nuclear submarine only to find that the whole thing's a trap staged by the Merchants, EliteAgentsAboveTheLaw, who want to attack him in a confined location where he can't use some of his powers.
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* ''Doctor Zero'' ''ComicBook/DoctorZero'' answers a fake distress signal from an American nuclear submarine only to find that the whole thing's a trap staged by the Merchants, EliteAgentsAboveTheLaw, who want to attack him in a confined location where he can't use some of his powers.
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* ''Doctor Zero'' answers a fake distress signal from an American nuclear submarine only to find that the whole thing's a trap staged by the Merchants, EliteAgentsAboveTheLaw, who want to attack him in a confined location where he can't use some of his powers.
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typo correction: how ay -> how many
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** It can't be counted how ay bad guys think they have a wounded and captured Natasha at their mercy only to realize too late she's led them into a trap.
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** It can't be counted how ay many bad guys think they have a wounded and captured Natasha at their mercy only to realize too late she's led them into a trap.
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This is by no means limited to personal injuries. The EvilOverlord can [[FalseFlagOperation injure his own people and try to blame another country]], providing a quick and easy [[ThisMeansWar justification for war]]. This is mentioned as #34 ([[RuleThirtyFour not that kind]]) in UsefulNotes/TheThirtySixStratagems, making this one of TheOldestTricksInTheBook. Do note, however, that feigning injury so as to attack an enemy who comes to render you aid is a war crime under [[UsefulNotes/TheLawsAndCustomsOfWar the Geneva Conventions]]; on the other hand, making your own position look untenable to lure the enemy into attacking you, then flipping the tables on them, is fine.
to:
This is by no means limited to personal injuries. The EvilOverlord can [[FalseFlagOperation injure his own people and try to blame another country]], providing a quick and easy [[ThisMeansWar justification for war]]. This is mentioned as #34 ([[RuleThirtyFour not that kind]]) in UsefulNotes/TheThirtySixStratagems, making this one of TheOldestTricksInTheBook. Do note, however, that feigning injury so as to attack an enemy who comes to render you aid is a war crime under [[UsefulNotes/TheLawsAndCustomsOfWar the Geneva Hague Conventions]]; on the other hand, making your own position look untenable to lure the enemy into attacking you, then flipping the tables on them, is fine.
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Changed line(s) 11,12 (click to see context) from:
This is by no means limited to personal injuries. The EvilOverlord can [[FalseFlagOperation injure his own people and try to blame another country]], providing a quick and easy [[ThisMeansWar justification for war]]. This is mentioned as #34 ([[RuleThirtyFour not that kind]]) in UsefulNotes/TheThirtySixStratagems, making this one of TheOldestTricksInTheBook. Do note, however, that feigning injury so as to attack an enemy who comes to render you aid is a war crime under [[UsefulNotes/TheLawsAndCustomsOfWar the Geneva Conventions]]; however, making your own position look untenable to lure the enemy into attacking you, then flipping the tables on them, is fine.
to:
This is by no means limited to personal injuries. The EvilOverlord can [[FalseFlagOperation injure his own people and try to blame another country]], providing a quick and easy [[ThisMeansWar justification for war]]. This is mentioned as #34 ([[RuleThirtyFour not that kind]]) in UsefulNotes/TheThirtySixStratagems, making this one of TheOldestTricksInTheBook. Do note, however, that feigning injury so as to attack an enemy who comes to render you aid is a war crime under [[UsefulNotes/TheLawsAndCustomsOfWar the Geneva Conventions]]; however, on the other hand, making your own position look untenable to lure the enemy into attacking you, then flipping the tables on them, is fine.
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Changed line(s) 11,12 (click to see context) from:
This is by no means limited to personal injuries. The EvilOverlord can [[FalseFlagOperation injure his own people and try to blame another country]], providing a quick and easy [[ThisMeansWar justification for war]]. This is mentioned as #34 ([[RuleThirtyFour not that kind]]) in UsefulNotes/TheThirtySixStratagems, making this one of TheOldestTricksInTheBook. Do note, however, that feigning injury so as to attack an enemy who comes to render you aid is a war crime under [[TheLawsAndCustomsOfWar the Geneva Conventions]]; however, making your own position look untenable to lure the enemy into attacking you, then flipping the tables on them, is fine.
to:
This is by no means limited to personal injuries. The EvilOverlord can [[FalseFlagOperation injure his own people and try to blame another country]], providing a quick and easy [[ThisMeansWar justification for war]]. This is mentioned as #34 ([[RuleThirtyFour not that kind]]) in UsefulNotes/TheThirtySixStratagems, making this one of TheOldestTricksInTheBook. Do note, however, that feigning injury so as to attack an enemy who comes to render you aid is a war crime under [[TheLawsAndCustomsOfWar [[UsefulNotes/TheLawsAndCustomsOfWar the Geneva Conventions]]; however, making your own position look untenable to lure the enemy into attacking you, then flipping the tables on them, is fine.
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This is by no means limited to personal injuries. The EvilOverlord can [[FalseFlagOperation injure his own people and try to blame another country]], providing a quick and easy [[ThisMeansWar justification for war]]. This is mentioned as #34 ([[RuleThirtyFour not that kind]]) in UsefulNotes/TheThirtySixStratagems, making this one of TheOldestTricksInTheBook.
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This is by no means limited to personal injuries. The EvilOverlord can [[FalseFlagOperation injure his own people and try to blame another country]], providing a quick and easy [[ThisMeansWar justification for war]]. This is mentioned as #34 ([[RuleThirtyFour not that kind]]) in UsefulNotes/TheThirtySixStratagems, making this one of TheOldestTricksInTheBook.
TheOldestTricksInTheBook. Do note, however, that feigning injury so as to attack an enemy who comes to render you aid is a war crime under [[TheLawsAndCustomsOfWar the Geneva Conventions]]; however, making your own position look untenable to lure the enemy into attacking you, then flipping the tables on them, is fine.
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** In the fangame ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaAnother'', [[spoiler:the culprit of the second case, Ayame the "[[TheAce Ultimate]] Sprinter", ends up [[ComplexityAddiction crippled by a tripwire that she herself set up in order to throw off suspicion]]. Part of the reason this fails is because she supposedly severed her rear tendon while walking ''forward'', with the wire just ''happening'' to be positioned in the perfect place to cause her maximum damage, causing the plan to fall apart the moment the others start to suspect her]].
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** In the fangame FanGame ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaAnother'', [[spoiler:the culprit of the second case, Ayame the "[[TheAce Ultimate]] Sprinter", ends up [[ComplexityAddiction crippled by a tripwire that she herself set up in order to throw off suspicion]]. Part of the reason this fails is because she supposedly severed her rear tendon while walking ''forward'', with the wire just ''happening'' to be positioned in the perfect place to cause her maximum damage, causing the plan to fall apart the moment the others start to suspect her]].
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* Wrestling/VickieGuerrero followed in her late husband's footsteps on some occasions, starting in late 2006. After Wrestling/ChrisBenoit accidentally knocked her off the ring apron during a match with her nephew Wrestling/{{Chavo|GuerreroJr}}, Vickie appeared backstage wearing a neck brace she didn't really need and sobbing hysterically, hoping to substantiate rumors at the time that Benoit was a "woman-beater" (which, sad to say, now counts as one hell of a FunnyAneurysmMoment). Vickie kept exploiting her "injuries" long after her neck healed, often appearing in a wheelchair and otherwise acting helpless in order to get her male companions (both members of her family and her romantic interests) to act as her servants.
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* Wrestling/VickieGuerrero followed in her late husband's footsteps on some occasions, starting in late 2006. After Wrestling/ChrisBenoit accidentally knocked her off the ring apron during a match with her nephew Wrestling/{{Chavo|GuerreroJr}}, Vickie appeared backstage wearing a neck brace she didn't really need and sobbing hysterically, hoping to substantiate rumors at the time that Benoit was a "woman-beater" (which, sad to say, now counts as one hell of a FunnyAneurysmMoment).HarsherInHindsight). Vickie kept exploiting her "injuries" long after her neck healed, often appearing in a wheelchair and otherwise acting helpless in order to get her male companions (both members of her family and her romantic interests) to act as her servants.
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* ''{{Franchise/Danganronpa}}'' does this in the first game with the third case; [[spoiler:Celestia]] lies to [[spoiler:Hifumi]] that [[spoiler:Kiyotaka]] raped them to give them due cause to plot out the victim's murder together. [[spoiler:Hifumi]] then kills [[spoiler:Kiyotaka]] to avenge them on this lie, and then [[spoiler:Celeste]] further lies that the person in the "Justice Hero X" costume violently assaulted them to give themselves an alibi, based on the killer apparently leading up to gradually more lethal weapons.
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* ''{{Franchise/Danganronpa}}'' does this ''{{Franchise/Danganronpa}}'':
** Occurs in the [[VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc firstgame game]] with the third case; [[spoiler:Celestia]] lies to [[spoiler:Hifumi]] that [[spoiler:Kiyotaka]] [[FalseRapeAccusation raped them her]] to give them due cause to plot out the victim's murder together. [[spoiler:Hifumi]] then kills [[spoiler:Kiyotaka]] to avenge them on this lie, and then [[spoiler:Celeste]] further lies that the person in the "Justice Hero X" costume violently assaulted them to give themselves an alibi, based on the killer apparently leading up to gradually more lethal weapons. weapons.
** In the fangame ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaAnother'', [[spoiler:the culprit of the second case, Ayame the "[[TheAce Ultimate]] Sprinter", ends up [[ComplexityAddiction crippled by a tripwire that she herself set up in order to throw off suspicion]]. Part of the reason this fails is because she supposedly severed her rear tendon while walking ''forward'', with the wire just ''happening'' to be positioned in the perfect place to cause her maximum damage, causing the plan to fall apart the moment the others start to suspect her]].
