History Main / CuriosityIsACrapshoot

!!Curiosity is Bad

* ''Star Wars'' ''Fate of the Jedi'' Part 2, Jedi Knight Exar Kun's curiosity into forbidden knowledge and dark side/Sith secrets plunges the galaxy into war. Although already a powerful Jedi who even bested his master in lightsaber combat, it was not enough. Seeking to expand his knowledge as well, the young Jedi delved deeper into his studies of the Force and ignored his master's cautions, believing that he was too strong to fall to [[TheDarkSide the dark side]]. However, on Korriban, an evil Sith spirit crushed him with an avalanche and told him to [[JoinOrDie accept the dark side or die of his wounds]].

* The Creator/StephenKing short story, ''[[Literature/SkeletonCrew The Jaunt]]'' is about a little boy who becomes curious as to what goes on during a {{teleportation}} between Earth and Mars, during which everybody is supposed to be knocked out. He holds his breath to avoid the knockout gas... and [[HyperspaceIsAScaryPlace pops out the other side completely insane]]. Turns out that the physical journey is instantaneous, but the ''mental'' journey:
-->''"Longer than you think, Dad! LONGER THAN YOU THINK!"''
* In Creator/PatriciaAMcKillip's ''Literature/TheBookOfAtrixWolfe'', Saro and her father watched Atrix Wolfe's spell because of her curiosity -- and got caught.
* In Creator/RobertEHoward's Franchise/ConanTheBarbarian stories:

** In "Literature/ShadowsInTheMoonlight", Olivia's terror, [[DreamingOfTimesGoneBy after her dream]], persuades Conan not to assuage his curiosity. Which is just as well.

--> ''"I have to trust the Charred Council's judgement, Death. I have to. It's the only way I can perform [[TheExecutioner my duties]] without losing whatever remains of my sanity."''

* The plot of ''Literature/LaszloHadronAndTheWargodsTomb'' gets started because Laszlo is only too eager to stick his nose in the Sagittarian investigation once he learns about it.

* A ''WesternAnimation/RobotChicken: Star Wars'' skit plays the trope for laughs. A sea serpent professes, in true fantasy novel style, that he has to believe in his dream of something beyond the great desert surrounding his home. All the while, his mother is pleading with him to stop, reminding him that "the elders" all say the desert never ends...and they're proven right. The serpent goes on his quest and dies of dehydration, accomplishing nothing.

!!Curiosity is Good

!!Curiosity Is Complicated

* In the final episode of season 1 of ''Anime/GhostInTheShellStandAloneComplex'' the Major argues that simple curiosity is the factor that keeps the individuality of people from becoming consumed by increasing synchronization of cyberbrains. [[spoiler: This is particularly relevant coming from her at that moment since she just spent some time cruising around the cyberbrain web as a bodiless soul to avoid an assassination attempt. There was a very real chance that her individuality could've been overwhelmed by other minds without a body to anchor her.]] Of course, this being Ghost in the Shell, the topic is complicated. Certainly, more than a few people get killed by accidentally discovering conspiracies after investigating a few strange irregularities.

* In ''Fanfic/AmazingFantasy'', Izuku ventured down [[ForWantOfANail an alleyway rather than a shady underpass]] to investigate a strange purple-clad figure he saw climbing up a wall. Because of this, he gets bitten by the spider and nearly dies, spending two days in a coma. On the other hand, he also gains spider-powers.

* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': The Curious Cat in the [[Characters/RWBYTheEverAfter Ever After]], per their name, is constantly curious and desires new knowledge, implicitly because they were originally ''designed'' to be that way. However, over the eons since their creators, [[TheMaker the Brother Gods]], left them and the Ever After behind to create Remnant, the Cat was confined to the Ever After, was unable to work out why their makers left them to make Remnant, and was unable to spiritually self-renew via [[{{Reincarnation}} ascension]] like the other Afterans can -- the end result was that the Cat's curiosity turned into a "curse" and drove them insane over the eons with a desperate need to access Remnant in search of their answers; although from what the Blacksmith says, it was only once Alyx's dishonesty towards the Cat broke the Cat's heart and drove the Cat to murder her that the Cat truly snapped and became as wicked as they were in the present. After the Cat's interactions with Alyx caused their "unfortunate change," underneath the {{mask of sanity}}, they're a cackling wreck of a being who is willing to deceive, manipulate, forcibly possess, and endanger or outright end the lives of others so that they can finally access Remnant no matter what.

* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': The Curious Cat in the [[Characters/RWBYTheEverAfter Ever After]], per their name, is constantly curious and desires new knowledge. However, over the eons since their creators, [[TheMaker the Brother Gods]], left them and the Ever After behind to create Remnant, the Cat was confined to the Ever After, was unable to work out why their makers left them to make Remnant, and was unable to spiritually self-renew via [[{{Reincarnation}} ascension]] like the other Afterans can -- the end result was that the Cat's curiosity turned into a "curse" and drove them insane over the eons with a desperate need to access Remnant in search of their answers; although from what the Blacksmith says, it was only once Alyx's dishonesty towards the Cat broke the Cat's heart and drove the Cat to murder her that the Cat truly snapped and became as wicked as they were in the present. After the Cat's interactions with Alyx caused their "unfortunate change," underneath the {{mask of sanity}}, they're a cackling wreck of a being who is willing to deceive, manipulate, forcibly possess, and endanger or outright end the lives of others so that they can finally access Remnant no matter what.

* ''To Serve Man'', wherein the cast all blithely head off to their unwitting deaths and are saved by one guy who is curious enough to figure out just what ToServeMan means.[[note]]Not so in ''Series/{{The Twilight Zone|1959}}'' [[Recap/TheTwilightZoneS3E89ToServeMan version]], as they only figure this out ''after'' people are boarded, and it's pointed out humanity is doomed whether or not they know it.[[/note]]

* In ''Manga/KotouraSan'''s DownerBeginning, Haruka Kotoura is the quintessential CheerfulChild and a classic {{Moe}} heroine. The catch is that she's an [[PowerIncontinence inadverdent]] {{telepath|y}} in a society where [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tatemae Tatemae]] (roughly, keeping inner thoughts secret while putting on a front) is a major concept. Worse, [[InnocentlyInsensitive she has no idea about any of this]] since speech and thought are one and the same to her, so she [[LivingLieDetector questions why everybody is lying]] and [[MindOverManners speaks their thoughts out loud]]. BreakTheCutie ensues [[TraumaCongaLine again and again]] so quickly and painfully, DullEyesOfUnhappiness becomes a ''default expression''.

* In ''VisualNovel/TheGreatAceAttorney: Adventures'', [[spoiler:This plays in part of the bizarre circumstances of Case 4's assault case. The victim saw a book fall out of the sky and bent down to pick it up, only for a knife to fall soon after and [[DeathFromAbove stab her in the back]]. Both items were from a flat above after a fight between the occupants broke out over a misunderstanding.]]

All in all, by its very nature, [[TitleDrop Curiosity Is A Crapshoot]] and the only possible way to have a clue about whether it's rewarded or punished is to be GenreSavvy. In a SurvivalHorror Film, it's bad to ignore the HauntedHouseHistorian and go into the HauntedHouse... although deciding that ItsProbablyNothing is just as bad. In a [[SpeculativeFiction Sci Fi flick]], usually good (science is about trying to learn things you didn't know) but sometimes over-the-top NightmareFuel (because ScienceIsBad). Fantasy and folk tales can be difficult to tell due to {{Prophecy Twist}}s or some FairFolk's ExactWords, but you usually get a chance to undo it through a series of {{Impossible Task}}s (climb mountains until you wear out thirty pairs of shoes...).

-->''That he was where he was proved that he was less dully incurious than most of his people.''

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* ''Star Wars'' ''Fate of the Jedi'' Part 2, Jedi Knight Exar Kun's curiosity into forbidden knowledge and dark side/Sith secrets plunges the galaxy into war. Although already a powerful Jedi where he even bested his master in lightsaber combat, it was not enough. Seeking to expand his knowledge as well, the young Jedi delved deeper into his studies of the Force and ignored his master's cautions, believing that he was too strong to fall to [[TheDarkSide the dark side]]. However, on Korriban, an evil Sith spirit crushed him with an avalanche and told him to [[JoinOrDie accept the dark side or die of his wounds]].

* ''Radio/OurMissBrooks'': Definitely bad in the episode "Sneaky Peepers". When Miss Brooks accidentally orders a copy of Rodin's "The Kiss" instead of "The Thinker" for Madison High School. Mr. Conklin orders the offending statue covered up until it can be returned. After Mr. Conklin falsely accuses Walter Denton of looking at the statue, Denton decides to setup a trapdoor to catch the actual culprit. Lo and behold, Walter Denton, Miss Brooks, Mr. Boynton, Mr. Conlin and Head of the School Board Mr. Stone end up falling through the trapdoor and locked in a storage room in the basement.

%%* ''Webcomic/TheDreamlandChronicles''. It gets you suspect of being a spy.

