| 1 | %% Trope was declared Administrivia/NoRealLifeExamplesPlease via crowner by the Real Life Maintenance thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/crowner.php?crowner_id=zmg2z4ee |
| 2 | %%https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13350380440A15238800 |
| 3 | %% Image kept on page per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1389184277055326600 |
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| 5 | %% |
| 6 | [[quoteright:265:[[Webcomic/GunnerkriggCourt https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/noodle-incident_gunnerkrigg-court_409.jpg]]]][[caption-width-right:265:[[TheRant The less said about Chapter 12a: Cursed Teapot Woes, the better.]]]] |
| 7 | |
| 8 | ->'''Calvin:''' All I can say is, ''this'' year Santa had better bring me everything on my list! I've been extremely good all year.\ |
| 9 | '''Hobbes:''' What about the [[TropeNamer noodle incident]]?\ |
| 10 | '''Calvin:''' '''''No one can prove I did that!''''' |
| 11 | -->-- ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'' |
| 12 | |
| 13 | The Noodle Incident is something from the past that is referred to but never explained, with the implication that it's just too ludicrous for words--or perhaps too offensive for depiction--and the reality that any explanation would fall short of audience expectations. Questions about it are often met with [[YouDoNOTWantToKnow "You Don't Want To Know…"]] or a reminder that they agreed [[LetUsNeverSpeakOfThisAgain never to talk about it again]]. Persisting is a good way to press a character's BerserkButton. |
| 14 | |
| 15 | Commonly introduced to the audience by having characters react to some fantastic and improbable event with [[OhNoNotAgain "Oh no, not again."]] The key to this trope is that the audience is left to imagine what happened based on vague hints or clues, with [[NothingIsFunnier funny]] (or [[NothingIsScarier scary]]) (or [[GallowsHumor both]]) results. |
| 16 | |
| 17 | Named for an incident referenced by the characters of ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'', where the author admitted he decided against ever stating what happened, as he figured nothing he could come up with would be as outrageous as what the readers thought happened.[[note]]It originated from the [[http://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/1990/09/14 Sept. 14, 1990 strip,]] in which the word "incident" was not used, but was used all the time after that, starting with the [[http://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/1990/12/12 December 12, 1990]] strip.[[/note]] |
| 18 | |
| 19 | Don't be surprised if it was caused by a [[TheTrickster trickster-type character]]. If there's a noodle incident and a trickster happens to be in the main cast, the trickster is almost always responsible for it, or at least ''blamed'' for it. The work's resident CloudCuckoolander might also be to blame, as their regular quirks and antics might make them a magnet for these. |
| 20 | |
| 21 | Almost always a case of NothingIsFunnier, particularly if it has an outlandish name, such as the {{Trope Namer|s}}. Compare CrypticBackgroundReference for snippets of deeper lore that are not fully explained, usually to aid in worldbuilding. See also AnotherStoryForAnotherTime, AmbiguousCriminalHistory, InJoke, JackhammeredConversation, RelaxOVision, NoodleImplements, SecondHandStorytelling, TakeOurWordForIt, ThatMysteriousThing, and WhatDidIDoLastNight. Comedy counterpart to NothingIsScarier, where the imagined ''horror'' is more effective than what could be explained. Reminiscing about a Noodle Incident by the people involved can result in LostInTransmission for an outsider. Compare and contrast OffscreenMomentOfAwesome, where the off-screen incident would have been better on-screen. See also CowTools. Enough such incidents create a character who has SeenItAll. If a Noodle Incident is essential to solving a mystery, it's a RiddleForTheAges. If it results in the person/people involved being banished from wherever it happened, they've become PersonaNonGrata. And if, many episodes or installments later, we finally get to see the incident and all the details about it (at least one TV series season, book volume or film sequel has to be in the gap), the ensuing new episode/installment becomes the ResolvedNoodleIncident. See also GreatOffscreenWar. Contrast ObliviousMockery, where characters talk about an event they don't know happened but the ''viewer'' does (most of the time). |
| 22 | |
| 23 | In SpyFiction or similar stories with two longtime allies, the Noodle Incident is usually referred to by a place's name. "This is just like [[UsefulNotes/{{Hungary}} Budapest]]!" "Remember [[UsefulNotes/{{Kenya}} Nairobi]]?" "God, it's [[UsefulNotes/{{Brazil}} Rio de Janeiro]] all over again." "This reminds me of that one time in [[UsefulNotes/{{Malaysia}} Kuala Lumpur]]." Sometimes this is elaborated upon, but usually not. |
| 24 | |
| 25 | To be clear, this isn't simply a reference to something that is never shown "on-screen". A Noodle Incident is marked by a lack of information, shown or told. Bob saying to Alice, "Remember that time we robbed a bank?" does not qualify, whereas "Remember the bank?" does. |
| 26 | |
| 27 | Naturally, this trope is a good source of FanficFuel. Sometimes overlaps with GettingCrapPastTheRadar. Contrast with RememberWhenYouBlewUpASun, which is where the reminiscence is anything ''but'' ambiguous. |
| 28 | |
| 29 | JustForFun/NotToBeConfusedWith Archive/TheGoogleIncident ([[Archive/TheSecondGoogleIncident or the second one]]), although you might get this vibe from some tropers, or [[NuclearOption nuclear weapons]]. |
