History Main / TermsOfEndangerment

* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': Adam repeatedly calls Blake "my darling" and "my love" during their confrontation in "Battle of Beacon" and "Heroes and Monsters." WordOfGod is that he was abusive in the past, so it's a very dark invocation of the trope as Adam begins hurting her and those who she loves.

* Used by multiple characters, mostly towards Luna in ''Fanfic/LunaLovegoodAndTheChamberOfInnocence''. Some common buzzwords in the terms used towards her are "sweet," "pure," "little," "dear," and "innocent." Some of these are also paired with the character using a term gently caressing her, adding another creep factor.
* Hilariously {{Inverted|Trope}} in ''Fanfic/OfGodsAndMen'' (a ''Manga/DeathNote'' and ''Franchise/HarryPotter'' IntercontinuityCrossover) where [[BigGood Dumbledore]] repeatedly calls [[SerialKillerKiller Light Yagami]] a "dear boy."

* In the ''Manga/DeathNote'' fic ''Fanfic/PointOfSuccession'' [[SerialKiller Beyond Birthday]] has ''tons'' of these both for the creep factor and [[CrypticConversation to be deliberately vague in order to fool both his opponents]] ''[[CrypticConversation and]]'' [[CrypticConversation the audience.]] He refers to those "near and dear to him" by such names as "darling!," "little dear," "[[FridgeBrilliance Mr. Twelve,]]" and "sweetie jam." (Spoilers: He's referring to [[spoiler: [[HoYay A]], [[CorruptTheCutie Mello]], [[FridgeBrilliance L]], and [[FoeYayShipping Light]]]] respectively.)

* In ''Fanfic/ChildrenOfTime'', [[DiabolicalMastermind Professor Moriarty]] plays FauxAffablyEvil to the hilt -- he ''loves'' to call Literature/SherlockHolmes "my dear Holmes" and "my boy", and addresses [[KidHero Beth]] in an equally familiar and equally creepy fashion.

* ''Fanfic/DirtySympathy'', a SlashFic where [[DomesticAbuse Daryan]] refers to his [[DomesticAbuse lover]] Klavier (from ''VisualNovel/ApolloJusticeAceAttorney'') as "darling," "honey" or "sweetheart". The abuse was so bad that those endearments left a [[TraumaButton permanent association to pain]] in Klavier's mind.
* In chapter 17 of ''Fanfic/BreakingPoint'', Medusa is calling five-year-old Crona "sweet child". She ''does'' mean it affectionately, but the context turns it into a subtle threat.

* Arrancar Catalina Falza and [[spoiler:Kyoka Suigetsu]] both seem to have a habit of referring to Yuzu as "Yuzu-chan" in the ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'' fanfic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8222340/1/Chasing-the-Moon Chasing the Moon]]'' while fighting her. Given the context, it's probably not meant to be friendly. It's worth noting that no one tries to pull this with Karin.
* ''Fanfic/{{Hivefled}}''; Condesce baby-talks to her victims and addresses them as "wigu" (from "wiggler", the term for baby trolls) while doing unspeakable things to them.

** Bill Cipher is the type of demon who will call you by a [[TheNicknamer personalized nickname]] while trying to persuade you to fuck yourself over with a combination of DealWithTheDevil and JackassGenie. In "The Last Mabelcorn," Dipper Pines, who Bill nicknamed "Pine Tree," is shown to be so afraid of Bill that he freaks out when he thinks that [[spoiler: Stanford, who he believes may have been possessed by Bill]] was about to call him by that nickname.

** [[Characters/GravityFallsBillCipher Bill Cipher]] is the type of demon who will call you by a [[TheNicknamer personalized nickname]] while trying to persuade you to fuck yourself over with a combination of DealWithTheDevil and JackassGenie. In "The Last Mabelcorn," Dipper Pines, who Bill nicknamed "Pine Tree," is shown to be so afraid of Bill that he freaks out when he thinks that [[spoiler: Stanford, who he believes may have been possessed by Bill]] was about to call him by that nickname.

** Azula calls her brother "[[EmbarrassingNickname Zu-Zu]]". While using an EmbarrassingNickname for a brother might seem fairly normal, Azula has spent her whole life either callously manipulating or outright trying to kill him.