** Occurs in the [[VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc first
** In the fangame ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaAnother'', [[spoiler:the culprit of the second case, Ayame the "[[TheAce Ultimate]] Sprinter", ends up [[ComplexityAddiction crippled by a tripwire that she herself set up in order to throw off suspicion]]. Part of the reason this fails is because she supposedly severed her rear tendon while walking ''forward'', with the wire just ''happening'' to be positioned in the perfect place to cause her maximum damage, causing the plan to fall apart the moment the others start to suspect her]].
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YMMV
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** ''WesternAnimation/{{Cinderella}}'' included a scene where [[FanNickname Cindy]] lectures the hound dog Bruno on getting along with [[CatsAreMean Lucifer]]. While her back is turned, Lucifer lies down in front of Bruno and scratches his snout, yowling when he growls. The trope is played with a bit, however. Cindy does not try to play favorites with any of the animals, insisting that they treat each other equally. After she sends the abashed Bruno outside, she angrily sets down Lucifer's saucer of milk while snapping a remark that she knows Lucifer to be a bully himself, and that he probably deserved what he "got."
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** ''WesternAnimation/{{Cinderella}}'' included a scene where [[FanNickname Cindy]] Cinderella lectures the hound dog Bruno on getting along with [[CatsAreMean Lucifer]]. While her back is turned, Lucifer lies down in front of Bruno and scratches his snout, yowling when he growls. The trope is played with a bit, however. Cindy does not try to play favorites with any of the animals, insisting that they treat each other equally. After she sends the abashed Bruno outside, she angrily sets down Lucifer's saucer of milk while snapping a remark that she knows Lucifer to be a bully himself, and that he probably deserved what he "got."
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Lengthy page; created some Subpages and moved examples accordingly.
* WoundedGazelleGambit/FanWorks
* WoundedGazelleGambit/VideoGames
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* ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}'': In a 1952 strip, Charlie Brown is minding his own business and playing with a toy truck, when Lucy runs past him, yelling at him not to attack her. Patty overhears and threatens to beat Charlie Brown up, so Charlie Brown tells Lucy to stay away from him. Lucy gets upset, and when Charlie Brown tries apologize to her, [[HereWeGoAgain Lucy yells at Charlie Brown not to attack her again]].
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* ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}'': In a 1952 strip, Charlie Brown is minding his own business and playing with a toy truck, when Lucy runs past him, yelling at him not to attack her. Patty overhears and threatens to beat Charlie Brown up, so Charlie Brown tells Lucy to stay away from him. Lucy gets upset, and when Charlie Brown tries apologize apologizing to her, [[HereWeGoAgain Lucy yells at Charlie Brown not to attack her again]].
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[[folder:Fan Works]]
* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10733441/1/Another-Chance Another Chance]]'' ([[FandomSpecificPlot as well as many]] ''Manga/FairyTail'' [[FandomSpecificPlot fanfics like it]]), [[RonTheDeathEater Lisanna]], by using makeup, manages to fool most of the guild into thinking Lucy injured her, causing them to turn on and beat Lucy up. Only [[NiceGirl Wendy]], Juvia, the Exceeds and [[BloodKnight Gajeel, of all people]] refuse to take part in it, but only Makarov sees through Lisanna's deception by smelling her makeup (which the other Dragon Slayers should have been able to do), and after having Juvia use [[MakingASplash her magic to wash it off]], expels Lisanna from the guild.
* In ''Fanfic/ACureForLove'', while [[Manga/DeathNote Light]] is in the middle of killing one of his former coworkers he makes said coworker [[OnlyAFleshWound shoot him in the arm]] so that he will look innocent to the investigators.
* After [[{{Yandere}} Mikoto Uchiha]] [[spoiler:kills off most of her clan]] in ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11893710/3/A-Dark-Obsession A Dark Obsession]]'', she deliberately injures herself and tells Manga/{{Naruto}} that the Hokage was responsible in order to convince Naruto to leave Konoha with her.
* In ''Fanfic/EnemiesWithin'', Evil Sayori cuts her cheek to incriminate [[VisualNovel/DokiDokiLiteratureClub Yuri]] of attacking her.
* [[BigBad Checker Monarch]] from ''Fanfic/GettingBackOnYourHooves'' has [[ManipulativeBitch Manipulation]] as her Special Talent, and thus has this as part of her arsenal, and threatens to do so if anyone reveals her crimes. [[spoiler:Ironically, Trixie uses this trope herself to lure Checker into an EngineeredPublicConfession.]]
* In the Franchise/SherlockHolmes fic ''Fanfic/TheGhostMap'', Holmes shoots himself in the shoulder to frame a SerialKiller[=/=]DeadlyDoctor and get him convicted in court.
* In ''[[Fanfic/TheHeartTrilogy Heart Of Ashes]]'', [[HotWitch Andraya]] uses this trick to frame [[VillainProtagonist Smaug]] (or "Cail Agonn" as he's known in [[HumanityEnsues his human form]]) for [[spoiler:King Wilhelm's murder]] in order to get back at him for breaking off their expired deal. [[spoiler:She enters the king's bedchamber in a maid's attire, kills him, leaves the door of the servant passage open, slices her own forehead, sinks the dagger in the king's chest, and screams for help. Pretending to be a hysteric maid, she tearfully tells the guards that "Cail Agonn" murdered the king and escaped through the servant passage, leading the guards to search for him and (unsuccessfully) attempt to arrest/kill him. It helps that "Cail Agonn" is a wanted man who recently spoke disrespectfully to the king.]]
* In ''Fanfic/HybridTheory'', through make-up and tears and being naked in bed, [[Manga/RanmaOneHalf Nabiki]] convinces Ryouga that he snapped and abused her, because she wants him to be her perfect willing slave.
* [[https://m.fanfiction.net/s/7006387/1/Imagination-vs-Popularity This Backyardigans fanfic]] be a bully do this to get the kids (specifically Pablo and Tyrone) in trouble. [[spoiler:It works.]]
* ''Fanfic/TheImmortalGame'': [[spoiler:After [[EvilMatriarch Terra]] is stripped of her power and imprisoned by the Mane Cast, she eventually pretends to have an emotional breakdown in order to lure Fluttershy close enough to her cage that she can try and strangle her through the bars]].
* In ''Fanfic/IWontSay'' when [[Manga/DeathNote L catches Mello and Matt]] sneaking around his room Matt turns on the waterworks and tries to blame it all on [[NotMeThisTime Light]].
* Henri [=LeRoi=], the new villain character in ''Fanfic/JerkInSheepsClothing'', pulls the same stunts Lila usually does in salt fics, only the targets are reversed so that he’s faking it to get ''Marinette’s'' sympathy and make ''the class'' seem like the bullies instead of the other way around, all to get her to cut ties with them and become dependent on him.
** When Ivan confronts him on his behavior, which is very gently and not at all threatening, Henri puts his hands on himself and throws himself down the stairs just as Marinette is coming over, making it look like Ivan pushed him down. When Ivan tries to defend himself, Henri fakes an ankle injury to steal back her pity.
** Kim tries to catch Henri in the act of faking by throwing a paper football at his face, prompting him to get up on his ankle and catch it. When Kim points this out, Henri claims he risked his injury to save Marinette from a paper cut on her face, earning her admiration and getting her to believe her friends are bullying him.
* ''Fanfic/MissingMiraculousLadybug'': In order to get [[WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug Alya]] in trouble, Lila slaps herself across the face hard enough to leave a mark, then bursts into CrocodileTears, making it seem as though the other girl attacked her.
* In ''[[FanFic/MonsterADeathNoteAU Monster]]'' a [[WomanScorned jealously scorned]] Misa calls the police on Kira's operation in the hopes of eliminating her competition and forcing Light to be "hers" again. When calling the police, Misa gives a great performance, tears and all, and downplays her own involvement claiming she was "so scared" of Kira.
* In ''Fanfic/NeitherABirdNorAPlaneItsDeku'', Izuku gets into an arm wrestle with Kendo Rappa that's so [[OneSidedArmWrestling so one-sided]] that Rappa's arm gets twisted all the way around. Izuku screams and apologizes for what he's done until Rappa reveals his AbnormalLimbRotationRange and resets his arm while laughing at Izuku's reaction.
-->'''Izuku:''' Ahhh! I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to-are you okay?!\\
'''Rappa:''' ''[arm twisted 180 degrees]'' "Okay"? "Okay"? "Okay"?! You think this is okay?!\\
'''Izuku:''' Ahhhh!\\
'''Rappa:''' You think this is okay, kid?! 'Cause if you do... then you're totally right to do so. ''[spins his shoulder back into place]''\\
'''Izuku:''' Wh-What?\\
'''Rappa:''' Ha! Got you good, kid! Ah, if I had 100 yen every time I got someone to have that look on your face.\\
'''Izuku:''' ''[under his breath]'' Yeah, real funny.
* In ''Fanfic/PersonaEG'', [[spoiler:Sunset Shimmer uses this as one of her plans to humiliate Flash and anger Twilight. She breaks into the Applewood dorm one night in February and [[DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnMale rapes Flash]], then one month later claims that she is pregnant with Flash's child because he forced himself on her. Although she was attempting to get pregnant for real when she raped him it didn't work and she just made up that she was pregnant to humiliate Flash. Though many people in the school believe the rumor at first, the attempt ultimately fails when Flash, Cadance and Celestia call her out on her lie and set up a test to prove it is false. Sunset backs down and admits her lie, but gets out of any official punishment by messaging over Canterbook that she panicked and misread her result. Despite the rumor being proved false, many people are still upset at Flash for having had sex with Sunset, but Sunset herself is just as humiliated as Flash.]]