| 30 | ---- |
| 31 | !!Example subpages: |
| 32 | |
| 33 | [[index]] |
| 34 | * NoodleIncident/AnimeAndManga |
| 35 | * NoodleIncident/ComicBooks |
| 36 | * NoodleIncident/ComicStrips |
| 37 | ** ''NoodleIncident/BigNate'' |
| 38 | ** ''NoodleIncident/CalvinAndHobbes'' |
| 39 | * NoodleIncident/FanWorks |
| 40 | * NoodleIncident/{{Film}} |
| 41 | * NoodleIncident/{{Literature}} |
| 42 | * NoodleIncident/LiveActionTV |
| 43 | ** ''NoodleIncident/DoctorWho'' |
| 44 | ** ''NoodleIncident/TheGoldenGirls'' |
| 45 | * NoodleIncident/{{Music}} |
| 46 | * NoodleIncident/VideoGames |
| 47 | * NoodleIncident/WebAnimation |
| 48 | * NoodleIncident/{{Webcomics}} |
| 49 | * NoodleIncident/WebOriginal |
| 50 | * NoodleIncident/WesternAnimation |
| 51 | ** ''NoodleIncident/PhineasAndFerb'' |
| 52 | ** ''NoodleIncident/TheSimpsons'' |
| 53 | [[/index]] |
| 54 | ---- |
| 55 | !!Examples from media without their own pages: |
| 56 | |
| 57 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 58 | |
| 59 | [[folder:Advertising]] |
| 60 | * An AT&T commercial has a mother and her two kids at a mall to find a gift. The mother tells her daughter that "we don't want the petting zoo all over again", to which the daughter replies "I can't make any promises". |
| 61 | * Advertising/{{GEICO}} commercials: |
| 62 | ** Cleverly used in the "Does a ten-pound bag of flour make a really big biscuit?" ad. Note that the kid's mother looks like she's about to say something, then just sighs and walks away. Apparently, this isn't the first time they've done something like that. |
| 63 | ** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=id28TaG3mu4 "The Gecko's Las Vegas morning"]] shows the aftermath of an obviously ''eventful'' night involving a shrimp cocktail platter, a kangaroo wearing a feather boa, and Richard Simmons. Also, if you watch closely you can see that the gecko is wearing what appears to be an engagement ring. |
| 64 | * Allstate's Mayhem [[http://www.facebook.com/mayhemhere/posts/251169491595050 posted on Facebook]] that the best car accidents involve bubble bath. |
| 65 | %%Weblinks Are Not Examples * [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzetIySG_L0&feature=relmfu The]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0rbyDAQWJY commercials]] for ''Bing & Decide'' play with this. While some don't qualify, others certainly do. |
| 66 | * A [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mllsZbhcPCI commercial]] for Imodium Advanced has a ''Love Matters'' radio talk-show host taking a caller. Just as the caller begins telling a story in a slightly depressed voice, a voiceover says "Where will you be when your diarrhea comes back?" as the host grimaces and races out of the studio. When the host returns, the caller finishes up his question with "So, was I right to invite my mother along on my honeymoon?" We hear the host happily replying "Oh absolutely..." as he hastily picks up the headset. |
| 67 | * Advertising/MAndMs: On one occasion, Green flips out at Dennis Miller for seemingly trying to imply that the rumors about her (i.e. that green M&M's are aphrodisiacs) were true. |
| 68 | * A series of [[http://www.abovetheinfluence.com Above The Influence]] Public Service Announcements show a much darker variation of this trope. They take the form of teenagers talking on their cell phones the morning after a party where they got so drunk and/or high they can't remember anything. One features a girl receiving a photo of herself doing something (presumably) embarrassing and raunchy, and then finding out the photo's been sent to the entire school. Another features someone talking to a friend, and finding out that something bad has happened to a friend (possibly the sister of the person they're talking to?) that they abandoned at the party. The viewer is never told or shown details; it's left to the imagination just what happened the night before. |
| 69 | * The Farmers Insurance commercials where a person crashed their car in pretty much impossible ways, such as backing up into a pole or through the side of a concrete building. We are never told how they did it, but according to Professor Burke (portrayed by Creator/JKSimmons) they do this quite often. |
| 70 | ** Averted in the most recent line of commercials, where Professor Burke says that Farmers can cover anything because they've seen everything, even (insert catchy title of incident here), and then it shows a clip of the incident in question. |
| 71 | * A Taco Bell commercial features a guy coming home after a night out, unloading a bunch of random stuff from his pockets (concert ticket stub, broken sunglasses, dice with Chinese characters on it, etc.), leaving one to speculate just where's been all night, and how it all got started with a packet of Taco Bell hot sauce... |
| 72 | * A Time Warner Cable commercial features a family meeting in which the son mentions an unexplained "muffin incident." "That was an accident," the father replies. |
| 73 | * An infamous [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LQpRQh2KSQ Quizno's commercial]] features Scott, a Quizno's employee, talking with an oven. The oven asks if Scott can do something for him. Scott says, "Not doing that again. That burned." The oven replies with "We both enjoyed that." |