* In the final episode of season 1 of ''Anime/GhostInTheShellStandAloneComplex'' the Major argues that simple curiosity is the factor that keeps the individuality of people from becoming consumed by increasing synchronization of cyberbrains. [[spoiler: This is particularly relevant coming from her at that moment, since she just spent some time cruising around the cyberbrain web as a bodiless soul to avoid an assassination attempt. There was a very real chance that her individuality could've been overwhelmed by other minds without a body to anchor her.]] Of course, this being Ghost in the Shell, the topic is complicated. Certainly, more than a few people get killed by accidentally discovering conspiracies after investigating a few strange irregularities.

** This is an especially interesting example, because over time the emphasis of the story changed. The early versions focused on how curiosity, as well as being brave and clever, saved the heroine. (If she hadn't looked through the forbidden door, she would ''have stayed married to a serial killer.'') [[http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/bluebeard/index.html Later versions]] altered the story to imply that curiosity is unmitigatedly bad; the heroine is so wild with curiosity that she abandons her duties and disobeys her husband. The subtext seems almost to read that she deserves death.
** There's also another one where the moral is curiosity isn't necessarily bad but assumptions and lack of trust will color your perceptions. In that version, the wife peeks in his closet and sees heads in the dark. He drags her back to the closet to show her the heads where she kills him... and in the light of the candle, she see the heads are actually statue busts. Cue massive WhatHaveIDone.

* In Creator/CSLewis[='=]s ''Literature/TheSilverChair'', the character giving advice was himself only a small percentage of the time, and seemed insane when he's actually giving the right advice. But at least there they had the literal WordOfGod to guide them onto the correct course.

** In ''Literature/GalaxyOfFear'', curiosity generally gets our heroes in the way of the [[MonsterOfTheWeek Threat of the Book]], and this can get pretty harrowing. On the other hand a lot of the time said threat would have come for them anyway, sooner or later, and curiosity is usually a component to how said threat is defeated - often for good.

** Xuriosity can get you killed or worse, but it can also lead to you becoming one of the Doctor's companions. Though becoming one of the Doctor's companions may also get you [[AnyoneCanDie killed]] [[BreakTheCutie or]] [[LaserGuidedAmnesia worse]].

* A mixed bag in ''VideoGame/{{Stellaris}}'' -- leaving the more mysterious things in the galaxy alone is always safe, while prodding at them can lead to anything from massive benefit to disaster, depending on luck and your scientists' skills. Sometimes it's a bit of both; certain events can simultaneously be creepy and costly, but provide great benefit if you see them through.

* ''Webcomic/TheDreamlandChronicles''. It gets you suspect of being a spy.
* In ''Webcomic/{{Endstone}}'', [[http://endstone.net/2011/08/04/6-16/ Kyri warns about this.]]

* On ''Series/DoctorWho'', curiosity can get you killed or worse, but it can also lead to you becoming one of the Doctor's companions.
-->'''Doctor:''' We might die.
-->'''Martha Jones:''' We might not.
-->'''Doctor:''' Good.
** Though becoming one of the Doctor's companions may also get you [[AnyoneCanDie killed]] [[BreakTheCutie or]] [[LaserGuidedAmnesia worse]].

** In a bit of an UnbuiltTrope this happens in the second story, where the Doctor is so desperate to investigate an apparently deserted city that he sabotages the TARDIS. It nearly becomes CuriosityKilledTheCast, as not only are the TARDIS crew captured by the Daleks but they discover the atmosphere has given them radiation poisoning.

* This is all over ''LightNovel/AiNoKusabi''. Bad examples include 3 characters snooping where they don't belong to find classified secrets. Two of which [[BrainWashed pay for]] [[GoMadFromTheRevelation it dearly]]. The complicated examples are below.

* ''LightNovel/AiNoKusabi'' has two complicated examples that end very badly for the curious. The first being Daryl putting HonorBeforeReason and his life at risk to do a SecretTestOfCharacter. The second having a positive outcome of [[TheBeautifulElite Iason]] and [[SexSlave Riki]] truly falling in love despite the [[{{Dystopia}} grim]] [[NoSexAllowed circumstances]] of [[StarCrossedLovers their]] [[TheMasochismTango relationship]] which started out as a WorkOffTheDebt agreement fueled by sexual curiosity.

[[caption-width-right:300:[-Used with permission.-] ]]

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[[quoteright:300:[[VideoGame/DarkSouls https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mimic_chest.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:300:[-[[https://www.deviantart.com/onion-oni/art/Surprise-654021681 Image]] by [[https://www.deviantart.com/onion-oni onion-oni]]. Used with permission.-] ]]

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[[quoteright:350:[[Myth/ClassicalMythology https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/curiosity_is_a_crapshoot_pandora.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Dammit, Pandora!]]