* ''Fanfic/RWBYDark'': P.E.N.N.Y., disguised as a girl, fakes a broken leg and having lost her parents in order to gain sympathy from the Resistance and use it to infiltrate their base. Fortunately, Mercury sees right through it.
* In ''Fanfic/ShadowchasersAscension'', [[spoiler:ShockJock Sarah Blaze uses a variation of this similar to Palpatine's in ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsCloneWars'', arranging for her own kidnapping and pretending to be a DamselInDistress so she won't be considered a suspect later when things get more serious. Unfortunately for her, [[TagAlongKid Karen]] picks up on a few interactions between her and the kidnapper that seem contradictory. When she interviews the kidnapper on her show, she acts like the two have never met; however, when she's actually kidnapped, she addresses him as if she's known him a long time. This eventually gets her found out, and ruins a big part of the villains' plans]].
* In ''Fanfic/ShinjiAndWarhammer40k'', when Gendo and SEELE finally realize that neither of them was behind Shinji's messianic rise in popularity and influence, they conclude that a third party is manipulating events. Gendo interrogates Shinji privately, hoping to learn who's behind it. Gendo is careful to avoid leaving any obvious bruises during the interrogation, and when physical pain proves ineffective, he starts threatening Shinji's friends. Shinji responds by savagely punching himself in the face over and over. Due to an old incident where Shinji provoked Gendo into striking him in public, combined with the public persona Shinji had cultivated, Gendo realizes there's nothing he can do to convince people of the truth.
* ''FanFic/SinsOfThePast'' opens with [[ManipulativeBitch Lila]] cornering Marinette, then grabbing her journal and smacking herself in the face with it. Their classmates believe that Marinette was the one who struck her, save for Adrien... but he still blames her for what happened.
* In ''Fanfic/TellingLiesNoMama'', Chloé explains that [[BitchInSheepsClothing Lila]] uses this as a tool to get everyone on her side, even when what she says doesn’t add up. At the start of the story, Lila tries to claim that Marinette attacked her, and everyone jumps to her defense, except for Alya, Nino, Adrien and Chloé. When Chloé presses the class if they really believe Marinette did it, they admit that they didn’t really believe Lila and only defended her because she seemed so vulnerable and sad and they didn’t want to seem like jerks.
* In ''Fanfic/ThoseWhoStandForNothingFallForAnything'' B locks himself and Light up in L's kitchen and begins beating himself up in an attempt to frame Light. Luckily L knows B and Light well enough to figure out what's going on.
* In ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/26340325 Underestimation]]'', Lila tries to claim that Marinette pushed her on the way to school in order to get the rest of the class to turn on her. While they ''do'' believe she was assaulted, they end up questioning the identity of her "attacker", since Marinette is an AllLovingHero who would ''never'' bully someone like that; Lila is ultimately forced to concede that she may have mistaken her "attacker" for Marinette.
* ''Fanfic/WhiteSheepRWBY'':
** Cinder mentions that Salem's daughters quickly realized that Salem was completely incapable of denying them anything while they were crying; it makes any attempts to punish them doomed to failure. While this did also apply to Salem's son Jaune, he never took advantage of it.
** In the story proper, Jaune invokes this on Cinder's behalf. He attacks her while in his [[OneWingedAngel Grimm form]] to keep her cover safe when Ironwood attacks their meeting with Adam in chapter 40. Adam, for his part, catches on quickly, and talks about having "lost the hostage" in earshot of Ironwood's men.
* Shadowfax tries this to escape interrogation in [[http://www.fimfiction.net/story/119688/1/you-obey/the-interrogation You Obey.]]
* Vivian pulls this trick on [[TheDragon Lyrius]] during the FinalBattle of ''[[Fanfic/YuGiOhTheThousandYearDoor Yu Gi Oh: The Thousand Year Door Redux]]''. When he's understandably upset at having fallen for such an old trick, she says she "had a good teacher". (Implying that she [[EvilMentor learned it from him.]])
[[/folder]]
* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10733441/1/Another-Chance Another Chance]]'' ([[FandomSpecificPlot as well as many]] ''Manga/FairyTail'' [[FandomSpecificPlot fanfics like it]]), [[RonTheDeathEater Lisanna]], by using makeup, manages to fool most of the guild into thinking Lucy injured her, causing them to turn on and beat Lucy up. Only [[NiceGirl Wendy]], Juvia, the Exceeds and [[BloodKnight Gajeel, of all people]] refuse to take part in it, but only Makarov sees through Lisanna's deception by smelling her makeup (which the other Dragon Slayers should have been able to do), and after having Juvia use [[MakingASplash her magic to wash it off]], expels Lisanna from the guild.
* In ''Fanfic/ACureForLove'', while [[Manga/DeathNote Light]] is in the middle of killing one of his former coworkers he makes said coworker [[OnlyAFleshWound shoot him in the arm]] so that he will look innocent to the investigators.
* After [[{{Yandere}} Mikoto Uchiha]] [[spoiler:kills off most of her clan]] in ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11893710/3/A-Dark-Obsession A Dark Obsession]]'', she deliberately injures herself and tells Manga/{{Naruto}} that the Hokage was responsible in order to convince Naruto to leave Konoha with her.
* In ''Fanfic/EnemiesWithin'', Evil Sayori cuts her cheek to incriminate [[VisualNovel/DokiDokiLiteratureClub Yuri]] of attacking her.
* [[BigBad Checker Monarch]] from ''Fanfic/GettingBackOnYourHooves'' has [[ManipulativeBitch Manipulation]] as her Special Talent, and thus has this as part of her arsenal, and threatens to do so if anyone reveals her crimes. [[spoiler:Ironically, Trixie uses this trope herself to lure Checker into an EngineeredPublicConfession.]]
* In the Franchise/SherlockHolmes fic ''Fanfic/TheGhostMap'', Holmes shoots himself in the shoulder to frame a SerialKiller[=/=]DeadlyDoctor and get him convicted in court.
* In ''[[Fanfic/TheHeartTrilogy Heart Of Ashes]]'', [[HotWitch Andraya]] uses this trick to frame [[VillainProtagonist Smaug]] (or "Cail Agonn" as he's known in [[HumanityEnsues his human form]]) for [[spoiler:King Wilhelm's murder]] in order to get back at him for breaking off their expired deal. [[spoiler:She enters the king's bedchamber in a maid's attire, kills him, leaves the door of the servant passage open, slices her own forehead, sinks the dagger in the king's chest, and screams for help. Pretending to be a hysteric maid, she tearfully tells the guards that "Cail Agonn" murdered the king and escaped through the servant passage, leading the guards to search for him and (unsuccessfully) attempt to arrest/kill him. It helps that "Cail Agonn" is a wanted man who recently spoke disrespectfully to the king.]]
* In ''Fanfic/HybridTheory'', through make-up and tears and being naked in bed, [[Manga/RanmaOneHalf Nabiki]] convinces Ryouga that he snapped and abused her, because she wants him to be her perfect willing slave.
* [[https://m.fanfiction.net/s/7006387/1/Imagination-vs-Popularity This Backyardigans fanfic]] be a bully do this to get the kids (specifically Pablo and Tyrone) in trouble. [[spoiler:It works.]]
* ''Fanfic/TheImmortalGame'': [[spoiler:After [[EvilMatriarch Terra]] is stripped of her power and imprisoned by the Mane Cast, she eventually pretends to have an emotional breakdown in order to lure Fluttershy close enough to her cage that she can try and strangle her through the bars]].
* In ''Fanfic/IWontSay'' when [[Manga/DeathNote L catches Mello and Matt]] sneaking around his room Matt turns on the waterworks and tries to blame it all on [[NotMeThisTime Light]].
* Henri [=LeRoi=], the new villain character in ''Fanfic/JerkInSheepsClothing'', pulls the same stunts Lila usually does in salt fics, only the targets are reversed so that he’s faking it to get ''Marinette’s'' sympathy and make ''the class'' seem like the bullies instead of the other way around, all to get her to cut ties with them and become dependent on him.
** When Ivan confronts him on his behavior, which is very gently and not at all threatening, Henri puts his hands on himself and throws himself down the stairs just as Marinette is coming over, making it look like Ivan pushed him down. When Ivan tries to defend himself, Henri fakes an ankle injury to steal back her pity.
** Kim tries to catch Henri in the act of faking by throwing a paper football at his face, prompting him to get up on his ankle and catch it. When Kim points this out, Henri claims he risked his injury to save Marinette from a paper cut on her face, earning her admiration and getting her to believe her friends are bullying him.
* ''Fanfic/MissingMiraculousLadybug'': In order to get [[WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug Alya]] in trouble, Lila slaps herself across the face hard enough to leave a mark, then bursts into CrocodileTears, making it seem as though the other girl attacked her.
* In ''[[FanFic/MonsterADeathNoteAU Monster]]'' a [[WomanScorned jealously scorned]] Misa calls the police on Kira's operation in the hopes of eliminating her competition and forcing Light to be "hers" again. When calling the police, Misa gives a great performance, tears and all, and downplays her own involvement claiming she was "so scared" of Kira.
* In ''Fanfic/NeitherABirdNorAPlaneItsDeku'', Izuku gets into an arm wrestle with Kendo Rappa that's so [[OneSidedArmWrestling so one-sided]] that Rappa's arm gets twisted all the way around. Izuku screams and apologizes for what he's done until Rappa reveals his AbnormalLimbRotationRange and resets his arm while laughing at Izuku's reaction.