| 74 | * {{Justified|Trope}} in the "Visit UsefulNotes/LasVegas" ads (hence the slogan, "Whatever happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas".) Memorable commercials include a bride being laughed at by her bridesmaids while they all ride in a limo right before [[ActuallyPrettyFunny she herself joins in]], a plane filled with people leaving the city each with their own respective noodle incident (a different bride wearing a veil with a nervous look on her face, a man meticulously pulling out the video from a VHS tape, etc.), a woman showing pictures (unseen to the audience) to her girlfriends of the unknown incidents they were involved in on her camera phone as they nervously look at them just before she jumps in the pool ''with'' the phone itself and another woman showing her husband pictures of her trip to the sin city...via ''hand drawn stick figures''. |
| 75 | * ''Advertising/NipperAndGramophonesChristmasTales'': Gramophone has somehow ended up stuck in a Christmas tree ''several times his size'' in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l23c0AYr-pk&pp=ygUKaG12IG5pcHBlcg%3D%3D "O Christmas Tree"]] with no explanation as to how this happened. |
| 76 | * A Advertising/{{Progressive}} insurance [[https://vimeo.com/691061496 commercial]] begins mid-sentence at the end of a news story with the anchorman in front of a picture of jellybeans with a radioactive symbol over them, about which we learn only that whatever happened "will remain radioactive for years to come." |
| 77 | [[/folder]] |
| 78 | |
| 79 | [[folder:Jokes]] |
| 80 | * A general goes to an [insert special forces of choice here] paratrooper base looking for volunteers for an extremely dangerous mission that involve jumping out of a plane at nearly supersonic speeds, jumping into enemy territory and then fighting their way out with no backup or support. The assembled soldiers remain silent. The general then tries appealing to their patriotism, then offering medals for everyone who participates, then starts making threats, but there's still not a single volunteer. Finally a sergeant who's been watching the whole thing asks to see the briefing papers, rolls his eyes, and takes the mic from the general, saying "Yes, parachutes ''will'' be provided this time!". |
| 81 | * A man comes home from work one day, but he's barely gotten through the door before his wife greets him with a passionate kiss; then she drags him upstairs, pushes him onto the bed, pulls down his pants, and starts to give him a blowjob. The man stares at her for a minute...then grimaces and asks, "All right, Mildred, what did you do to the car ''this time?"'' |
| 82 | [[/folder]] |
| 83 | |
| 84 | [[folder:Manhwa]] |
| 85 | * ''Manhwa/{{Yureka}}'': Boromid, Lotto and Adol can't remember what they did to make Myuriah so angry. The funny thing is, neither can she. But she's sure it was horrible! Or something. [[spoiler:This is eventually subverted. Myuriah eventually remembers. She is not happy.]] |
| 86 | [[/folder]] |
| 87 | |
| 88 | [[folder:Podcasts]] |
| 89 | * Since the cast of ''Podcast/{{Jemjammer}}'' began playing with their characters for a few sessions before beginning recording, the trio of Cacophony, Jylliana, and [=Æ=]lfgifu have a few adventures under their belts when the story begins--like a stopping a murderous scarecrow rampaging through town. |
| 90 | * Solvin from ''Podcast/TheFallenGods'' has had severed body parts in his bag before, so he doesn't mind sticking [[spoiler: Janna's foot]] in there. His associate Tuatha is both curious and terrified. |
| 91 | * In the ''Podcast/CoolKidsTable'' game ''Dan, Danny, and Daniel'', Arnold Schwarzenegger chastises Danny [=DeVito=] for trying and failing to kill him before. |
| 92 | * ''Podcast/MomCantCook'': Andy, seemingly entirely seriously, brings up Luke having formerly gone to a "rockabilly hairdresser" who cut hair with a switchblade, in connection with ''Film/AlleyCatsStrike'''s general 50s theming. |
| 93 | * ''Podcast/MysteryShow'': |
| 94 | ** In episode five, Starlee mentions her friend Jeb, a movie producer who she met on top of a mountain in Utah. But that's a story for another time. |
| 95 | ** In episode one, Laura mentions that the video store is the ''second'' biggest mystery of her life. It's never mentioned what the biggest one is. |
| 96 | [[/folder]] |
| 97 | |
| 98 | [[folder:Professional Wrestling]] |
| 99 | * Because most professional wrestling promotions have a timeline going back to 1948 (the year of the founding of the Wrestling/NationalWrestlingAlliance) but few companies that are even nearly that old openly admit to ever having been members of said alliance (everything before Wrestling/HulkHogan's rise to fame in 1984 is remembered in BroadStrokes in the WWF) and because literally hundreds of "angles" (stories) have been dramatized during the pay-per-view era alone, and finally because of the SevenYearRule, one will encounter references to events that ''seem'' like Noodle Incidents if one has been watching Wrestling/{{WWE}} or Wrestling/{{TNA}} programming for only a few months or years. |
| 100 | ** Chief among them is the notorious "[[Wrestling/TripleH Katie Vick]]" [[Wrestling/{{Kane}} incident]] of 2002.[[note]]If you've mercifully never seen it: Kane was accused by Triple H of having killed his girlfriend Katie Vick years in a car accident years before. Hunter followed this up by showing some "security camera footage" of himself, wearing Kane's mask, committing necrophilia with Kate's corpse in her coffin. The punchline was him throwing some noodles at the camera while saying "I screwed your brains out!" The episode ends with an enraged Kane throwing HHH in his car trunk and driving off, but not before viewers could easily see the trunk flying open as the camera was fading out. Fans and the media universally hated the angle, and it was quickly blown off at the beginning of the next episode. Also qualifies as an OldShame for everyone involved.[[/note]] This will be brought up from time to time, but never fully explained - partly because [[RuleOfFunny it's funny to do so]], but primarily because since WWE programming is now rated TV-PG, even ''discussing'' that infamous episode is pushing it now. |
