History Main / ElectiveMute

* ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}'': Chell is [[HeroicMime a hero that doesn't say anything]], which is {{Lampshaded}} several times by other characters. WordOfGod says that she can talk, but since everyone she meets is a jerk she doesn't want to give them the satisfaction of a response.
* Playa from the original ''VideoGame/SaintsRow1'' is ''almost'' this, as he never speaks throughout the whole game (and other characters call him out on that)... except for four very specific occasions (once during the final mission of each of the three main gang storylines and once just before the final credits). The sequels (where he is SuddenlySpeaking) reveal that he ''chose'' to never speak up in the original game because, despite his meteoric rise through the ranks, he saw himself as the DumbMuscle who has to keep his mouth shut and to do as he is told by senior gang members.

* The New Kid from ''Videogame/SouthParkTheStickOfTruth'', ''Videogame/SouthParkTheFracturedButWhole'', and ''Videogame/SouthParkPhoneDestroyer'' is a parody of {{Heroic Mime}}s and thus responds to everything either through emoting or stone-cold silence, to the frustration of others. However, at the end of the first game, [[spoiler:he tells the main four "[[ScrewThisImOuttaHere Screw you guys, I'm going home]]" when they talk about playing a new game]].
* A sidequest in ''VideoGame/TheWitcher3WildHunt'' has a druid ask you to scare his friend, claiming that he's gone mute and it can only be cured by strong experiences. When you go through with it, the druid yells at Geralt, revealing that he had taken a three year long vow of silence and that the other druid was pranking them both.

* ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyDualDestinies'' gives us the eccentric bomb disposal officer [[PunnyName Ted Tonate]], who despite being perfectly capable of speaking, prefers to use a text-to-speech computer mounted on his wrist instead. According to him, it exerts less energy. As his testimony starts crumbling and his lies are revealed, he starts fumbling his typing, until he eventually gets fed up with typing his objections and starts yelling at the lawyers.

* ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyDualDestines'' gives us the eccentric bomb disposal officer [[PunnyName Ted Tonate]], who despite being perfectly capable of speaking, prefers to use a text-to-speech computer mounted on his wrist instead. According to him, it exerts less energy. As his testimony starts crumbling and his lies are revealed, he starts fumbling his typing, until he eventually gets fed up with typing his objections and starts yelling at the lawyers.

* ''VisualNovel/AceAttorneyDualDestines'' gives us the eccentric bomb disposal officer [[PunnyName Ted Tonate]], who despite being perfectly capable of speaking, prefers to use a text-to-speech computer mounted on his wrist instead. According to him, it exerts less energy. As his testimony starts crumbling and his lies are revealed, he starts fumbling his typing, until he eventually gets fed up with typing his objections and starts yelling at the lawyers.

For more examples of this trope, check out [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Elective_mutes a thematic category]] on Wiki/TheOtherWiki.

* In the ''{{Series/Firefly}}'' fic ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/96304 Salvage Mission]'', Jayne Cobb is assumed to be mute or somehow impaired when he’s tortured by the alliance and sold into slavery. He never speaks in the six years he’s there and gets called “the idjit”. When Mal finally locates him and comes to rescue him, Jayne finally speaks to him, and Mal feels like clobbering the owner for saying they should’ve hit Jayne harder. Only the fact he’s alone and it would be suicide keep Mal from exacting revenge. It’s implied part of Jayne’s not speaking might be related to the trauma he endured as well.

* In the ''{{Series/Firefly}}'' fic “[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/96304 Salvage Mission]]” Jayne Cobb is assumed to be mute or somehow impaired when he’s tortured by the alliance and sold into slavery. He never speaks in the six years he’s there and gets called “the idjit”. When Mal finally locates him and comes to rescue him, Jayne finally speaks to him, and Mal feels like clobbering the owner for saying they should’ve hit Jayne harder. Only the fact he’s alone and it would be suicide keep Mal from exacting revenge. It’s implied part of Jayne’s not speaking might be related to the trauma he endured as well.

* Michael Myers from the ''Franchise/{{Halloween}}'' movies.[[note]] He was, however, SuddenlySpeaking in the DirectorsCut of the Music/RobZombie [[Film/HalloweenII2009 remake sequel]][[/note]] This is emphasised in ''Film/Halloween2018'', where his refusal to explain his motives -- or indeed, say anything at all -- frustrates anyone trying to understand him.