-->'''Izuku:''' Ahhh! I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to-are you okay?!\\
'''Rappa:''' ''[arm twisted 180 degrees]'' "Okay"? "Okay"? "Okay"?! You think this is okay?!\\
'''Izuku:''' Ahhhh!\\
'''Rappa:''' You think this is okay, kid?! 'Cause if you do... then you're totally right to do so. ''[spins his shoulder back into place]''\\
'''Izuku:''' Wh-What?\\
'''Rappa:''' Ha! Got you good, kid! Ah, if I had 100 yen every time I got someone to have that look on your face.\\
'''Izuku:''' ''[under his breath]'' Yeah, real funny.
* In ''Fanfic/PersonaEG'', [[spoiler:Sunset Shimmer uses this as one of her plans to humiliate Flash and anger Twilight. She breaks into the Applewood dorm one night in February and [[DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnMale rapes Flash]], then one month later claims that she is pregnant with Flash's child because he forced himself on her. Although she was attempting to get pregnant for real when she raped him it didn't work and she just made up that she was pregnant to humiliate Flash. Though many people in the school believe the rumor at first, the attempt ultimately fails when Flash, Cadance and Celestia call her out on her lie and set up a test to prove it is false. Sunset backs down and admits her lie, but gets out of any official punishment by messaging over Canterbook that she panicked and misread her result. Despite the rumor being proved false, many people are still upset at Flash for having had sex with Sunset, but Sunset herself is just as humiliated as Flash.]]
* ''Fanfic/RWBYDark'': P.E.N.N.Y., disguised as a girl, fakes a broken leg and having lost her parents in order to gain sympathy from the Resistance and use it to infiltrate their base. Fortunately, Mercury sees right through it.
* In ''Fanfic/ShadowchasersAscension'', [[spoiler:ShockJock Sarah Blaze uses a variation of this similar to Palpatine's in ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsCloneWars'', arranging for her own kidnapping and pretending to be a DamselInDistress so she won't be considered a suspect later when things get more serious. Unfortunately for her, [[TagAlongKid Karen]] picks up on a few interactions between her and the kidnapper that seem contradictory. When she interviews the kidnapper on her show, she acts like the two have never met; however, when she's actually kidnapped, she addresses him as if she's known him a long time. This eventually gets her found out, and ruins a big part of the villains' plans]].
* In ''Fanfic/ShinjiAndWarhammer40k'', when Gendo and SEELE finally realize that neither of them was behind Shinji's messianic rise in popularity and influence, they conclude that a third party is manipulating events. Gendo interrogates Shinji privately, hoping to learn who's behind it. Gendo is careful to avoid leaving any obvious bruises during the interrogation, and when physical pain proves ineffective, he starts threatening Shinji's friends. Shinji responds by savagely punching himself in the face over and over. Due to an old incident where Shinji provoked Gendo into striking him in public, combined with the public persona Shinji had cultivated, Gendo realizes there's nothing he can do to convince people of the truth.
* ''FanFic/SinsOfThePast'' opens with [[ManipulativeBitch Lila]] cornering Marinette, then grabbing her journal and smacking herself in the face with it. Their classmates believe that Marinette was the one who struck her, save for Adrien... but he still blames her for what happened.
* In ''Fanfic/TellingLiesNoMama'', Chloé explains that [[BitchInSheepsClothing Lila]] uses this as a tool to get everyone on her side, even when what she says doesn’t add up. At the start of the story, Lila tries to claim that Marinette attacked her, and everyone jumps to her defense, except for Alya, Nino, Adrien and Chloé. When Chloé presses the class if they really believe Marinette did it, they admit that they didn’t really believe Lila and only defended her because she seemed so vulnerable and sad and they didn’t want to seem like jerks.
* In ''Fanfic/ThoseWhoStandForNothingFallForAnything'' B locks himself and Light up in L's kitchen and begins beating himself up in an attempt to frame Light. Luckily L knows B and Light well enough to figure out what's going on.
* In ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/26340325 Underestimation]]'', Lila tries to claim that Marinette pushed her on the way to school in order to get the rest of the class to turn on her. While they ''do'' believe she was assaulted, they end up questioning the identity of her "attacker", since Marinette is an AllLovingHero who would ''never'' bully someone like that; Lila is ultimately forced to concede that she may have mistaken her "attacker" for Marinette.
* ''Fanfic/WhiteSheepRWBY'':
** Cinder mentions that Salem's daughters quickly realized that Salem was completely incapable of denying them anything while they were crying; it makes any attempts to punish them doomed to failure. While this did also apply to Salem's son Jaune, he never took advantage of it.
** In the story proper, Jaune invokes this on Cinder's behalf. He attacks her while in his [[OneWingedAngel Grimm form]] to keep her cover safe when Ironwood attacks their meeting with Adam in chapter 40. Adam, for his part, catches on quickly, and talks about having "lost the hostage" in earshot of Ironwood's men.
* Shadowfax tries this to escape interrogation in [[http://www.fimfiction.net/story/119688/1/you-obey/the-interrogation You Obey.]]
* Vivian pulls this trick on [[TheDragon Lyrius]] during the FinalBattle of ''[[Fanfic/YuGiOhTheThousandYearDoor Yu Gi Oh: The Thousand Year Door Redux]]''. When he's understandably upset at having fallen for such an old trick, she says she "had a good teacher". (Implying that she [[EvilMentor learned it from him.]])
[[/folder]]
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[[folder:Video Games]]
* In the third ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' game, [[spoiler:Dahlia Hawthorne]] milks this trope for all it's worth. Thankfully, Mia Fey is not easily fooled.
** In the third case of ''VisualNovel/{{Ace Attorney Investigations|Miles Edgeworth}}'', Lance Amano, having supposedly escaped from his kidnappers, collapses in front of Edgeworth and the others investigating. [[spoiler:Not only did Lance fake his own kidnapping so he could pocket the ransom, but he is also the murderer, and manipulated his girlfriend into thinking she had shot the victim (while feigning disbelief that she could do something like that) when he was already dead]].
** Played with in ''Apollo Justice'': [[spoiler:Alita Tiala tries to get out of being accused by showing a wound she got from the case's victim, claiming that because of the attack she was unconscious when he died. He ''did'' attack her, but it's her that killed him]].
** Again in ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyDualDestinies'': after [[spoiler: Phoenix accuses Detective Bobby Fulbright of being [[BigBad the phantom]], he tries to claim that he's being blackmailed by the phantom into working for him, not the phantom himself. When he's pressed, however, he can't even decide which of his relatives is the hostage, and no one takes it seriously]].
* In ''VideoGame/AmongUs'', If you're an Impostor, you can pull this off by reporting your own kill, but [[HoistByHisOwnPetard it can backfire easily if you do it at the start of the match or do it in front of someone]].
* In ''Videogame/AssassinsCreedIVBlackFlag'', Mary Read pulls one of these on some guards, so that they'll open the doors. She promptly kills them.
* In ''VideoGame/BaldursGateIII'', [[spoiler:Astarion]] will pull one upon meeting the PlayerCharacter and claims to need their help to kill an intellect devourer. How successful it is depends on the dialogue choices you pick, and a perception check.
* ''Videogame/CantrII'': Another tactic, guaranteed to get sympathy. Or encourage the more ..... [[AxCrazy violent members]] of the community to try and pull a Series/{{Dexter}}. Or ''Literature/TheSilenceOfTheLambs''. Or ''Film/{{Psycho}}''. Hell, pick a serial killer trope, and we've got/had some iteration of it.
* This was a ''strategy'' in single-player ''VideoGame/{{Civilization}} III''. If a civilization was an aggressor in war, it suffered a penalty in diplomacy (the idea being that an aggressor can't be trusted). However, the AI was generally [[ArtificialStupidity too stupid]] to distinguish between a provoked and unprovoked declaration of war--the only issue that mattered to the AI was which civilization declared war, not ''why'' the civ did so. So a smart player could provoke an AI civilization they wanted to beat up into declaring war by making unauthorized incursions into the AI civ's territory--and, when the AI civ justifiably declared war, suffer no penalty in diplomacy. This was particularly amplified once gameplay reached the Industrial Age, when Mutual Defense Pacts became available--with a pact, you could ally yourself with the neighbor of whichever civ you wanted to fight, provoke the civ into declaring war on you, and then--because your enemy had declared war on you and not the other way around--your allied neighbor civ would automatically declare war on your target. All of a sudden, your target is fighting a two-front war (and we all know [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII how those turn out]]), and as long as you leave enough scraps to keep your ally satisfied and haven't completely underestimated your opponent, victory is all but guaranteed.
* This is actually a viable strategy in ''VideoGame/{{Civilization}} V'' as well that's even truer to the text. If you deliberately leave your military somewhat weak, many computer opponents near you won't be able to resist taking the bait and declaring war on you. However, since it's much easier to fight a defensive war AND the computer is [[ArtificialStupidity TERRIBLE]] at fighting battles, it's not too hard to get yourself set up in a situation where you can rapidly upgrade your defenses to fight the opponent off, and the humiliated opponent will sue for peace often offering you a city of theirs in return. You've just expanded your empire, annihilated their troops, given your troops some valuable experience points, and ''they'' are the ones who have taken the reputation loss. Bonus points if you can trick an enemy into doing this while having the Great Wall and/or forcing them to march through rough terrain just to approach your cities while you gleefully pick them off at range.
* [[spoiler:Havelock]] does this in ''VideoGame/{{Dishonored}}'''s Low Chaos ending. [[spoiler:If you make yourself known to him in the final confrontation, he will surrender peacefully and tell you where the key to the room where he's holding Emily is, while also claiming he will let Corvo have him arrested if he so chooses. If you take him up on his offer, [[ISurrenderSuckers he'll reveal his "surrender" was a ruse]] and attacks you. Cue FinalBattle.]]
* ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'':
** [[spoiler:Queen Anora]] pretends to be in danger of her life in order to gain the protagonist's sympathy and force the Warden to eliminate one of her enemies. (She ''was'' locked up and in danger of losing power, but not actually in danger of dying. She just thought that sounded more likely to get a hero's help.) Depending on how events play out, she may later claim to others that ''you'' were kidnapping/threatening her, so that she can get ''their'' sympathy. '''Twice.''' [[spoiler:However, it is strongly implied Howe ''was'' planning to kill Anora and frame the Warden for it, so she may have genuinely been in danger, but just didn't know it.]]
** In dialogue, Morrigan can mention that on one of her earlier journeys out of the Korcari Wilds, a Chasind recognized her as a witch. She acted innocent and frightened, and the Fereldans looking on (who didn't understand Chasind) thought ''he'' was the mage and was trying to curse her.
* ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'':
** There is a quest in Whiterun where you are asked to find a redguard woman in town ([[FridgeLogic never mind that there are several redguard women in the city and you don't get any closer description]]). When you find her, she tells you that she is chased by assassins because she said something bad about the Thalmor, and asks you to kill them. When you enter their lair, they will tell you that she lied and that they want to capture her because she ''sides'' with the Thalmor. At this point you can choose to help either of them. While you can't verify who is actually telling the truth, if you side with the assassins they actually take her alive and gives the "don't trust a pretty face" aesop, suggesting that it is actually this trope.
** While exploring the Reach, you might run into a man named [[SdrawkcabName Telrav]] lying seemingly-wounded at the side of the road, who claims to have been ransacked by bandits and left for dead. He then begs that you help escort him to his nearby camp, but of course it's all a setup and once you reach the camp, he and his bandit gang try to ambush you. Notably, if you sneak into the camp and kill off the other bandits before finding him, he won't even bother with the ruse and attack you straightaway.
* In the ''VideoGame/FatalFrameII'' remake ''Deep Crimson Butterfly'' it's revealed that[[spoiler: Mayu fell off the cliff, permanently injuring her leg, on purpose to ensure that her twin sister Mio would feel guilty enough to never leave her.]]
* ''Videogame/{{Firefall}}'': Most of the time, that wounded bandit who is begging for mercy will ask for medicine in exchange for crystite, only to reveal that the medical supplies are a ''homing beacon''. Cue "Big Brother", the dreadnaught with a rocket launcher. Then the little guy will pretend he's sad about the death of his "big brother" and give you co-ordinates and a key to a loot crate -- which may or may not work. Occasionally, it really is medical supplies and the wounded bandit will give you the map and key out of gratitude... or to make you look the other way while he runs.
-->'''Wounded Bandit:''' Guess what? We're going to rob you!\\
'''Big Brother:''' Guess what? We're cannibals!
* In ''VideoGame/FTLFasterThanLight'', distress beacons will sometimes be pirates who pretend to be in trouble just so they can lure you in and attack you. You should still try to go to every beacon you can, since if it's a genuine distress signal, you'll get a nice reward for helping (some Scrap, some fuel, maybe even a new weapon), and if it's a trap, killing the pirate who set the trap will still get you some Scrap.
* In ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters: KYO'', this is how [[spoiler: Chris]] manages to capture [[spoiler: Kyo's girlfriend Yuki]] while she's waiting for her boyfriend for what was supposed to be their last date before the tournament. He [[spoiler: pretends to feel ill and asks Yuki for help, and when the girl's guard is low enough he seizes her and brings her to his teammates so they can use her as a TargetedHumanSacrifice to resurrect Orochi]].
* A bit downplayed here in ''VideoGame/KingsQuestVIHeirTodayGoneTomorrow'': [[spoiler:Alexander acts all {{Emo}} in the Pawn Shop and pretends [[DespairEventHorizon that all hope is lost without Cassima]] while pretending to cry, and fakes suicide by drinking the "Drink Me" potion. This gambit is an effort to trick Shamir and the guard dogs into lowering their guard for entry into the castle]].
* In ''Videogame/TheLastOfUs'', while driving on the highway Joel and Ellie come across a man hobbling in front of them asking them to stop. While Ellie's all for helping him out, Joel sees right through it and tries to run him down, causing the man to drop the act and pull out a gun. Joel later states that he's been on both sides of that trick.
* The Witch from ''VideoGame/Left4Dead'': her crying can be heard long before you even come across her. However, the characters already know to stay away from her (and will warn the others when they hear one) and it's even one of the tips you can get on the loading screen.
* In ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' series:
** In ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast A Link to the Past]]'', one of the dungeon bosses tricks Link by disguising himself as the innocent maiden who Link came to rescue.
** In ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaPhantomHourglass Phantom Hourglass]]'', [[spoiler:the four creepy sisters you [[ButThouMust have to rescue]] on the ghost ship do this to you. They act frightened and innocent and do their damnedest to get you killed, including alerting Phantoms by screaming and directing you to make bad decisions]].
* Dr. Wily of ''VideoGame/{{Mega Man|Classic}}'' has done this a total of ''11 times'' to make sure the main character doesn't maim him, send him to jail, or flat out kill him. [[ThreeLawsCompliant Not that Mega Man can anyway, no matter how hard he's tried.]] It runs in the "family." Bass does it in ''VideoGame/MegaMan7'' to gain entry to Dr. Light's lab and steal the Super Adapter.
* Sonya defeats Kano this way in the storyline of ''VideoGame/MortalKombat3'' during a rooftop battle, pretending she's hurt to lure him close in order to grab him with her scissor kick and throw him off it.
* ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes'': Bad Girl, the number 2 ranked assassin, sometimes collapses to the ground and starts crying. Sometimes, she's genuinely crying, meaning you can get some free hits in. More often than not, though, it's a facade, and if you fall for it, she will OneHitKill you. The trick is to see if she's holding her bat: if she is, steer clear, and if she's not, go nuts.
* ''VideoGame/PlanescapeTorment'' features a version where a woman on the street is covered in blood and cries out for help against assailants. If your mental stats are high enough, her story and disguise unravel. If they are not, or you go along with her anyway, her allies try robbing you in an alley. MuggingTheMonster ensues.
* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'':
** Mawile's gimmick revolves around this. Its "Fake Tears" move lulls its foes into a sense of complacency with its adorable face, leaving the foe wide open for a bite from its big steel jaws. Any Pokémon with Fake Tears can do something similar.
** The moves Growl, Tail Whip, Charm, Tearful Look and Baby-Doll Eyes are also centered on this.
* In ''Videogame/RedDeadRedemption'', there are optional escort missions involving helping civilians in need, in the neighborhood of 'Can you give me a ride to [place]?'. Sometimes these civilians are actually bandits and they are indistinguishable from the real deal until either the guns come out or they make a run to steal your horse.
* ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilVillage'': When Ethan first encounters Lord Moreau, he begs for Ethan not to take his flask, acting very piteously... only to laugh and reveal he's sealed off the reservoir's exits while Ethan stood and listened.
* ''VideoGame/{{Rosenkreuzstilette}}'': [[spoiler:Iris Sepperin]] is incredibly fond of this trick in the game, when [[spoiler:she uses it to manipulate her dad into war and imprisoning Karl because HeKnowsTooMuch and in Grollschwert, made Grolla look like the bad guy in front of her superior Sichte]], and, being a ''Mega Man'' clone, [[spoiler:she does the whole "Please don't kill me" thing. By the sequel, [[AvertedTrope Freudia doesn't buy it]] and froze her for eternity for all the trouble she caused]].
* ''VideoGame/ShantaeAndThePiratesCurse'': Rottytops pretends to have been bitten by a giant spider in order to get Shantae to carry her home, [[BatmanGambit betting that]] Shantae's ChronicHeroSyndrome wouldn't allow her to leave someone behind. It works, and Rottytops admitted it was a lot of fun, [[{{Troll}} in her own way]].
* ''VideoGame/{{Skyforge}}'' has [[spoiler: the LoveGoddess Thais deliberately provoke Sea God Protheus when he's trying to tell the player about her secret plots -- when he lashes out at her, she sports a SmugSmirk as the player takes up arms against him]].
* In the human campaign of ''VideoGame/{{Starsiege}}'', once the Cybrids begin their war of extermination in earnest, there is a series of O-Web transmissions between Harabec Weathers and a little girl stranded on a Europan colony, Melanie, who claims to be the only survivor of a Cybrid attack. In the Cybrid campaign, it's revealed that the Cybrids got to her first, removed her brain, and installed a Cybrid infiltrator unit in its place as part of a "Siren Program" to lure human forces into traps.
* Occasionally in ''VideoGame/StreetsOfRage'', hitting certain Electras (a female whip-using enemy) will cause her to scream and drop to her knees, no longer attacking you. Turning your back on her at this point, or just leaving her alone for long enough, will make her get right back up to try and catch you by surprise.
%%* Improvised by ''[[RedshirtArmy unnamed mooks]]'' in ''VideoGame/TearsToTiara2''.
* ''VideoGame/ValkyriaChronicles'' has Selvaria pull off a very convincing one. After her defeat, she feigns exhaustion and surrenders; one of the soldiers doesn't buy it and [[PistolWhipping pistol-whips]] her, with [[JerkAss General Damon]] pointing out that she could [[StrawmanHasAPoint still be dangerous]]; Welkin and Alicia are shocked and appalled at Damon's apparent mistreatment of a prisoner, but the matter is out of their hands. [[spoiler:A few hours later, Selvaria obliterates the entire army in a SuicideAttack, which she had been ordered to do before the battle at Ghirlandaio even started.]]