| 101 | * A genuine Noodle Incident occurred in 2008, after Wrestling/{{Edge|Wrestler}} was "sent to Hell" by Wrestling/TheUndertaker for kissing Wrestling/AliciaFox on the day before his wedding (ItMakesSenseInContext), after losing their Wrestling/HellInACell match at ''Wrestling/SummerSlam''. When Edge [[JokerImmunity came back three months later]], he revealed it all hadn't been metaphorical; he really ''had'' been in Hell. [[HandWave But he never bothered to explain how he'd managed to escape.]] |
| 102 | * During [[https://youtu.be/GTZ2bkOUbOU Booker T's roast]], Undertaker talks about a Red Bull Incident. He says Booker T lost his mind over it and took things to another level he'd never seen before. He doesn't explain the details of what happened but notes he used to like Red Bull before the incident and he's still scarred by it. |
| 103 | [[/folder]] |
| 104 | |
| 105 | [[folder:Puppet Shows]] |
| 106 | * ''Series/TheMuppetShow'': |
| 107 | ** On one episode, everyone is talking about how hilarious the "Banana Sketch" is -- except for Kermit, who hasn't seen it, and no one will/can explain it to him. [[spoiler: He eventually realizes they're messing with him.]] |
| 108 | ** There's also the "famous" Lonely Asparagus sketch that gets Creator/CarolBurnett to stay. Carol gets into the costume and can only get out the first line before the end of the show. This also marked a rare occasion that the Muppets (deliberately?) kept their guest star in the shadows [[note]] except perhaps for the "Angus [=McGonagle=]" episode, where they replace him with the cast of ''Franchise/StarWars'' at the last minute [[/note]] (though Burnett ends up joining the sketches anyway), in this case so they could put on an episode-long 1930s-style dance marathon that is pretty much one big "At The Dance" sketch. |
| 109 | * While we're on the subject of the Muppets, [[Series/TheMuppets2015 the 2015 series]] has a few: |
| 110 | ** The viewers only get to hear a very small snippet of Fozzie's terrible sketch in "Bear Left Then Bear Right". Though the snippet does imply that it was pretty bizarre. Apparently it involves a porcupine wearing dress socks. |
| 111 | ** In "Pigs in a Blackout", Gonzo lets out a few snippets about the time he tried blasting himself over Niagara Falls. All that's really clear is that it didn't work at all. |
| 112 | ** How does Kermit know that Gonzo's mother isn't a very good goat-rider? |
| 113 | ** Whenever Scooter gripes about his mom's boyfriend Ken. |
| 114 | -->"Put on a robe, KEN..." |
| 115 | * ''Series/{{Oobi}}'': |
| 116 | ** Oobi is shown to have a "boo-boo" for the entirety of "Video!". We never find out what specific accident Oobi got into to get it. |
| 117 | ** In "Shopping", after Grampu assigns Oobi and Kako to obtain one orange, Bella asks Grampu to come and help her out, stating that there is an accident involving her honeydews. She never states the specific, she simply says "Honeydews", followed by an exasperated groan. |
| 118 | * ''Series/SesameStreet'' has a few of these, mainly so that young viewers dealing with specific things in their lives can easily identify with characters who are also going through similar situations: |
| 119 | ** When the news of Mr. Hooper's death is broken to Big Bird, the cause of death is not revealed, presumably to avoid causing young viewers to get scared of themselves or loved ones dying in a specific way. |
| 120 | ** Likewise, in the special "When Families Grieve", the cause of death for Elmo's uncle Jack is left unstated. |
| 121 | ** The reason for the divorce of Abby Cadabby's parents is only said to be due to "irreparable grown-up problems". |
| 122 | ** Karli is in foster care for a time due to her mother having a drug addiction, but what the latter was addicted to before going into rehab isn't revealed. |
| 123 | * ''Series/TheSiflAndOllyShow'' had an episode where Olly asked [[CloudcuckooLander Chester]] if he liked bubbles, in which Chester responded that Olly already knew, and there was an incident with him and a kid on his school bus who blew bubbles. Nothing else about that time is explained beyond that episode, but Olly (who honestly didn't know,) had bubbles blown into Chester's room to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiTjrpfssY0 see what would happen]]. |
| 124 | [[/folder]] |
| 125 | |
| 126 | [[folder:Radio]] |
| 127 | * ''Radio/{{Adventures in Odyssey}}'': |
| 128 | ** In one episode of ''Radio/{{Adventures in Odyssey}}'', Ed tries to cut Marvin's hair and botches the job. He is reminded at least twice (before and after the botch job) "Remember the snowflakes?" as a reason as to why he shouldn't be let near a pair of scissors. We never find out what exactly happened with snowflakes. |
| 129 | ** In the episode "A License to Drive", we find out bits and pieces of what happened during Eugene's practical driving test but not all of it and all we know as the overview is that it was so bad that the instructor forcibly took control of the vehicle, drove back to the DMV and ''resigned''. |
| 130 | * ''Radio/TheGoonShow'': |
| 131 | ** In one episode of ''Radio/TheGoonShow'', Henry Crun makes a passing reference to "that terrible night I drank the dandelion wine." |
| 132 | ** Another episode has someone threaten Bloodnock to be quiet or he'll reveal "who sold those four cardboard tanks". |
