History Main / DissonantSerenity

* From ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': As an epic [[MobWar Mafia war]] unfolds on their front lawn, Marge urges Homer into the house, but he points out that the one of the ''{{Yakuza}}'' is [[StrollingThroughTheChaos just standing in the middle of the fighting]], arms crossed, not doing anything. "[[PintSizedPowerhouse The little guy hasn't done anything yet]]! He's gonna do something, and you know it's gonna be good!" Homer still gets pushed inside, and immediately afterward we hear the sounds of one loud karate yell, one connected blow, and about three bodies hitting the ground. Cue Homer's disappointed groan.
** The same little guy's reaction to being [[DestinationDefenestration hurled through their window]] -- calmly getting up, brushing off the glass, bowing to them, [[JapanesePoliteness apologizing]] and walking out the front door.
** In another episode, Bart gets a fake ID, rents a car, and crashes it in Tennessee. Lisa is unable to come up with a way to get Bart back on her own, so she explains the problem to Homer, but has him ''promise'' not to get mad first. Homer manages to keep a level voice and a perfect poker face, though it gains a brief purplish tinge.

** And most of the Spy's ManOnFire soundbites, "I appear to have burst into flames," and "I do believe I'm on fire", are delivered far more coolly than the panicked cries and screams of most of the other classes'.

* Yuyuko Saigyouji from the ''Franchise/TouhouProject'' Series, even though she is portrayed as a BigEater with ObfuscatingStupidity most of the time, possibly belong to this trope when she fights seriously. This feature is evident in ''Perfect Cherry Blossom''.

* The IFAW's anti-puppy farming PublicServiceAnnouncement [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMyNDjfLN0g Suzy Puppy]], where the narrator cheerfully talks about Suzy's various illnesses, the cruel fate of her mother (who spent her life in a dark cage), and worst of all, ''that Suzy will be dead within weeks'' (which we see at the end when a little girl has to bury Suzy).

* This is the default for girls in ''Manga/GunslingerGirl''. They look calm and stoic even when gunning down people

** Sanakan, Hugh and Lily have internally noted of how their master, the Good Hunter, can somehow be in a good mood during a hunt, as if he is back in his element once more. It is an observation they find to be disconcerting and hard to understand. Kyril kills in silence most of the time, nary an emotion, but it is also true that the word "serenely" and any bloodshed involving him come hand in hand. This is not getting to his other SoftSpokenSadist tendencies he displays when the prospect for slaughter is imminent.
** [[spoiler:[[CreepyDoll Evetta]]]]. Poised and composed as ever, even when [[spoiler:two men are having the life [[ForceChoke choked]] out of them as she wills]]. [[spoiler:Her reaction to a traitorous guard with his leg bent in the wrong direction is to [[QuizzicalTilt tilt her head in curiosity]], ask for the person who paid him, and bend his leg further.]]

* Hosaka of ''LightNovel/GoodLuckNinomiyaKun''. He always wears a calm smile and speaks in a polite manner even as he throws Shinobu out of a helicopter and [[CurbStompBattle curb stomps]] Shungo with the intent to kill him in the last episode.

* In one of ''Film/MeanGirls''' most iconic scenes, Regina George stands calmly at the top of the stairs as the camera pans out, showing mobs of high schoolers rioting as a direct result of her actions, [[spoiler:leaking the contents of the Burn Book.]]

* When a bump in the road sends it from the back of his owners' car, The titular Chameleon from ''WesternAnimation/{{Rango}}'' is still smiling blankly as his terrarium shatters on the road and he is left skidding to a halt on a piece of broken glass. Though smiling he may be, its clear he's still processing the shock of the event.

* In ''Film/BattleRoyale'' all versions include the adviser explaining the rules cheerfully, which all include slaughtering your friends, but it's an even worse scene in the film since there's a video featuring a GenkiGirl explaining everything cheerfully. The effect is ''very'' creepy.

* C.W. [=McCall=]'s 1975 country hit "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6LzWZYWpOU Wolf Creek Pass]]" has its narrator describing a harrowing trip down a mountain grade in a semi truck in a humorously nonchalant monotone.