* In ''Webcomic/BlueYonder'', Jared suggests that they let Kevin talk [[http://www.blueyondercomic.net/comics/1321329/blue-yonder-chapter-1-page-32/ because he is morbidly curious about what he will say next.]] [[http://www.blueyondercomic.net/comics/1327214/blue-yonder-chapter-1-page-33/ Even Lena has to admit he had something to say.]]

* In ''VisualNovel/DoubleHomework'', looking into the weirdness of Dr. Mosely’s summer school program could give someone all of the answers anyone could look for. [[spoiler:It could also be a death sentence.]]

* In ''Webcomic/TheIntrepidGirlbot'', seemingly much of the plot is driven by the curiosity of both Girlbot and Raccoon #1. While the initial results are almost always [[http://www.intrepidgirlbot.com/2010/09/27/a-la-mode/ painful]] or [[http://www.intrepidgirlbot.com/2011/10/18/prototypical/ horrifying]], good intentions, cooperation, and luck allow things to work out in the end.

* In ''Webcomic/{{Sinfest}}'', the Illuminati drones, having been enlightened by Buddha, [[http://www.sinfest.net/archive_page.php?comicID=4210 start exploring the world with curiosity]] (on their new butterfly wings).

* Psyche disobeyed her husband (who secretly was Eros, or Cupid as the Romans called him), who warned her not to try to [[ForbiddenFruit find out who he was]] by lighting a lamp while he was asleep to look at him. Punished for this with a quest and several tasks to complete for [[MyBelovedSmother his mother Aphrodite]] (who already didn't like her[[note]]Psyche was so beautiful that people were worshipping her as a goddess of beauty, which was Aphrodite's domain and naturally incurred her wrath, so Aphrodite had aleady made her SoBeautifulItsACurse by [[AttractivenessIsolation cursing her to never have anyone fall in love with her]]. Eros circumvented it as prior to this curse, Aphrodite had sent him to prick her with one of his arrows and cause her to fall in love with something ugly, but the sight of her caused him to forget his purpose until he accidentally pricked himself with one of his arrows and cemented a love for her[[/note]]), she didn't exactly learn better for her last task to bring back the beauty of the Queen of the Underworld in a box - peeking into it put her to sleep. Fortunately, Eros had gotten fed up with the situation, [[DeusExMachina showed up]], got her awake again, and [[HappilyEverAfter brought her to Olympus where they married and she was made a goddess]].

* In {{Chivalric Romance}}s about Parsizal both Chretain and Wolfram have Parsizal fail to ask the significance of what happens before him. This is disasterous.

-->''"The motto of all the mongoose family is 'Run and find out,' and Rikki-tikki was a true mongoose."''

** This is an especially interesting example, because over time the emphasis of the story changed. The early versions focused on how curiosity, as well as being brave and clever, saved the heroine. (If she hadn't looked through the forbidden door, she would ''have stayed married to a serial killer.'') [[http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/bluebeard/index.html Later versions]] altered the story to imply that curiosity is unmitigatingly bad; the heroine is so wild with curiosity that she abandons her duties and disobeys her husband. The subtext seems almost to read that she deserves death.

* In ''Manga/KotouraSan'''s DownerBeginning, Haruka Kotoura is the quintessential CheerfulChild and a classic {{Moe}} heroine. The catch is that she's an [[PowerIncontinence inadverdent]] [[{{Telepathy}} telepath]] in a society where [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tatemae Tatemae]] (roughly, keeping inner thoughts secret while putting on a front) is a major concept. Worse, [[InnocentlyInsensitive she has no idea about any of this]] since speech and thought are one and the same to her, so she [[LivingLieDetector questions why everybody is lying]] and [[MindOverManners speaks their thoughts out loud]]. BreakTheCutie ensues [[TraumaCongaLine again and again]] so quickly and painfully, DullEyesOfUnhappiness becomes a ''default expression''.

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* ''FanFic/AGamerInSouthBlue'': When Kowalik [[spoiler:goes OneWingedAngel with his [[GreenThumb Adam Treant]] form]], Jack has the chance to run away. Instead, he pushes himself to his limits, risking a HeroicRROD, because he has to know before he commits to running away...whether or not he had a chance of winning.

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* Swaps back and forth in Literature/{{Coraline}}. At first, it's good, because everything in the Other World is idyllic. Then bad, when [[spoiler:the Other Mother tries to make her stay forever]]. Then good again, because Coraline [[spoiler:saves the souls of three previously taken children and [[SealedEvilInACan defeats the Other Mother]]]].
* Considered for several paragraphs in one of Creator/TimothyZahn's [[Literature/TheThrawnTrilogy Thrawn]] novels where Luke, having returned to Dagobah and recalling Yoda's advice on how some emotions inherently serve the Dark Side, ponders which side curiosity is aligned with before deciding it's probably a bit of both.

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