| 133 | * Done by an Omaha station talk show called ''Todd & Tyler'', which is of course hosted by two guys named Todd and Tyler (they're mostly considered shock jocks, in that they do their best to offend as many people as possible). A couple years ago, they had a RunningGag where, whenever someone said the phrase "two weeks", they'd start laughing like crazy. They refused to explain why a period of time could incite such hilarity on air, though supposedly, if one met them in real life and asked for the meaning behind it, they would be kind enough to explain. Though nowadays they don't seem to find the phrase nearly as amusing. |
| 134 | * In the 80's WUSB Stonybrook comedy radio theatre ''TheTripodFamily'', there was an "incident" in Big Bear City which forced the family to flee to Long Island. Any time they are close to revealing what happened something happens, the show cuts to another scene or they use the "You don't want to know" line, but it is inferred that one of the Uncle's business plans was to blame. |
| 135 | * Much of [[Radio/GilesWemmbleyHoggGoesOff Giles Wemmbley-Hogg]]'s (two Ms, two Gs, from Budleigh-Salterton) mis-adventures happen because of Noodle Incidents. His trip to Haiti started because of a disagreement he and his parents were having about where the television remote was - "It all got a bit complicated, and here I am!" |
| 136 | * ''Radio/BleakExpectations'' has a TimeSkip between series 1 and 2. The beginning of Series 2 makes a couple mentions of an incident involving a horse and a balloon occurring in that time. The characters laugh hysterically at the memory, but no details are given except a downbeat that it didn't end well for the horse. |
| 137 | * ''Radio/TheMenFromTheMinistry'' has several bunglings happen off-screen and are only alluded to, such as the time Nelson's Column was covered in plum-jam. |
| 138 | * ''Radio/CarTalk'': Tom was in the army very briefly. He and Ray mentioned a few incidents that happened during that time, such as the "shower shoes incident", the "spaghetti incident", and the "firing range incident". |
| 139 | [[/folder]] |
| 140 | |
| 141 | [[folder:Stand-up Comedy]] |
| 142 | * In Creator/ChristopherTitus's ''Norman Rockwell is Bleeding'' show, he talks about going to a party in high school where a bonfire was lit. One of the things thrown into the fire was a telephone pole. He doesn't know where or how they got one, but he considers it "high on the drunk theft scale." |
| 143 | * Creator/JeffFoxworthy is famed for the "You Might Be A Redneck If..." jokes. |
| 144 | ** One goes "If you've ever had to carry a bucket of paint to the top of a water tower to defend your sister's honor, you might be a redneck." Awfully specific requirement in the test. According to the music video, it's "Dee Dee is a [[CurseCutShort who]]"; he's already painted over the rest. |
| 145 | ** A lot of those jokes could vaguely be considered {{Noodle Incident}}s. ("If you've been [[PersonaNonGrata blacklisted by a bowling alley]]," "If you've ever been too drunk to fish," etc.) |
| 146 | ** Subverted on the ''Blue Collar Comedy Tour'' by Creator/BillEngvall with "If you've ever opened a beer during a eulogy," after which he went on to explain the circumstances. |
| 147 | * Creator/LewisBlack's once overheard a young woman say "If it wasn't for my horse, I wouldn't have spent that year in college" while he was eating breakfast at an IHOP. He advises the audience not to think about it too much, lest [[YourHeadAsplode their heads explode]]. |
| 148 | * Creator/SteveMartin: "I was sitting at home, doing ''horrible'' things to my dog with a fork..." |
| 149 | * Sean Lock, as the introduction to a series of jokes about shame: "You'll be walking down the street, and suddenly you stop dead in your tracks. Your friend asks, 'what're you doing?' 'I suddenly remembered that time in the hotel room with the badgers.'" |
| 150 | * It is dangerous to mention Niagra Falls around The Three Stooges. That danger makes it difficult for both the straight man and the audience to learn just precisely what happened. |
| 151 | * In one of Creator/MikeHarding's monologues about growing up in Crumpsall, he recollects his father slapping him round the head and saying "you never did own up to where you got that Davy Crockett hat, did you, you little bugger?" This is followed by a mysterious reference to a neighbour's missing cat, but is never followed through. |
| 152 | [[/folder]] |
| 153 | |
| 154 | [[folder:Tabletop Games]] |
| 155 | * ''TabletopGame/ChangelingTheLost'': You'll find this gem. "Changelings tend to avoid giving Freeholds too-obvious names derived from myth, ever since the disaster that befell the 17th-century legendary freehold of New Lyonesse." There's a hint if you study Arthurian legend. Lyonesse is the home country of Tristan. In later versions of the story, it's said to have sunken beneath the sea... |
| 156 | * ''TabletopGame/ChuubosMarvelousWishGrantingEngine'': Many. The list of 101 wishes Chuubo could make, for example, does nothing to explain the chain of events that led from "I wish I could be a seagull" to "I wish seagulls were cooler". |
| 157 | * ''TabletopGame/{{Deadlands}}'': |
| 158 | ** Some adventures explicitly invoke this trope. For example, ''Canyon O'Doom'' includes a scene where the characters discover a deserted town and a frightening suicide note. The adventure notes state that there is no actual resolution to the scene, that not everything in the Weird West makes sense, and that sometimes the unknown is the scariest thing of all. |
