Times where characters take off the kid gloves and get dangerous in Fan Works.
Crossovers
- Abyssal Plain: Victoria has spent most of her time in the Abyss trying not to hurt anyone too badly, even the monstrous Others, as she much prefers de-escalating conflicts and working things out. When she tries that with the Three Sisters, they immediately steal her name and threaten her friends. Thoroughly pissed off, the gloves come off and her Fragile One literally begins to tear into one of the sisters with its teeth.
- Ben 10: Unlimited: The Justice League (and numerous others) quickly learn not to underestimate Ben's aliens. Even the silliest-looking ones have powers or abilities that outrank some super villains.
- Child of the Storm provides a number of examples:
- Harry tends to demonstrate that when under stress, he can get scary. While he's got potentially vast powers (Psychic Powers among them), Power Incontinence, inexperience, and fear of said powers (thanks to random jumps in his strength and knowing what Mind Rape can do to a person) tend to hold him back. Plus, he's got a strong set of ethics, moments of Unstoppable Rage aside. However, he's also got Nerves of Steel, a creative streak, a gift for fire-magic, a knack for manipulation, and eventually, a capacity for Xanatos Speed Chess capable of leaving some of the finest schemers in the universe wondering what the hell just happened, and as the sequel proves, even relatively uncreatively directed, his raw power alone can alter global geopolitics overnight. More to the point, he just will. Not. Stop. Even leaving out the Dark Phoenix, there is a reason that his godmother later describes him as "one of the most powerful people on the continent."
- Harry, Diana, Uhtred, Carol and Jean-Paul do this in chapters 59 and 60, particularly the latter two, who haven't had any known combat training or combat experience, partially thanks to a mixture of a temporary Plot-Relevant Age-Up, and sheer stubbornness.
- In chapter 70, Sean Cassidy has previously been seen as a light-hearted and quick-witted martial arts teacher, Mentor Archetype and Reasonable Authority Figure with a Funetik Aksent (albeit one that he can dial down), albeit with hints of a Dark and Troubled Past. Then Luna Lovegood gets killed. After that, he demonstrates why his codename 'Banshee' is intimately associated with death.
- In the same chapter, Warren's spent most of the last 20 chapters moping over his Razor Wings, and generally being dismissed as pretty, but useless, Sean's pet project and largely being the Straight Man to Sean's Wise Guy. In any case, it's sufficient to make the reader forget his earlier dismantling of multiple Dracoliches during the Battle of the M4. Then, when HYDRA attack Hogwarts, he reminds both readers and cast of how terrifyingly deadly he is by unleashing a Mook Horror Show straight out of the gorier parts of the Old Testament and almost singlehandedly slaughtering the entirety of HYDRA's aerial attack force wearing only a pair of pyjama bottoms. The half-mad last mook standing explicitly compares him to an angel of death, and it isn't in the least unwarranted.
- Doctor Strange spends most of the first book either off-screen, appearing in brief cameos, or appearing as an amiable Great Gazoo. Then, in chapter 75, he starts pulling out all the weapons in his Chekhov's Armoury and using them, at once, revealing that he's now playing for keeps and just why everyone is so afraid of him.
- A Familiar Void: When Louise and her allies desperately need to reach Newcastle, which is being besieged by Reconquista's forces, she gives Bug and Sib explicit permission to kill.
- The Infinite Loops: Loopers overall are mostly friendly jokers who are just looking for fun ways to curb their boredom without causing crashes. However, piss one of them off and prepare to see what happens when someone who has been alive for possibly eons is mad.
- I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
: Harry has what is implied to be a large number of standing rules about what Dobby is and isn't allowed to do in defense of him and his ship, created over the course of a very long time in response to a large number of Noodle Incidents. Given that he has previously unleashed a horde of transfigured animals in a bar and reduced several enemies who pissed him off into rather small bits, we can only imagine what sort of horrors he's forbidden Dobby from enacting on his enemies. However, when he and his crew encounter a group of slaver ships making a raid on the planet of Kashyyk and he doesn't have time to stop both the ships on the planet and one that's leaving orbit himself, he sends Dobby to stop the leaving ship with the following order:Harry: Dobby, that ship has bad people who are trying to make people slaves against their will. Your life is paramount, then the captives. For the duration of this mission, all other orders are rescinded. Don't let that ship escape. - A Man of Iron: When Tyrion arrives in King's Landing in A Crack of Thunder and sees just how screwed up a situation that Cersei and Joffrey have created, with the final straw being "Sansa Stark" running around, he ditches his jovial and deadpan demeanor and makes it clear to his sister and the Small Council that he is running things now, and if they don't like it he'll just take their heads.
- Drama Heart in Manehattan's Lone Guardian is an eccentric civilian entertainer, having no desire to fight and completely lacking in combat ability. During a battle when Leviathan is moments away from destruction, her anger at her opponent overrides her natural fear, and she steps in to hold the line with a prop knife until stronger reinforcements can finish the job.Take the stage.