* High Admiral Ernst von Eisenach from ''Anime/LegendOfGalacticHeroes'' is known as the Silent Admiral for his tendency of never speaking, only communicating with hand signals, forcing his attendants to learn what he means. He's perfectly capable of speaking and when he finally does, the other admirals present express their surprise at hearing his voice.

* ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls'': Blossom takes a vow of silence in "Sounding Off" as a means to make Bubbles and Buttercup, who constantly pester her with their bickering, solve their own problems.

* A half-German boy living in Norway in WWI is violently beaten by schoolmates whose fathers were killed by a U-boat, in Jan Guillou's ''The Bridge Builders''. When he recovers from the beating he refuses to speak Norwegian [[spoiler:so he will no longer have to attend Norwegian school]]. He still speaks German, though, so this might also be a case of ElectiveUnintelligible.

* The Korean ''Hi, Dharma!'' comedy movies, about Buddhist monks in a modern society, has one monk under a vow of silence, PlayedForLaughs.

* The young adult novel ''Literature/RobinsCountry'' centers around Dummy/Richard's learning to speak. He is this for most of the book after Marion discovers he is not actually TheVoiceless (he sometimes talks in his sleep).

* Part of the central premise of ''Manga/KomiCantCommunicate''. Shouko Komi, the main character, is a perfect YamatoNadeshiko on the outside, but inside she's a ShrinkingViolet who's completely incapable of communicating with others. She does speak every now and then, mainly when alone with [[OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent Tadano]], but most of the time she communicates either via notepad or via Tadano reading her body language and explaining to everyone else what she's thinking.

* The angel Duma from ''Comicbook/TheSandman'' and its spinoff ''Comicbook/{{Lucifer}}''. Initially justified by his function as the Guardian of Silence; however, he continues to be silent after the Creator gives him a new function as co-ruler of Hell. (This is based on Jewish folklore which casts Duma as ruler of Gehenna, as his name is one of the biblical synonyms for the underworld, and in fact ''means'' "silence" in Hebrew.) He is nonetheless able to communicate through facial expressions and gestures and, in ''Comicbook/{{Lucifer}}'', even in discrete words through telepathy. In the latter comic, he finally [[spoiler: breaks his silence in order to stop co-ruler Remiel from tearing apart Rudd's soul and to appoint Rudd as the new ruler of Hell]].

** Also in ''The Sandman'', in ''The Doll's House'' Chantal always speaks for her partner Zelda [[spoiler:who has a really bad stutter.]] In ''The Kindly Ones'', Zelda is forced to speak for herself, [[spoiler:Chantal having died in the intervening years.]]

* While this trope isn't TheSilentBob, Silent Bob from ''Film/TheViewAskewniverse'' would be an example.

* In the story "[[Literature/TheSixSwans "The Six/Wild Swans]]", collected by the Creator/GrimmBrothers and Creator/HansChristianAndersen among others, a FallenPrincess must make six shirts out of nettles '''and''' can't make a sound for seven years or the spell that transformed her six brothers into swans will never be broken. [[spoiler: She manages to keep all of these conditions and gets to break the spell.]]

* In ''Literature/GideonTheNinth'', Gideon pretends to have taken a vow of silence shortly after arriving at Canaan House to avoid blowing her cover, surprising a few characters when she does eventually start talking and reveals herself as a foul-mouthed irreverent rather than a grim devotee.

* Monks and other religious figures who gave a vow of silence.

* In the early parts of ''Manga/BunnyDrop'', Rin falls into this. At first, the only one who she opens up to is Daikichi, in part because he resembles his grandfather (who is also Rin's father), and in part because he's at first the only adult who seems at all concerned for her well-being. It's most strongly demonstrated when, after slowly but surely opening up to others, Daikichi takes Rin to see his mother and father over the new year's holiday - and Rin immediately clams up again, remembering the harsh treatment she had previously received.

* While this trope isn't TheSilentBob, Silent Bob from Film/TheViewAskewniverse would be an example.