| 159 | ** The town of Gomorra was extensively featured in the ''Deadlands: Doomtown'' spinoff game, but the IP for the game transferred from Pinnacle Entertainment Group to AEG, making anything to do with the town a copyright gray area. Pinnacle made no mention of the town for many years, making it seem to just disappear. ''The 1880 Smith & Robbards Catalog'' talks briefly about "The Gomorra Incident" where the town blew up in a fiery mess. Hardly any details are given, [[RealitySubtext and there probably won't ever be a solid explanation]]. Of course, that seems like [[WhatDidYouExpectWhenYouNamedIt an unsurprising fate for a town called]] [[Literature/TheBible Gomorra]]. |
| 160 | * ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'': |
| 161 | ** The 3.5 edition sourcebook ''Player's Handbook 2'' includes a sample quote in the Bard character archetype section: "This reminds me of the time Prince Voltred tried to enter his falcon in the archery contest. Funny thing about that..." |
| 162 | ** ''TabletopGame/{{Eberron}}'': The exact nature of the Mourning and its causes is a permanent mystery. |
| 163 | ** 5th edition's ''Volo's Guide to Monsters'' has the author wonder what eating a Mind Flayer's brain tastes like. A note from Elminster states that it's a bad idea as people tend to go insane from the flood of emotions and psychic impressions- but ''please'' don't ask him how he knows that. |
| 164 | * ''TabletopGame/GeniusTheTransgression'' has a few, up to and including the reanimation of Pythagoras. |
| 165 | * ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'': [[https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/feature/flavorful-guide-guilds-ravnica-2018-10-03 A Flavorful Guide to the Guilds of Ravnica]] mentions that at some point the Izzet managed to turn the entire sky bright orange for a while. How they managed this, and what they were trying to do at the time, is still a mystery. |
| 166 | %% * [[http://outofcontextdnd.tumblr.com/ This]] site has many similar style quotes. |
| 167 | * During the second ''WebComic/PennyArcade'' and ''WebComic/PvP''[='=]s joint ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' 4th edition podcast, the motive for ''WebVideo/AcquisitionsIncorporated'' is recovering from "the Winterspire Incident." All we are told by the DM is that "it was pretty bad." |
| 168 | * ''TabletopGame/PsionicsTheNextStageInHumanEvolution'': The fluff gives us a few examples. |
| 169 | ** In ''Captured'', Mama Bear, an extremely powerful and violent telekinetic, expresses remorse for an incident in Germany. She doesn't go into detail, but says that she "didn't mean to hurt all those people" and wonders if she's been abandoned for it. |
| 170 | ** An incident wherein resident alpha bitch Callie publicly humiliated the nerdy, meek, and newly psychokinetic Tim isn't elaborated on and bringing it up results in Tim screaming at the person who does so. |
| 171 | * ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}'': |
| 172 | ** Dunkelzahn's Will contains approximately 20% various noodle incidents the dragon has seen fit to clean up after following his death. |
| 173 | --->To Alamais, I leave the fruitcake we have exchanged every Christmas since 2020. Unlike you, I'm really dead. |
| 174 | ** Perhaps one of the most infamous to players is the clause dealing with a Mr. Lars Matthews. |
| 175 | --->For a period of ten days beginning on 14 February 2057, Lars J. Matthews will cease to possess any legal status. He will be stripped of all evidence of legal existence, including SIN, credsticks, [=DocWagon=] contract, bank accounts and so on. To the individual or group who ends Lars J. Matthews' physical existence during those ten days, I leave all of Matthews' assets and 1 million nuyen for a job well done. If Mr. Matthews survives and can prove his identity, his legal status and all possessions will be restored to him. Haven't you heard? Never deal with a dragon, Lars. |
| 176 | ** There's also an incident that took place between vampire runner Red and Elijah. No one seems to know specifics, although, later, the infamous elf assassin Blackwing chimed in, noting it involved a statue and that ''he'' was also involved. |
| 177 | * ''TabletopGame/VampireTheRequiem'' has the origin of Vampires as a permanent mystery, as opposed to [[TabletopGame/VampireTheMasquerade its predecessor]], which explicitly links vampires to Cain of the Bible. |
| 178 | * ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'': |
| 179 | ** The two missing primarchs and their lost legions. Whatever the heck happened to them, the GodEmperor ([[EnforcedTrope and Games Workshop writer Jervis Johnson]]) made everyone swear an oath to [[UnPerson never, ever mention them again]]. The ''Literature/HorusHeresy'' novels do shed some hints of light on their fates, with implications of "unacceptable genetic deviations" in both Primarchs and their Legions (which is why Sanguinus refuses to reveal the existence of the Red Thirst to the Emperor, lest he end up a "third missing statue"), and comments on the [[Literature/SpaceWolf Space Wolves]] having fought and slain Space Marines ''before'' the Heresy... |
| 180 | ** The Eldar trickster God Cegorach is said to be responsible for an event called the "Wedding of Screams". |
| 181 | ** The Rangdan Xenocides were apparently the most destructive wars the Crusade-era Imperium fought save the Horus Heresy itself. There has been nothing but vague background references to it, leaving details like what exactly a Rangdan is or why they were so dangerous completely ambiguous. The lost legions and missing Primarchs being involved is one of the few concrete tidbits we've been given. |
| 182 | * ''TabletopGame/WarhammerFantasy'': In ''Storm of Magic'', the description of the Rockcharmer's Flute, an item capable of moving terrainf features around, mentions that it's famous for a tale concerning it, a drunken Halfling, a jug of lamp oil, a plate of saugages, and the accidental creation of the Grey Mountains. |