- Origin Story: In this Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Power Girl crossover, Alex Harris (a Kryptonian trapped in the Marvel Universe) and her domestic partner Louise are attacked by the telepathic assassin Typhoid Mary. Mary knocks down Louise, then turns her attention to Alex and proceeds to use her mental powers (against which Alex has no defenses) to wreck Alex. Turns out ignoring the normal, untrained girlfriend was a mistake when Louise proceeds to clock Typhoid Mary from behind with a bottle of sparkling grape juice, then continues to beat the assassin with it until Mary is unconscious and bleeding on the floor.
- Point Me at the Skyrim: Sevitus throughout most of the two arcs has been a bumbling Imperial mook who even his father admits to not being the sharpest tool in the shed. But when faced with Bandits and a horde of Frost Spiders, he's more than willing to dive in, sword swinging and Emperor's Voice at the ready.
- Rise of the Galeforces: Everyone. Just... everyone. Special mention goes to Violet in particular since her finally being allowed to cut loose and demonstrate to the bad guys what she is truly capable of is pretty much the reason the fanfic itself manages to outlast all the hell it gets put through.
- The Unexpected Rookie: For the most part, Red is a quiet, unassuming fire truck who simply wants to sit in the quiet and water his flowers. But when Wheeljack's experiment starts a fire, Red immediately leaps into action (looking so determined that Prime hopes the Autobots stay out of his way).
- Voyages of the Wild Sea Horse: Kodachi Kuno decides her original Martial Arts and Crafts fighting style isn't enough to battle the threat of the Grand Line. So she decides to switch it up to a new style; Buccaneer Style Ninjitsu, and takes a marked level in badass.
- The Wizard in the Shadows: At the final battle of the Black Gate, all seems lost. Harry, the most powerful weapon in the arsenal of the Light, is dead, the Sword of Gryffindor that allowed him to draw on impossible amounts of power is inert, and the forces of good are sorely outnumbered. Then Ginny — up until this point merely quite powerful — picks up the Sword and says a Little "No". The Sword responds. Cue three giant tornadoes of fire and a whole world of hurt being laid on Mordor's forces.
- A Theory of Butterflies and Other Insects: Marcy's mind kicks into high gear during the heron's attack on Toad Tower, showing off her Awesomeness by Analysis. The shift is further emphasized by how her eyes flash green during her "Eureka!" Moment.
- Calvin & Hobbes: The Series: Hobbes and Dr. Brainstorm get a few of these moments, and when it happens, things tend to get serious with them.
- Tamers Forever Series: Terriermon drops his goofy attitude right before opening up a can of whoop-ass on Daemon.
- All This Sh*t is Twice as Weird: The Inquisitors have a few moments like this, such as when they learn that some of their soldiers have been taken prisoner in the Fallow Mire and when they're fighting to get out of the Fade.
- Memento Vivere: Jecht finally gets his sword-fighting act together during the battle on Mushroom Rock.
- Elemental Chess Trilogy: Havoc is a bit goofy and loves to make jokes, and has a powerful nostalgic streak. When things go south for his beloved commanding officers, however, he steps up and takes charge, reminding everyone just why he's one of Roy Mustang's most trusted subordinates.
- CONSEQUENCES: While Pavona is already getting curb-stomped during her confrontation with Ladybug and Chat Noir in RUNNING AMOK, she manages to draw blood with one of her frantic, frenzied attempts to hurt Ladybug. As she taunts her opponent over this, Ladybug calmly replies that if she really wants to play rough, then that's how it will go, before both heroes stop holding back and beat her down.
- Fashion Upgrade: Once Alicia reveals Lila's attempted sabotage to her classmates, Jean, Curtis and Maison jump into action to calm everyone down so that they won't attract any akumas, then rechannel and refocus their anger towards arranging Lila's downfall the right way.Marc: When those three idiots take over class and become the voices of reason, you know the situation has gotten out of control.
My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic
- How Trixie (Somehow) Saved Hearth's Warming: Trixie is her normal hammy, bragging self and just manages to skirt by in the situation she's gotten herself into (namely saving Hearth's Warming) by being Mistaken for Badass. However, after being turned into a nutcracker by the Rat King, she goes into a Heroic BSoD until she finds out Vixen was desperately trying to finally stand out among the rest of Santa's reindeer and is having a Heroic BSoD as a result of their capture. Trixie quickly realizes this means the two of them are not so different, both feeling Overshadowed by Awesome by somepony else and just wanting to stand out. This realization causes Trixie to snap out of it and devote everything she has to getting them through this. She ultimately stages a prison break and defeats the Rat King via quick thinking and plenty of Indy Ploy, saving not only the two of them but all the Rat King's slaves. Even Trixie is surprised.
- My Choices: Twisted Tales Through Time: Starswirl V's nerve-severing spell causes this reaction in Blue Star during their Wizard Duel, scaring her into drawing on her full reserves of power and easily overpowering his complex spellwork through sheer brute force.