* Kevin from ''ComicBook/SinCity'' never says a word on panel, his father Cardinal Roark informs Marv that he only talks to him. He also adds that Kevin's voice is immensely beautiful.

* Also, in ''Endless Nights'', Delirium's story "Going Inside" features a girl who does not speak after being raped. Towards the end of the comic [[spoiler:she is shown as recovering and speaking after helping to find Delirium]].
* In one ''ComicStrip/KnightsOfTheDinnerTable'' story, Bob and Dave's characters disguise themselves as acolytes to sneak into a temple and steal a ([[WorthlessTreasureTwist supposedly]]) valuable relic. When confronted by a suspicious guard, they try to evade his questions: "[[BlatantLies I tell him]] [[ImmediateSelfContradiction we've taken a vow of silence.]]"
* ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls'': Blossom takes a vow of silence in "Sounding Off" as a means to make Bubbles and Buttercup, who constantly pester her with their bickering, solve their own problems.

* Michael Myers from the ''Franchise/{{Halloween}}'' movies.[[note]] He was, however, SuddenlySpeaking in the DirectorsCut of the Music/RobZombie [[Film/HalloweenII2009 remake sequel]][[/note]] This is emphasised in ''Film/Halloween2018'', where his refusal to explain his motives--or indeed, say anything at all--frustrates anyone trying to understand him.

* PlayedForLaughs in ''Film/MontyPythonsLifeOfBrian'', as Brian encounters one by falling into the same hole as him - he'd managed to keep silent for ''decades'' until Brian toppled onto him, causing him to cry out in pain, then an even ''larger'' cry of anguish at having broken his vow.

* Lewis from the book ''Literature/{{Lightland}}'' is ''highly'' selective about who he talks around. He won't speak to his mother, teachers, classmates, neighbors- only to his friend Lottie. When he finally speaks to someone besides her, It's a pretty dramatic scene.

* In ''[[Literature/RoTeO Ro.Te.O]]'', Satoshi (aka Uriel) is one. So far, he's only chosen to talk when voicing Daichi - a protagonist in the [[ShowWithinAShow Show Within A Web Serial Novel]].

* Maxi "Tippkick" Maximilian from the german children's book series ''Literature/TheWildSoccerBunch'' and their movie adaptation series ''Film/DieWildenKerle''. He doesn't talk unless he deems it absolutely necessary, usually in order to help his friends. It becomes a major plot point in his story arc, when an anxiety attack makes him genuinely unable to speak but no one notices.

* Jessie's brother John in ''Series/{{Jessie}}'' upheld a vow of silence and was completely mute until That One Critical Moment when he decided to speak and save Jessie's relationship. For the rest of the season he became the good-natured wisecracker of the cast.

* Wrestling/{{Sting}} took a vow of silence in Wrestling/{{WCW}} in October of 1996 (right after the Wrestling/NewWorldOrder hired an impostor Sting to frame the real Sting for a heinous act) and would not speak again until January of 1998 - and that was only out of anger at being stripped of the [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wcw/wcw-h.html WCW World Heavyweight Championship]].

* In ''WebVideo/PrimitiveTechnology'', the [[NoNameGiven unnamed man]] in those videos never speaks. In his blog, he explains that he never enjoyed the explanation parts of videos and simply fast-fowarded to where the actual project was being done. Thus, in his own videos, he simply demonstrates his various projects by doing them before the camera and gives terse explanations of what he's doing or what's going on at that moment in the closed captions. Judging from his subscriber count (well over six ''million'') and the numerous comments of watchers saying they appreciate how he gets right to the point, this approach has served him well. The closed captions approach makes it easy for fans of his show to provide the captions in other languages as well.

* This is one possible interpretation for most versions of [[HeroicMime Link,]] but it's explicitly stated to be the case for the Link from ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild.'' His lack of speech is remarked on by other characters and when Zelda finally asks why he's so quiet he explained (offscreen of course) that it was a way of coping with the pressure of being [[TheChosenOne the one to wield the Master Sword.]]

* ''VideoGame/NeoTheWorldEndsWithYou'' has Kaie. He ''can'' speak, but he prefers to communicate via text message even if the person he's talking to is right in front of him. Humorously, most of his messages include {{emoticon}}s, while he himself usually has a completely neutral expression at all times.

[[folder:Comics]]