| 183 | * ''TabletopGame/WarhammerFantasyRoleplay'': Long Drong Slayer's entry in the ''Sea of Claws'' sourcebook mentions that he lost an eye to a bet, but doesn't elaborate on what this was about beyond noting that it's a "long story". |
| 184 | * [[http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?537535-Weird-out-of-context-quotes-from-games This]] rpgnet thread, which contains more than a hundred. At present, the first post contains the phrase "In case of vampire attack, all my underwear goes to the man with the strongest chin", the latest post has "Wait, I've got four ranks of Knockback. ''I punch the elephant back into the clown-car''", and things are even weirder in-between. |
| 185 | [[/folder]] |
| 186 | |
| 187 | [[folder:Theatre]] |
| 188 | * ''Theatre/AnythingGoes'' |
| 189 | ** Billy mentions an "amalgamation deal" to his boss, that he apparently forgot the paperwork for. No details about the deal are ever given. |
| 190 | ** Billy and Hope reminisce about a ride they took together in the back of a taxi that apparently went for five hours. Once again, no details about what happened are given, though Billy mentions that Hope fell asleep after something, but what that something was is cut off by Hope saying "I remember." |
| 191 | * ''Theatre/ArsenicAndOldLace'' includes discussion of torturing someone to death with the "Melbourne Method". Details are not provided, but it is implied to be quite gruesome. |
| 192 | * In ''Theatre/{{Chicago}},'' Velma's number "I Can't Do It Alone" is an in-universe Aversion. She's trying to convince Roxie that the Kelly Sisters' Double Act is too fantastic a chance to pass up on, so she demonstrates it for Roxie -- but it just doesn't really make sense. It gets especially funny on the Revival cast soundtrack, where the listener only gets hints such as "See? I kick ''really'' high!" and an enthusiastic "SIDEWAYS!" |
| 193 | * In the song "[[spoiler:My Dead Gay Son]]" from ''Theatre/{{Heathers}}'', Ram's dad mentions a [[ExperimentedInCollege very special fishing trip]] he went on with Kurt's dad. |
| 194 | -->'''Ram's dad:''' I'm talking you and me! In the summer of '83... |
| 195 | -->'''Kurt's dad:''' That was one hell of a fishing trip. |
| 196 | * ''Theatre/IntoTheWoods'': |
| 197 | ** The Baker's parents [[spoiler: supposedly]] died in "a baking accident." |
| 198 | ** The Witch's exposition rap in "Prologue" reveals that after the Baker's father stole her magic beans, something happened that caused lightning to flash and presumably more weird stuff. She doesn't elaborate on it any further. |
| 199 | -->''When bang! Crash! A lightning flash!''\ |
| 200 | ''Well, that's another story, never mind, anyway...'' |
| 201 | * In the live-stage version of Disney's ''Theatre/{{Mulan}}'', Mushu has been demoted from his pedestal because of an incident involving "Confucius, a silk worm, and the near downfall of a dynasty!" |
| 202 | -->'''Mushu:''' And Mushu was his name-o. |
| 203 | * In the Tony-nominated play ''Theatre/NextFall'', a main character's mother is talking about his childhood, when she suddenly interrupts with the following lines: "Then I went to jail for six months...for selling pot... [sees incredulous look on listener's face]...it's a long story involving my ex-best friend. A one-armed hairdresser from Scarsdale, I kid you not." |
| 204 | * In the musical parody version of ''Film/{{Showgirls}}'', we learn that Nomi isn't ashamed of anything she's done except for one incident we learn nothing about other than that it happened at a Cinnabon. |
| 205 | * ''[[Theatre/AVeryPotterMusical A Very Potter Senior Year]]'' has the cast mentioning at least one event from the previous six years. In fact, Act 1 Scene 1 is basically the climax to Year 6. |
| 206 | [[/folder]] |
| 207 | |
| 208 | [[folder:Visual Novels]] |
| 209 | * In ''VisualNovel/AceAttorneyInvestigationsMilesEdgeworth'', Allebahst and Babahl used to be a single country, Cohdopia, and this fact is mentioned several times. However, it's never explained why the two nations split apart. |
| 210 | * ''VisualNovel/ChoicesStoriesYouPlay'' |
| 211 | ** In ''VisualNovel/TheHeistMonaco'', one of these is referenced when Samira is looking through Rye’s criminal record. |
| 212 | -->'''Samira:''' Horse theft? |
| 213 | -->'''Rye:''' Hey, I freed that horse. |
| 214 | ** In ''[[VisualNovel/LawsOfAttractionPixelberry Laws of Attraction]]'', Book 2, Sadie brings up Eli's apparently embarrassing trip to Cabo (in which a cabana is involved), threatening to tell Quinn about it unless Eli grants him/her and Aislinn visitation rights to the nursing home Aislinn's grandmother is sent to. |
| 215 | * ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc'': |
| 216 | ** [[KillerGameMaster The Mastermind]] scoffs at the notion of explaining how they [[spoiler: erased the students' memories of their two years at Hope's Peak Academy.]] Though this is eventually answered in supplementary materials: [[spoiler: being the [[AwesomenessByAnalysis Ultimate Analyst]], she learned it from her boyfriend, the Ultimate Neurologist.]] |
| 217 | ** The first game never explains who won the sauna endurance match between Kiyotaka and Mondo. But whatever happened, they went from bitter enemies to SwornBrothers afterwards. |
| 218 | * Apparently, Henry from ''VisualNovel/DoubleHomework'' wasn’t always as stupid as he is now. The protagonist insists that there’s a story behind it, but never tells it. |