** A more typical example is Wash, at least as long as he's piloting; check out the scene in the pilot episode when the Reavers are chasing them: he's the only one in the entire ship who's completely calm. Wash's dissonance works both ways: He's very calm when, say, he's being chased by Reavers or has to pull off some crazy-ass aerial stunt, but he acts panicked when things really aren't that bad. It was originally planned to be a deadly serious type of calm, but it just wasn’t compatible with creator/AlanTudyk. So, he gets very calm while still retaining his wisecracking tendencies instead.

** A more typical example is Wash, at least as long as he's piloting; check out the scene in the pilot episode when the Reavers are chasing them: he's the only one in the entire ship who's completely calm. Wash's dissonance works both ways: He's very calm when, say, he's being chased by Reavers or has to pull off some crazy-ass aerial stunt, but he acts panicked when things really aren't that bad.

** Quaritch. While destroying the Na'vi home, killing several Na'vi in the process, he just sits back and sips on his coffee.
** A pilot and scientist just went rogue to help two prisoners escape (those are the good guys, by the way.) He pauses just long enough to tell everyone "Masks on" before booting open the atmospherically sealed door, striding into the hangar and opening fire on the fleeing aircraft. After a total of about 45 seconds of taking careful aim, firing, and then looking angry/disappointed that they left, he's FINALLY handed a mask and it's shown that he was holding his breath the entire time while looking focused, if not placid. ColonelBadass indeed. [[note]]This gets a {{Lampshade|Hanging}} in the Podcast/RiffTrax of the film. When Quaritch is handed the mask, Bill, speaking as Quaritch, says "Oh yeah, breathing. I guess some of you ''pussies'' have to do that."[[/note]]

* ''Film/KellysHeroes'' has 'Oddball'. He's a 'Proto-Beatnik' (it's only the 1940's) and thrives on 'positive waves'. He also settles down for a picnic deep inside enemy territory while his crew tries to fix their damaged equipment, since "...everybody here seems so friendly." Oh, and did we mention he's [[BunnyEarsLawyer the best damn tank commander]] in the whole division?

* Norman Stansfield in ''[[Film/TheProfessional Leon: The Professional]]'' when he's killing Mathilda Lando's family while cheerfully humming along to the classical music in his headphones.

* ''Film/TheMenu'': Let's just say that the staff at the Hawthorne restaurant are EXTREMELY dedicated to their work of serving the night's full dinner course.

* Harmon James from ''Film/ThePurgeElectionYear''. When assisting Minister Edwidge Owens with his annual Purge Mass, he seems almost completely void of emotion, ''until'' he purges the first victim of the night, after which he seems a bit TOO excited, sharing a moment with Minister Owens. After this, however, he goes back to being completely stoic, even when bullets are flying around him.

* More appropriately, Amon Göth from ''Film/SchindlersList'' fits the description to the tip, as he walks around the camp, casually glancing about while Jews are murdered and tortured. "Can you believe this? As if I don't have enough to do, they come up with this? I have to find every rag buried up here and burn it," he says as he watches the incineration of Jews' bodies.

* From Wiki/{{Killerbunnies}}, we have Valeriemissy Hearton is described as being cheerful and has the overall appearance of just being ditzy, however, she is capable of giving death threats with said smile

* ''ComicBook/UltimateXMen'': Sabretooth has just burnt the secrets about Wolverine's old life, he has been filled with bullets, he will be a lab rat again for the foreseeable future... and he smiles. Sabretooth attacks him, he wants to know why the hell is he smiling!

** Lemuel smiles disconcertingly as he slaughters his way through a rebel ambush, Daune calls on him to stop when he's about to slide his sword through one of their eyes and undoes the enemy glamor making their captian look like an enemy. When said captain yells at the still smiling Lem, whose sword is still held about an inch from his eye, Lem calmly tells him to calm down because he was going to do him quick.

* In the chaotic context of ''The Gates of Hell'' by Creator/AugusteRodin, ''The Thinker'''s calm look of deep thought seems very out-of-place. He is surrounded by a crowd of writhing sinners seemingly caught in mid-motion as skeletal figures push them around.

* ''Film/GalaxyQuest'': Fred is the inverse of [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries Scotty]] -- he's bizarrely calm (except when trying to use the [[TeleportersAndTransporters digital conveyor]]), as [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ig089IJRe44 this example demonstrates]]. It's implied that he's TheStoner (and it's confirmed in a deleted scene), but it makes him the most accepting of the fact that the Thermians [[{{Defictionalization defictionalized]] everything from the show, and even falls in love with one.