History Main / OstentatiousSecret

* ''AdventureTime'' Finn has acquired a stack of tapes that the Ice King is trying to hide, he and Jake decide to have a secret party to know what the tapes are about, starting with putting up posters of their party, which the Ice King finds.

--> --'''Alfred Borden''', '''''ThePrestige'''''

* In TheSlayers, the motives of [[ManipulativeBastard Xellos]] are always a secret.

* [[ThePrestige Borden]]'s cryptic comment in the page quote alludes to his own secret: [[spoiler:He is an identical twin. Not very impressive on its own. The trick he uses it for? The Transported Man, wherein he appears to be teleported instantly across the stage. The trick works so well because ''no one'' knows the secret. Not even one twin's wife or the other's lover.]]

* The eponymous [[MonkeyIsland Secret of Monkey Island]]. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] in the sequels.

* The series ''{{Felicity}}'' used this with Felicity's witchy roommate Meghan, who made a big issue of no one having permission to look in her locked box. In this case the box was used as a running gag and its contents were never revealed, although there was a SomethingCompletelyDifferent episode styled after the ''TwilightZone'' in which it was intimated that all the series regulars were actually trapped in a magical universe within the box.

* This is apparently one of [[NorseMythology Odin]]'s powers. As NeilGaiman put it in ''Literature/AmericanGods'': "And I know an 18th charm & that charm I can tell to no man, for a secret that nobody knows but you is the most powerful thing of all."

* ''SpongebobSquarepants'', "The Secret Box": [=SpongeBob=] tests his friendship with Patrick to the limits when he tries to learn the contents of Patrick's "secret box", and eventually resorts to sneaking into Pat's house in the dead of night. It turns out to be... [[spoiler:a string. After [=SpongeBob=] leaves, it turns out that pulling the string opens a secret compartment, with an embarrassing photo of [=SpongeBob=] in it, specifically from the Christmas party (which is actually one of the guesses Spongebob made at the contents of the box).]].

Sometimes ostentatious secrets are eventually [[TheReveal revealed]], and sometimes they stay that way forever. This can be just a [[RunningGag running gag]], or it can be source of dramatic tension as a {{MacGuffin}}. In fact, their primary use is as a [=MacGuffin=], reserved for use in a [[TwoLinesNoWaiting B-Story]], or possibly even a "C"-story, a narrative thread that is around just to build continuity.

* [[ThePrestige Borden's]] cryptic comment in the page quote alludes to his own secret: [[spoiler:He is an identical twin. Not very impressive on its own. The trick he uses it for? The Transported Man, wherein he appears to be teleported instantly across the stage. The trick works so well because ''no one'' knows the secret. Not even one twin's wife or the other's lover.]]

[[AC:{{Video Games}}]]

* This is apparently one of [[NorseMythology Odin's]] powers. As NeilGaiman put it in ''Literature/AmericanGods'': "And I know an 18th charm & that charm I can tell to no man, for a secret that nobody knows but you is the most powerful thing of all."

* In ''Webcomic/OrderOfTheStick'', the unnamed and unidentified "monster in the darkness" is a living Ostentatious Secret. The main villain of the series keeps him shrouded in darkness, despite its constant objections. He is kept shrouded in order to keep him a secret before his final climactic confrontation with the heroes.

* A meta-example for ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'' is whatever Titania whispers to Fox at the end of "The Gathering." Creator GregWeisman [[WordOfGod has said]] that he wants to keep it secret in case he ever gets to make the series again and use it, but admits that it's [[AntiClimax not as great as people are probably hoping]].

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<<|DramaTropes|>>

* In ''Webcomic/OrderOfTheStick'', The unnamed and unidentified "monster in the darkness" is a living Ostentatious Secret. The main villain of the series keeps him shrouded in darkness, despite its constant objections. He is kept shrouded in order to keep him a secret before his final climactic confrontation with the heroes.

* Marcellus Wallace's briefcase in ''PulpFiction'', the contents of which are described as beautiful, are never known to the audience. WildMassGuessing ensues.

* Formed the focus of an episode of ''Dharma & Greg''. Greg has a locked mystery box and Dharma is torn between her curiosity at wanting to know what's inside and her love for Greg, whose trust she doesn't want to betray. Greg realizes that the box is driving Dharma nuts, so he first gives Dharma the key, so she can decide for herself whether to invade his privacy. This drives Dharma even crazier, so Greg empties it and puts the stuff away in their apartment without telling Dharma what was in there. At the end of the episode, Dharma is sitting on the couch in their apartment and concludes that ''she is in the box''! Very Zen. Or something.