* The first game in the ''VideoGame/WingCommander'' series features an object lesson on this [[AllThereInTheManual in the manual]], which is treated as a copy of ''Claw Marks'', a news magazine published on-board the carrier ''TCS Tiger's Claw''. The reader learns that two fighter pilots aboard the ship, Captain R.A. Skinner and Lieutenant Larry Dibbles (a cartoonist for ''Claw Marks''), were taking part in a strike on a Kilrathi destroyer. They encountered two [[MightyGlacier Jalthi]] fighters--one adrift in space, the other with intermittent thruster power. Lieutenant Dibbles took the bait, disobeyed orders and abandoned his ringleader for easy kills. The result: two good pilots dead, no more cartoons for ''Claw Marks'', and in their place a [[JustifiedTutorial stern lecture]] by one of the resident top aces, Major James Taggart.
[[/folder]]
* In the third ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' game, [[spoiler:Dahlia Hawthorne]] milks this trope for all it's worth. Thankfully, Mia Fey is not easily fooled.
** In the third case of ''VisualNovel/{{Ace Attorney Investigations|Miles Edgeworth}}'', Lance Amano, having supposedly escaped from his kidnappers, collapses in front of Edgeworth and the others investigating. [[spoiler:Not only did Lance fake his own kidnapping so he could pocket the ransom, but he is also the murderer, and manipulated his girlfriend into thinking she had shot the victim (while feigning disbelief that she could do something like that) when he was already dead]].
** Played with in ''Apollo Justice'': [[spoiler:Alita Tiala tries to get out of being accused by showing a wound she got from the case's victim, claiming that because of the attack she was unconscious when he died. He ''did'' attack her, but it's her that killed him]].
** Again in ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyDualDestinies'': after [[spoiler: Phoenix accuses Detective Bobby Fulbright of being [[BigBad the phantom]], he tries to claim that he's being blackmailed by the phantom into working for him, not the phantom himself. When he's pressed, however, he can't even decide which of his relatives is the hostage, and no one takes it seriously]].
* In ''VideoGame/AmongUs'', If you're an Impostor, you can pull this off by reporting your own kill, but [[HoistByHisOwnPetard it can backfire easily if you do it at the start of the match or do it in front of someone]].
* In ''Videogame/AssassinsCreedIVBlackFlag'', Mary Read pulls one of these on some guards, so that they'll open the doors. She promptly kills them.
* In ''VideoGame/BaldursGateIII'', [[spoiler:Astarion]] will pull one upon meeting the PlayerCharacter and claims to need their help to kill an intellect devourer. How successful it is depends on the dialogue choices you pick, and a perception check.
* ''Videogame/CantrII'': Another tactic, guaranteed to get sympathy. Or encourage the more ..... [[AxCrazy violent members]] of the community to try and pull a Series/{{Dexter}}. Or ''Literature/TheSilenceOfTheLambs''. Or ''Film/{{Psycho}}''. Hell, pick a serial killer trope, and we've got/had some iteration of it.
* This was a ''strategy'' in single-player ''VideoGame/{{Civilization}} III''. If a civilization was an aggressor in war, it suffered a penalty in diplomacy (the idea being that an aggressor can't be trusted). However, the AI was generally [[ArtificialStupidity too stupid]] to distinguish between a provoked and unprovoked declaration of war--the only issue that mattered to the AI was which civilization declared war, not ''why'' the civ did so. So a smart player could provoke an AI civilization they wanted to beat up into declaring war by making unauthorized incursions into the AI civ's territory--and, when the AI civ justifiably declared war, suffer no penalty in diplomacy. This was particularly amplified once gameplay reached the Industrial Age, when Mutual Defense Pacts became available--with a pact, you could ally yourself with the neighbor of whichever civ you wanted to fight, provoke the civ into declaring war on you, and then--because your enemy had declared war on you and not the other way around--your allied neighbor civ would automatically declare war on your target. All of a sudden, your target is fighting a two-front war (and we all know [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII how those turn out]]), and as long as you leave enough scraps to keep your ally satisfied and haven't completely underestimated your opponent, victory is all but guaranteed.
* This is actually a viable strategy in ''VideoGame/{{Civilization}} V'' as well that's even truer to the text. If you deliberately leave your military somewhat weak, many computer opponents near you won't be able to resist taking the bait and declaring war on you. However, since it's much easier to fight a defensive war AND the computer is [[ArtificialStupidity TERRIBLE]] at fighting battles, it's not too hard to get yourself set up in a situation where you can rapidly upgrade your defenses to fight the opponent off, and the humiliated opponent will sue for peace often offering you a city of theirs in return. You've just expanded your empire, annihilated their troops, given your troops some valuable experience points, and ''they'' are the ones who have taken the reputation loss. Bonus points if you can trick an enemy into doing this while having the Great Wall and/or forcing them to march through rough terrain just to approach your cities while you gleefully pick them off at range.
* [[spoiler:Havelock]] does this in ''VideoGame/{{Dishonored}}'''s Low Chaos ending. [[spoiler:If you make yourself known to him in the final confrontation, he will surrender peacefully and tell you where the key to the room where he's holding Emily is, while also claiming he will let Corvo have him arrested if he so chooses. If you take him up on his offer, [[ISurrenderSuckers he'll reveal his "surrender" was a ruse]] and attacks you. Cue FinalBattle.]]
* ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'':
** [[spoiler:Queen Anora]] pretends to be in danger of her life in order to gain the protagonist's sympathy and force the Warden to eliminate one of her enemies. (She ''was'' locked up and in danger of losing power, but not actually in danger of dying. She just thought that sounded more likely to get a hero's help.) Depending on how events play out, she may later claim to others that ''you'' were kidnapping/threatening her, so that she can get ''their'' sympathy. '''Twice.''' [[spoiler:However, it is strongly implied Howe ''was'' planning to kill Anora and frame the Warden for it, so she may have genuinely been in danger, but just didn't know it.]]
** In dialogue, Morrigan can mention that on one of her earlier journeys out of the Korcari Wilds, a Chasind recognized her as a witch. She acted innocent and frightened, and the Fereldans looking on (who didn't understand Chasind) thought ''he'' was the mage and was trying to curse her.
* ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'':
** There is a quest in Whiterun where you are asked to find a redguard woman in town ([[FridgeLogic never mind that there are several redguard women in the city and you don't get any closer description]]). When you find her, she tells you that she is chased by assassins because she said something bad about the Thalmor, and asks you to kill them. When you enter their lair, they will tell you that she lied and that they want to capture her because she ''sides'' with the Thalmor. At this point you can choose to help either of them. While you can't verify who is actually telling the truth, if you side with the assassins they actually take her alive and gives the "don't trust a pretty face" aesop, suggesting that it is actually this trope.
** While exploring the Reach, you might run into a man named [[SdrawkcabName Telrav]] lying seemingly-wounded at the side of the road, who claims to have been ransacked by bandits and left for dead. He then begs that you help escort him to his nearby camp, but of course it's all a setup and once you reach the camp, he and his bandit gang try to ambush you. Notably, if you sneak into the camp and kill off the other bandits before finding him, he won't even bother with the ruse and attack you straightaway.
* In the ''VideoGame/FatalFrameII'' remake ''Deep Crimson Butterfly'' it's revealed that[[spoiler: Mayu fell off the cliff, permanently injuring her leg, on purpose to ensure that her twin sister Mio would feel guilty enough to never leave her.]]
* ''Videogame/{{Firefall}}'': Most of the time, that wounded bandit who is begging for mercy will ask for medicine in exchange for crystite, only to reveal that the medical supplies are a ''homing beacon''. Cue "Big Brother", the dreadnaught with a rocket launcher. Then the little guy will pretend he's sad about the death of his "big brother" and give you co-ordinates and a key to a loot crate -- which may or may not work. Occasionally, it really is medical supplies and the wounded bandit will give you the map and key out of gratitude... or to make you look the other way while he runs.
-->'''Wounded Bandit:''' Guess what? We're going to rob you!\\
'''Big Brother:''' Guess what? We're cannibals!
* In ''VideoGame/FTLFasterThanLight'', distress beacons will sometimes be pirates who pretend to be in trouble just so they can lure you in and attack you. You should still try to go to every beacon you can, since if it's a genuine distress signal, you'll get a nice reward for helping (some Scrap, some fuel, maybe even a new weapon), and if it's a trap, killing the pirate who set the trap will still get you some Scrap.
* In ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters: KYO'', this is how [[spoiler: Chris]] manages to capture [[spoiler: Kyo's girlfriend Yuki]] while she's waiting for her boyfriend for what was supposed to be their last date before the tournament. He [[spoiler: pretends to feel ill and asks Yuki for help, and when the girl's guard is low enough he seizes her and brings her to his teammates so they can use her as a TargetedHumanSacrifice to resurrect Orochi]].
* A bit downplayed here in ''VideoGame/KingsQuestVIHeirTodayGoneTomorrow'': [[spoiler:Alexander acts all {{Emo}} in the Pawn Shop and pretends [[DespairEventHorizon that all hope is lost without Cassima]] while pretending to cry, and fakes suicide by drinking the "Drink Me" potion. This gambit is an effort to trick Shamir and the guard dogs into lowering their guard for entry into the castle]].
* In ''Videogame/TheLastOfUs'', while driving on the highway Joel and Ellie come across a man hobbling in front of them asking them to stop. While Ellie's all for helping him out, Joel sees right through it and tries to run him down, causing the man to drop the act and pull out a gun. Joel later states that he's been on both sides of that trick.