- Pony POV Series:
- In the Dark World timeline, Derpy Hooves has spent a thousand years cursed to walk around Discord's castle until she does it enough times to earn her children's freedom from their own curses, all while being constantly attacked by a murder of blackbirds that are trying to eat Dinky (who's been turned into a muffin). She does this without a single complaint, staying focused on her task... until Twilight and the other redeemed Elements of Harmony convince her to help fight against Discord in order to save Dinky and Sparkler without abiding by Discord's fixed rules. Derpy then proceeds to prove her worth as the new Element of Loyalty by helping to fight the blackbirds, playing a key role in defeating them.
- She does it again in the fight against the Valeyard. She spends most of the fight holding back due to the Valeyard being a Discorded Doctor, but when he eventually pushes her too far and she finds out he's actually the Doctor's Superpowered Evil Side, she then proceeds to go into a Tranquil Fury and beat him to death, ensuring that he'll change back into the Doctor.
- This is pretty much a major aspect of her character; when there's not a fight to be done, she's a kindhearted Ditz, but once her friends or children are in trouble, she gets serious and is more than capable of kicking flank.
- Back in the main timeline, the Crusaders do this during the Wedding Arc, in response to Sweetie Belle and Spike getting brainwashed — despite just being fillies, they manage to sneak past the Changelings, knock two out, snap Spike out of it, and then cover their escape by summoning a water elemental. Heck, the whole reason the adults let them help anyway is that they can tell by how determined they are to help that they'd do it even without permission anyway, plus, with the amount of stuff they get up to and survive on a regular basis, them taking things seriously makes them an actual threat.
- War of the Biju: After learning that Lee is incapable of using ninjutsu or genjutsu, meaning he's limited to purely physical arts, Edo Madara casually insults him, wondering just how far Konoha's standards have fallen in order to permit somebody like him to become a ninja. Lee responds by removing his weights and demonstrating just why he's one of the strongest members of his generation.
- Once More With Feeling (Crazy-88): Shinji used to be wimpy and non-confrontational, but after returning to the past, being aware of what will happen if he fails, he is way more dangerous and fights like a berserker.
- New Game Plus:
- During Zoro and Mihawk's duel, the pair spend a long period of time trading superhuman blows back and forth, before both manage to draw blood from each other. Luffy then notes to everyone else watching that both combatants are going to stop going easy on each other.
- This Bites!: The World of Badass that is One Piece features this quite a bit already, but this story adds a few more.
- The SI Jeremiah Cross is usually pretty easygoing, even during battle. But when he's sufficiently pissed, such as when going after CP9 to save Robin, targeting the slave trade in Sabaody, or retaliating for the fact that Ace is still scheduled for execution, the kid gloves come right off and he uses his foreknowledge and the global reach of the SBS to thoroughly dismantle whatever's earned his ire.Cross: You want to play hardball? Let's play fucking hardball.
- After being pushed to his Rage Breaking Point during Marineford and being exposed as part of Roger's crew, Buggy decides to show everybody just why he was a Roger Pirate. The result is enough that Mihawk, who barely paid attention to him in canon, is actually interested in him. And Buggy name-drops the trope when they clash.Buggy: You wanted a Roger Pirate, Sengoku? Well, congratulations: you've got one.
- The SI Jeremiah Cross is usually pretty easygoing, even during battle. But when he's sufficiently pissed, such as when going after CP9 to save Robin, targeting the slave trade in Sabaody, or retaliating for the fact that Ace is still scheduled for execution, the kid gloves come right off and he uses his foreknowledge and the global reach of the SBS to thoroughly dismantle whatever's earned his ire.
- A Fool Named Fortune:
- Roy typically wears a Sarashi on his arm. If he takes it off, that's a sign that he's decided to get serious in a fight and start going all out. For the most part, this isn't strictly necessary; however, after a certain point, he stops wearing them entirely.
- Then there's when he decides to confront Ken and all three of his senpai, outright yelling at all of them for not doing a thing to address the Elephant in the Room and deal with the tension between Ken and Shinjiro prior to that moment. When Ken then attempts to stab Shinjiro, Roy stops him by breaking the table and hitting him with it.
- The Commission: Chapter 13 has Qrow intercept Ruby and kick her ass totally. This gets her desperate enough to bust out her Spring Maiden powers (complete with a flashback of her meeting the girl before killing her for it).
- Sailor Moon: Legends of Lightstorm: At the beginning of The Celestial Renegade, this is the reason Luna takes Sailor Moon to Lightstorm. Lightstorm causes this to happen with Sailor Moon over the course of a single afternoon. And that was before he came to Tokyo and began training the rest of the Scouts.
- Superman and Man: Lex Luthor is beating Superman up easily when Superman suddenly catches his punch and glares. That's when Luthor realizes his enemy is done playing around.Luthor saw a new expression on Superman's face, now. Grimmer, more resolute, more vengeful. The Big Blue Bumpkin was finally getting down to business. In that, Luthor felt a bit of pride.
- On Trial: Madeline is a sweet older woman who befriends Cassandra when she needs it the most. But when she learns that Cass has been sold into a human trafficking ring, she goes off and starts the chain of events that gets the prison shut down and saves Cass' life.
- Freedom's Limits: When Seri is attacked by an Uruk, Madavi and Pratima both rush to protect her despite being much physically smaller and weaker, with no weapons.