* A meta-example for ''{{Gargoyles}}'' is whatever Titania whispers to Fox at the end of "The Gathering." Creator GregWeisman [[WordOfGod has said]] that he wants to keep it secret in case he ever gets to make the series again and use it, but admits that it's [[AntiClimax not as great as people are probably hoping]].

* This is apparently one of [[NorseMythology Odin's]] powers. As NeilGaiman put it in ''AmericanGods'': "And I know an 18th charm & that charm I can tell to no man, for a secret that nobody knows but you is the most powerful thing of all."

* The titular [[MonkeyIsland Secret of Monkey Island]]. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] in the sequels.

* In ''TheOrderOfTheStick'', The unnamed and unidentified "monster in the darkness" is a living Ostentatious Secret. The main villain of the series keeps him shrouded in darkness, despite its constant objections. He is kept shrouded in order to keep him a secret before his final climactic confrontation with the heroes.

* ''SpongebobSquarepants}}'', "The Secret Box": [=SpongeBob=] tests his friendship with Patrick to the limits when he tries to learn the contents of Patrick's "secret box", and eventually resorts to sneaking into Pat's house in the dead of night. It turns out to be... [[spoiler:a string. After [=SpongeBob=] leaves, it turns out that pulling the string opens a secret compartment, with an embarrassing photo of [=SpongeBob=] in it, specifically from the Christmas party (which is actually one of the guesses Spongebob made at the contents of the box).]].

* ''{{SpongeBob SquarePants}}'', "The Secret Box": [=SpongeBob=] tests his friendship with Patrick to the limits when he tries to learn the contents of Patrick's "secret box", and eventually resorts to sneaking into Pat's house in the dead of night. It turns out to be... [[spoiler:a string. After [=SpongeBob=] leaves, it turns out that pulling the string opens a secret compartment, with an embarrassing photo of [=SpongeBob=] in it, specifically from the Christmas party (which is actually one of the guesses Spongebob made at the contents of the box).]].
* Robin's incredibly important stolen briefcase in ''TeenTitans'' is revealed to contain [[spoiler:[[TheUnreveal _____________]]]].

--> --''Alfred Borden'', '''''ThePrestige'''''

--> "The secret impresses no one. The trick you use it for is everything."
---> ''Alfred Borden'', ThePrestige

* [[ThePrestige Borden's]] cryptic comment in the page quote alludes to his own secret: [[spoiler:He is an identical twin. The trick he uses it for? The Transported Man, wherein he appears to be teleported instantly across the stage. The trick works so well because ''no one'' knows the secret.]]

* In ''TheOrderOfTheStick'', The unnamed and unidentified "monster in the darkness" is a living Ostentatious Secret. The main villain of the series keeps him shrouded in darkness, depsite its constant objections. He is kept shrouded in order to keep him a secret before his final climactic confrontation with the heroes.

* A running question in Emma Lathen's novels about banker/amateur detective John Putnam Thatcher is what's in that tin box in his secretary's desk? Thatcher is too much the gentleman to peek when Miss Corsa is elsewhere, but that doesn't interfere with his attempts to deduce the solution.

* In ''TheOrderOfTheStick'', The unnamed and unidentified "monster in the darkness" is a living Ostentatious Secret. The main villain of the series keeps him shrouded in darkness, depsite its constant objections. He is kept shouded in order to keep him a secret before his final climactic confrontation with the heroes.

* ''TheOrderOfTheStick''
** The unnamed and unidentified "monster in the darkness" is a living Ostentatious Secret. The main villain of the series keeps him shrouded in darkness, depsite its constant objections. He is kept shouded in order to keep him a secret before his final climactic confrontation with the heroes.

** Vaarsuvius's gender.

* The series ''{{Felicity}}'' used this with Felicity's witchy roommate Meghan, who made a big issue of no one having permission to look in her locked box. In this case the box was used as a running gag and its contents were never revealed, although there was a SomethingCompletelyDifferent episode styled after the ''TwilightZone'' in which it was intimated that all the series regulars were actually trapped in a magical universe within the box. This was the TropeNamer before it was changed to something less opaque (as you can see from the alternate titles).

* The unnamed and unidentified "monster in the darkness" in ''TheOrderOfTheStick'' is a living Ostentatious Secret. The main villain of the series keeps him shrouded in darkness (over its own constant objections) in order to keep him a secret before his final climactic confrontation with the heroes. Said confrontation, of course, hasn't happened yet, [[ArcFatigue even though there are times when it seemed inevitable]].
** Also, Vaarsuvius's gender.