* The Witch from ''VideoGame/Left4Dead'': her crying can be heard long before you even come across her. However, the characters already know to stay away from her (and will warn the others when they hear one) and it's even one of the tips you can get on the loading screen.
* In ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' series:
** In ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast A Link to the Past]]'', one of the dungeon bosses tricks Link by disguising himself as the innocent maiden who Link came to rescue.
** In ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaPhantomHourglass Phantom Hourglass]]'', [[spoiler:the four creepy sisters you [[ButThouMust have to rescue]] on the ghost ship do this to you. They act frightened and innocent and do their damnedest to get you killed, including alerting Phantoms by screaming and directing you to make bad decisions]].
* Dr. Wily of ''VideoGame/{{Mega Man|Classic}}'' has done this a total of ''11 times'' to make sure the main character doesn't maim him, send him to jail, or flat out kill him. [[ThreeLawsCompliant Not that Mega Man can anyway, no matter how hard he's tried.]] It runs in the "family." Bass does it in ''VideoGame/MegaMan7'' to gain entry to Dr. Light's lab and steal the Super Adapter.
* Sonya defeats Kano this way in the storyline of ''VideoGame/MortalKombat3'' during a rooftop battle, pretending she's hurt to lure him close in order to grab him with her scissor kick and throw him off it.
* ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes'': Bad Girl, the number 2 ranked assassin, sometimes collapses to the ground and starts crying. Sometimes, she's genuinely crying, meaning you can get some free hits in. More often than not, though, it's a facade, and if you fall for it, she will OneHitKill you. The trick is to see if she's holding her bat: if she is, steer clear, and if she's not, go nuts.
* ''VideoGame/PlanescapeTorment'' features a version where a woman on the street is covered in blood and cries out for help against assailants. If your mental stats are high enough, her story and disguise unravel. If they are not, or you go along with her anyway, her allies try robbing you in an alley. MuggingTheMonster ensues.
* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'':
** Mawile's gimmick revolves around this. Its "Fake Tears" move lulls its foes into a sense of complacency with its adorable face, leaving the foe wide open for a bite from its big steel jaws. Any Pokémon with Fake Tears can do something similar.
** The moves Growl, Tail Whip, Charm, Tearful Look and Baby-Doll Eyes are also centered on this.
* In ''Videogame/RedDeadRedemption'', there are optional escort missions involving helping civilians in need, in the neighborhood of 'Can you give me a ride to [place]?'. Sometimes these civilians are actually bandits and they are indistinguishable from the real deal until either the guns come out or they make a run to steal your horse.
* ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilVillage'': When Ethan first encounters Lord Moreau, he begs for Ethan not to take his flask, acting very piteously... only to laugh and reveal he's sealed off the reservoir's exits while Ethan stood and listened.
* ''VideoGame/{{Rosenkreuzstilette}}'': [[spoiler:Iris Sepperin]] is incredibly fond of this trick in the game, when [[spoiler:she uses it to manipulate her dad into war and imprisoning Karl because HeKnowsTooMuch and in Grollschwert, made Grolla look like the bad guy in front of her superior Sichte]], and, being a ''Mega Man'' clone, [[spoiler:she does the whole "Please don't kill me" thing. By the sequel, [[AvertedTrope Freudia doesn't buy it]] and froze her for eternity for all the trouble she caused]].
* ''VideoGame/ShantaeAndThePiratesCurse'': Rottytops pretends to have been bitten by a giant spider in order to get Shantae to carry her home, [[BatmanGambit betting that]] Shantae's ChronicHeroSyndrome wouldn't allow her to leave someone behind. It works, and Rottytops admitted it was a lot of fun, [[{{Troll}} in her own way]].
* ''VideoGame/{{Skyforge}}'' has [[spoiler: the LoveGoddess Thais deliberately provoke Sea God Protheus when he's trying to tell the player about her secret plots -- when he lashes out at her, she sports a SmugSmirk as the player takes up arms against him]].
* In the human campaign of ''VideoGame/{{Starsiege}}'', once the Cybrids begin their war of extermination in earnest, there is a series of O-Web transmissions between Harabec Weathers and a little girl stranded on a Europan colony, Melanie, who claims to be the only survivor of a Cybrid attack. In the Cybrid campaign, it's revealed that the Cybrids got to her first, removed her brain, and installed a Cybrid infiltrator unit in its place as part of a "Siren Program" to lure human forces into traps.
* Occasionally in ''VideoGame/StreetsOfRage'', hitting certain Electras (a female whip-using enemy) will cause her to scream and drop to her knees, no longer attacking you. Turning your back on her at this point, or just leaving her alone for long enough, will make her get right back up to try and catch you by surprise.
%%* Improvised by ''[[RedshirtArmy unnamed mooks]]'' in ''VideoGame/TearsToTiara2''.
* ''VideoGame/ValkyriaChronicles'' has Selvaria pull off a very convincing one. After her defeat, she feigns exhaustion and surrenders; one of the soldiers doesn't buy it and [[PistolWhipping pistol-whips]] her, with [[JerkAss General Damon]] pointing out that she could [[StrawmanHasAPoint still be dangerous]]; Welkin and Alicia are shocked and appalled at Damon's apparent mistreatment of a prisoner, but the matter is out of their hands. [[spoiler:A few hours later, Selvaria obliterates the entire army in a SuicideAttack, which she had been ordered to do before the battle at Ghirlandaio even started.]]
* The first game in the ''VideoGame/WingCommander'' series features an object lesson on this [[AllThereInTheManual in the manual]], which is treated as a copy of ''Claw Marks'', a news magazine published on-board the carrier ''TCS Tiger's Claw''. The reader learns that two fighter pilots aboard the ship, Captain R.A. Skinner and Lieutenant Larry Dibbles (a cartoonist for ''Claw Marks''), were taking part in a strike on a Kilrathi destroyer. They encountered two [[MightyGlacier Jalthi]] fighters--one adrift in space, the other with intermittent thruster power. Lieutenant Dibbles took the bait, disobeyed orders and abandoned his ringleader for easy kills. The result: two good pilots dead, no more cartoons for ''Claw Marks'', and in their place a [[JustifiedTutorial stern lecture]] by one of the resident top aces, Major James Taggart.
[[/folder]]
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* ''{{Franchise/Danganronpa}}'' does this in the first game with the third case; [[spoiler: Celestia]] lies to [[spoiler: Hifumi]] that [[spoiler: Kiyotaka]] raped them to give them due cause to plot out the victim's murder together. [[spoiler: Hifumi]] then kills [[spoiler: Kiyotaka]] to avenge them on this lie, and then [[spoiler: Celeste]] further lies that the person in the "Justice Hero X" costume violently assaulted them to give themselves an alibi, based on the killer apparently leading up to gradually more lethal weapons.
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* ''{{Franchise/Danganronpa}}'' does this in the first game with the third case; [[spoiler: Celestia]] [[spoiler:Celestia]] lies to [[spoiler: Hifumi]] [[spoiler:Hifumi]] that [[spoiler: Kiyotaka]] [[spoiler:Kiyotaka]] raped them to give them due cause to plot out the victim's murder together. [[spoiler: Hifumi]] [[spoiler:Hifumi]] then kills [[spoiler: Kiyotaka]] [[spoiler:Kiyotaka]] to avenge them on this lie, and then [[spoiler: Celeste]] [[spoiler:Celeste]] further lies that the person in the "Justice Hero X" costume violently assaulted them to give themselves an alibi, based on the killer apparently leading up to gradually more lethal weapons.
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--> '''GM''':... Uh, Ben? I don't think you're playing an ''average'' high-school girl, like you said.
--> '''Ben''': *chuckles* You didn't go to the same high school that I went to, did you?
--> '''Ben''': *chuckles* You didn't go to the same high school that I went to, did you?
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-->
'''Ben''': *chuckles* You didn't go to the same high school that I went to, did you?
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Compare DecoyDamsel, ArrestedForHeroism, WhyDidYouMakeMeHitYou, PlayingTheVictimCard, DefensiveFeintTrap, and InsidiousRumorMill. Often related to GuiltByAssociationGag and EtTuBrute. Contrast WoundedGazelleWarcry where it's not a trick. Not to be mistaken with DeliberateInjuryGambit as well; that one is about someone getting themself hurt for real to achieve a goal. Compare SickCaptiveScam for instances where a prisoner pretends to be sick or injured to get the drop on his captor. For the LighterAndSofter variant, see FeigningHealthiness.
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Compare DecoyDamsel, ArrestedForHeroism, WhyDidYouMakeMeHitYou, PlayingTheVictimCard, DefensiveFeintTrap, and InsidiousRumorMill. Often related to GuiltByAssociationGag and EtTuBrute. Contrast WoundedGazelleWarcry where it's not a trick. Not to be mistaken with DeliberateInjuryGambit as well; that one is about someone getting themself hurt for real to achieve a goal. Compare SickCaptiveScam for instances where a prisoner pretends to be sick or injured to get the drop on his captor. For the LighterAndSofter variant, see FeigningHealthiness.
FeigningHealthiness is an {{inverted|Trope}} variant.
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* ''ComicBook/WonderWomanCharlesMoulton'': Simon Slikery covertly called the cops when Wonder Woman showed up to question him, then when he heard them entering his outer office smashed a bottle on his own face and accused her of being a crazed attacker when the cops came in.
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* Rottytops pulls this in ''VideoGame/{{Shantae}} and the Pirate's Curse''. She pretends to have been bitten by a giant spider in order to get Shantae to carry her home, [[BatmanGambit betting that]] Shantae's ChronicHeroSyndrome wouldn't allow her to leave someone behind. It works, and Rottytops admitted it was a lot of fun, [[{{Troll}} in her own way]].