| 219 | * In the ''Unlimited Blade Works'' route of ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'', it's mentioned that [[MasterSwordsman Assassin]] was once able to ward off [[NighInvulnerable Berserker]] from the Ryuudou Temple gate at one point. Since the PowerLevels in the story establish that Assassin shouldn't even be able to wound Berserker, it's not exactly clear just how Assassin pulled this off - but the fact it's unexplained just makes you wonder if Assassin is really ''that'' good. |
| 220 | * In ''VisualNovel/JunipersKnot'' the fiend says she has done many things: she has killed many people, saved children, destroyed entire towns...but none of those are the reason she is confined within [[GeometricMagic the magical circle]] that keeps her prisoner. She never reveals ''why'' she ended up there, but only angrily dismisses the question. |
| 221 | * VisualNovel/TheLetter: Isabella, one of main characters of the game found a dead body stuffed inside a couch during her first assignment in Devlin Court as a real estate agent. Other characters likes to remind her about it. Called Devlin Court Accident. |
| 222 | * In Nikolai's first season in ''VisualNovel/QueenOfThieves'', [[ConMan Remy]] reacts with dismay when [[TheChessmaster Nikolai]] declares he needs more coffee, hinting at some kind of "fun story" that the heroine doesn't get the chance to ask about: |
| 223 | -->'''Nikolai:''' I need more coffee.\ |
| 224 | '''Remy:''' You absolutely don't! Do you remember what happened last time? |
| 225 | * ''VisualNovel/ReigningPassions'': |
| 226 | ** In Amara's first season, as Piama and Lyris coach the heroine in the proper formalities for the tournament, Lyris proposes teaching her "the important banquet grape-throwing rules," only for Piama to shoot down the idea, citing some past incident which is left to the imagination. |
| 227 | --->'''Piama:''' Let's skip the grape throwing altogether. What if [Heroine] accidentally hits Princess Ellebaire?\ |
| 228 | '''Lyris:''' Excellent point. We don't need to be blamed for a banquet disaster similar to the last time something like that happened.\ |
| 229 | '''Heroine:''' A disaster due to...grapes?\ |
| 230 | '''Lyris:''' Yes. Do try to keep up. |
| 231 | ** Sevastian's third season drops a couple of references to "Princess Yalena's pastoral ball" two spans ago, which was apparently an expensive debacle involving live sheep loose in the palace. |
| 232 | * ''VisualNovel/StarshipPromise'': |
| 233 | ** In Atlas Season 3, when Jaxon is explaining that his contact Zeg owes him a favor: |
| 234 | --->'''Jaxon:''' It's a long story, but let's just say there's a reason why it's now illegal to breed salamanders on seventeen different colonies. |
| 235 | ** ''A Cosmic Match'': In Nav's short, he and the heroine bicker over "those Empire guards on our last job" on two different occasions, with Nav repeatedly insisting that only "the tattoo" was his fault. |
| 236 | * ''VisualNovel/{{SOON}}'': |
| 237 | ** It's never revealed how exactly Atlas blew up part of Switzerland. [[{{Doylist}} Considering that]] Atlas could have been named after the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ATLAS_experiment ATLAS experiment]], the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Large_Hadron_Collider Large Hadron Collider]] may have been involved. |
| 238 | ** Likewise, it's never stated why Atlas and 2013!Atlas are in a wheelchair. From the dates, it can be deduced that this isn't related with the incident in Switzerland and considering that Atlas never attempts to undo their disability with TimeTravel, it can be assumed it wasn't the result of an accident. |
| 239 | * In ''VisualNovel/ThousandDollarSoul'', if Angela wins the lottery and Todd goes to Africa with her, ''something'' will happen during the three-year TimeSkip that ends with them being AmicableExes. All that's said is that Todd was drunk. |
| 240 | * In ''VisualNovel/{{Tsukihime}}'''s side-story game, ''Kagetsu Tohya'', Shiki occasionally refers to the haunted house his class did last year, in which he and his friend were responsible for ''something'' that resulted in their student government making an amendment that strictly prohibits tea kettle monsters, mushroom monsters, and any pot that uses the aforementioned things. The specifics are left up to the imagination. |
| 241 | -->'''Shiki:''' Yes, we did a haunted house my freshman year, too. Well, Arihiko did his part so ardently that we were forced to stop in the morning.\ |
| 242 | '''(To himself):''' ''The Inuidake Children Kidnapping. It's an event that will forever remain in the annals of the student government.'' |
| 243 | * ''VisualNovel/TyrionCuthbertAttorneyOfTheArcane'': |
| 244 | ** The incident that caused Beatrice to lose her sight is referred to multiple times, but it is never explained what exactly happened to her, other than it was [[FreakLabAccident some kind of experiment that went wrong]]. |
| 245 | ** According to Lucio, Celeste got her sword thanks to an Ixian regent. How she "earned the favor" of this person is never elaborated on. |
| 246 | * ''VisualNovel/ZeroEscape'': |
| 247 | ** In ''VisualNovel/VirtuesLastReward'' when Sigma considers possible reasons for why he was forced into the Nonary Game, he mentions that he once had a one-night stand with a politician's mistress, but doesn't give further details. |
| 248 | ** During ''VisualNovel/ZeroTimeDilemma'', Junpei remarks that seeing the base of an organ-trafficking gang had deeply traumatized him. He never explains what happened to the gang, or how he got in that situation to begin with (aside from the fact that it was somehow related to his detective work). |
| 249 | [[/folder]] |
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