* ''VideoGame/{{Skyforge}}'' has [[spoiler: the LoveGoddess Thais deliberately provoke Sea God Protheus when he's trying to tell the player about her secret plots - when he lashes out at her, she sports a SmugSmirk as the player takes up arms against him]].
* ''VideoGame/{{Skyforge}}'' has [[spoiler: the LoveGoddess Thais deliberately provoke Sea God Protheus when he's trying to tell the player about her secret plots - when he lashes out at her, she sports a SmugSmirk as the player takes up arms against him]].
to:
* ''VideoGame/ShantaeAndThePiratesCurse'': Rottytops pulls this in ''VideoGame/{{Shantae}} and the Pirate's Curse''. She pretends to have been bitten by a giant spider in order to get Shantae to carry her home, [[BatmanGambit betting that]] Shantae's ChronicHeroSyndrome wouldn't allow her to leave someone behind. It works, and Rottytops admitted it was a lot of fun, [[{{Troll}} in her own way]].
* ''VideoGame/{{Skyforge}}'' has [[spoiler: the LoveGoddess Thais deliberately provoke Sea God Protheus when he's trying to tell the player about her secret plots- -- when he lashes out at her, she sports a SmugSmirk as the player takes up arms against him]].
* ''VideoGame/{{Skyforge}}'' has [[spoiler: the LoveGoddess Thais deliberately provoke Sea God Protheus when he's trying to tell the player about her secret plots
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* In ''Webcomic/{{Bastard}}'', Jin was forced to pull this routine as a child where he would approach a woman crying and claiming to be lost, only to then lead her to his [[SerialKiller father]], who would murder her.
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* In ''Webcomic/{{Bastard}}'', ''Webcomic/{{Bastard|2014}}'', Jin was forced to pull this routine as a child where he would approach a woman crying and claiming to be lost, only to then lead her to his [[SerialKiller father]], who would murder her.
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* In a 40's ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' issue, a low-level crook fires a bullet through his own hat (which he's holding in his hand), while yelling "Drop it, Wayne!" He proceeds to put the hat back on and tosses the gun to Bruce Wayne, who catches it. The police barge in and see Bruce Wayne with a smoking gun in his hand, and a hole in a bystander's hat.
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* ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'': In a 40's ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' issue, a low-level crook fires a bullet through his own hat (which he's holding in his hand), while yelling "Drop it, Wayne!" He proceeds to put the hat back on and tosses the gun to Bruce Wayne, who catches it. The police barge in and see Bruce Wayne with a smoking gun in his hand, and a hole in a bystander's hat.
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-->'''Natasha''': Makeup and acting, Tony. You've always been a sucker for both. Thanks for the access.
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* ''Queen Bee'': When [[AlphaBitch Alexa]] garners sympathy for herself [[spoiler:by using her telekinetic powers to hit herself in the head with a lunch tray]] and blames Haley (who has the same powers as her) for it.
to:
* ''Queen Bee'': ''ComicBook/QueenBee'': When [[AlphaBitch Alexa]] garners sympathy for herself [[spoiler:by using her telekinetic powers to hit herself in the head with a lunch tray]] and blames Haley (who has the same powers as her) for it.
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* In the beginning of ''ComicBook/StrangersAtTheHeartsCore'', ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} throws villain Shyla Kor-Onn back into the PhantomZone to defend herself. Shyla gets released from the Zone later in the story, and exploiting the fact that Kara was not legally authorized to imprison her, she claims the Girl of Steel sent her back into the prison-dimension because she was just jealous of the presence of another Kryptonian female on Earth.
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** In the beginning of ''ComicBook/StrangersAtTheHeartsCore'', ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} throws villain Shyla Kor-Onn back into the PhantomZone to defend herself. Shyla gets released from the Zone later in the story, and exploiting the fact that Kara was not legally authorized to imprison her, she claims the Girl of Steel sent her back into the prison-dimension because she was just jealous of the presence of another Kryptonian female on
** In ''ComicBook/EscapeFromThePhantomZone'', Psi sends a telepathic distress call to Supergirl, pretending to be a wrongfully imprisoned Kryptonian psychic to trick Kara into breaking her out of prison.
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added insidious rumor mill to description
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Compare DecoyDamsel, ArrestedForHeroism, WhyDidYouMakeMeHitYou, PlayingTheVictimCard, and DefensiveFeintTrap. Often related to GuiltByAssociationGag and EtTuBrute. Contrast WoundedGazelleWarcry where it's not a trick. Not to be mistaken with DeliberateInjuryGambit as well; that one is about someone getting themself hurt for real to achieve a goal. Compare SickCaptiveScam for instances where a prisoner pretends to be sick or injured to get the drop on his captor. For the LighterAndSofter variant, see FeigningHealthiness.
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Compare DecoyDamsel, ArrestedForHeroism, WhyDidYouMakeMeHitYou, PlayingTheVictimCard, DefensiveFeintTrap, and DefensiveFeintTrap.InsidiousRumorMill. Often related to GuiltByAssociationGag and EtTuBrute. Contrast WoundedGazelleWarcry where it's not a trick. Not to be mistaken with DeliberateInjuryGambit as well; that one is about someone getting themself hurt for real to achieve a goal. Compare SickCaptiveScam for instances where a prisoner pretends to be sick or injured to get the drop on his captor. For the LighterAndSofter variant, see FeigningHealthiness.
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* In Genesis chapter 39 from Literature/TheBible, Potiphar's wife flirted with Joseph, who went about doing his chores as usual, until one day, she managed to get ahold of Joseph by his linen garment, and when he hastily flees, she told the servants that Potiphar brought a Hebrew servant in to mock them and she cried out for help, and Potiphar has Joseph sent away to an Egyptian prison.
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* In Genesis chapter 39 from Literature/TheBible, Potiphar's wife flirted with Joseph, who went about doing his chores as usual, until one day, she managed to get ahold of Joseph by his linen garment, and when he hastily flees, she told claimed he tried to rape her (most translations soften this accusation to "mocking", but given the servants that Potiphar brought a Hebrew servant in circumstances it's fairly easy to mock them and she cried out for help, read between the lines), and Potiphar has Joseph sent away to an Egyptian prison.
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* This is actually a viable strategy in ''VideoGame/{{Civilization}} V'' as well that's even truer to the text. If you deliberately leave your military somewhat weak, many computer opponents near you won't be able to resist taking the bait and declaring war on you. However, since it's much easier to fight a defensive war AND the computer is [[ArtificialStupidity TERRIBLE]] at fighting battles, it's not too hard to get yourself set up in a situation where you can rapidly upgrade your defenses to fight the opponent off, and the humiliated opponent will sue for peace, often offering you a city of theirs in return. You've just expanded your empire, annihilated their troops, given your troops some valuable experience points, and ''they'' are the ones who have taken the reputation loss. Bonus points if you can trick an enemy into doing this while having the Great Wall and/or forcing them to march through rough terrain just to approach your cities while you gleefully pick them off at range.
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* This is actually a viable strategy in ''VideoGame/{{Civilization}} V'' as well that's even truer to the text. If you deliberately leave your military somewhat weak, many computer opponents near you won't be able to resist taking the bait and declaring war on you. However, since it's much easier to fight a defensive war AND the computer is [[ArtificialStupidity TERRIBLE]] at fighting battles, it's not too hard to get yourself set up in a situation where you can rapidly upgrade your defenses to fight the opponent off, and the humiliated opponent will sue for peace, peace often offering you a city of theirs in return. You've just expanded your empire, annihilated their troops, given your troops some valuable experience points, and ''they'' are the ones who have taken the reputation loss. Bonus points if you can trick an enemy into doing this while having the Great Wall and/or forcing them to march through rough terrain just to approach your cities while you gleefully pick them off at range.
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* This is actually a viable strategy in ''VideoGame/{{Civilization}} V'' as well that's even truer to the text. If you deliberately leave your military somewhat weak, many computer opponents near you won't be able to resist taking the bait and declaring war on you. However, since it's much easier to fight a defensive war AND the computer is [[ArtificialStupidity TERRIBLE]] at fighting battles, it's not too hard to get yourself set up in a situation where you can rapidly upgrade your defenses to fight the opponent off, and the humiliated opponent will sue for peace, often offering you a city of theirs in return. You've just expanded your empire, annihilated their troops, given your troops some valuable experience points, and ''they'' are the ones who have taken the reputation loss. Bonus points if you can trick an enemy into doing this while having the Great Wall and/or forcing them to march through rough terrain just to approach your cities while you gleefully pick them off at range.
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Compare DecoyDamsel, ArrestedForHeroism, WhyDidYouMakeMeHitYou, PlayingTheVictimCard, and DefensiveFeintTrap. Often related to GuiltByAssociationGag and EtTuBrute. Contrast WoundedGazelleWarcry where it's not a trick. Not to be mistaken with DeliberateInjuryGambit as well; that one is about someone getting themself hurt for real to achieve a goal. Compare SickCaptiveScam for instances where a prisoner pretends to be sick or injured to get the drop on his captor.
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Compare DecoyDamsel, ArrestedForHeroism, WhyDidYouMakeMeHitYou, PlayingTheVictimCard, and DefensiveFeintTrap. Often related to GuiltByAssociationGag and EtTuBrute. Contrast WoundedGazelleWarcry where it's not a trick. Not to be mistaken with DeliberateInjuryGambit as well; that one is about someone getting themself hurt for real to achieve a goal. Compare SickCaptiveScam for instances where a prisoner pretends to be sick or injured to get the drop on his captor.
captor. For the LighterAndSofter variant, see FeigningHealthiness.