** [[FauxAffablyEvil Bill Cipher]] is the type of demon who will call you by a [[TheNicknamer personalized nickname]] while trying to persuade you to fuck yourself over with a combination of DealWithTheDevil and JackassGenie. In "The Last Mabelcorn," Dipper Pines, who Bill nicknamed "Pine Tree," is shown to be so afraid of Bill that he freaks out when he thinks that [[spoiler: Stanford, who he believes may have been possessed by Bill]] was about to call him by that nickname.

* ''WesternAnimation/HarleyQuinn2019'': In the Season One finale, Harley calls the Joker by his pet name "Puddin'" mockingly before [[spoiler:Ivy drops him into the same vat of acid he had planned to throw her in.]]

* GodEmperor [[spoiler:Horde Prime]] from ''WesternAnimation/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower'' usually calls people "child" in a way that's either condescending or controlling - or both - and to underscore his intentions of having the whole universe become his worshipful slaves. If he starts calling you anything along the lines of "little sister" as he did to [[spoiler:Catra]], though, you should ''really'' be worried, because his 'family' is a [[spoiler:HiveMind he uses to BodySurf...and it means he's planning to make you part of it]].

** Slade likes to refer to Robin as "my boy" and Terra as "my dear apprentice". In the episode "Birthmark", Slade kept mockingly referring to Raven as "birthday girl".

Usually, the nicer the pet name is, the worse the fate in store is. A form of CasualDangerDialogue, and a menacing variation of FlirtingUnderFire. Some forms of TakeThatKiss function as a non-verbal variant. Generally a "milder" form of IHaveYouNowMyPretty. Casual or informal forms of someone's name (like Tom for Thomas) don't count as this unless FirstNameBasis is already inappropriate. Contrast with HeyYou, where the use of inappropriate forms is meant as an insult. Contrast with InsultOfEndearment, which is the inverse situation where people express friendship with insulting language; in some cases, [[PoliteVillainsRudeHeroes both may be used for irony and contrast]]. See also WithDueRespect, where using formal terms of respect implies the opposite. May be rebuffed with "TheyCallMeMisterTibbs."

** While being a heroine and thus, not quite as creepy as the others listed, the FemmeFatale Looker of the ''ComicBook/BatmanAndTheOutsiders'' calls ''everyone'' "darling", whether friend or foe. Batman once took exception to this...
--->'''Batman:''' Thank you, Looker... but drop the "darling".\\
'''Looker:''' (''smirking'') Very well... "dearest".

* In ''ComicBook/DisneyDucksComicUniverse'', Scrooge often calls [[EvilCounterpart Flintheart Glomgold]] "Flinty" or "Flinty Boy", often after defeating the latter in whatever competition they've embroiled in, as a way of condescension.

* ''ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk:'' The Devil Hulk persona, a large, scaly, red-eyed lizard-person representing all of Bruce's worst aspects, likes to refer to him as "my darling boy". [[spoiler:Years later, it turns out he's genuinely fond of Bruce, and is actually ''annoyed'' that Bruce's own self-loathing and daddy issues warped what he was trying to say into something so creepy.]]

** Eska refers to Bolin as "[[EntitledToHaveYou boyfriend]]" and her "feeble turtle duck".

* Milord de Winter of ''Musketeer Space'' calls Dana "sweetness" during their fight, and Dana lampshades this:

* ''ComicBook/TheSandman1989'': The Three constantly use motherly affectionate terms towards the other characters they encounter, which becomes a bit disturbing when they use those terms while in the form of The Kindly Ones.

Usually, the nicer the pet name is, the worse the fate in store is. A form of CasualDangerDialogue, and a menacing variation of FlirtingUnderFire. Some forms of TakeThatKiss function as a non-verbal variant. Generally a "milder" form of IHaveYouNowMyPretty. Casual or informal forms of someone's name (like Tom for Thomas) don't count as this unless FirstNameBasis is already inappropriate. Contrast with HeyYou, where the use of inappropriate forms is meant as an insult. Contrast with InsultOfEndearment, which is the inverse situation where people express friendship with insulting language -- if both are at play in the same work, that's a form of PoliteVillainsRudeHeroes. See also WithDueRespect, where using formal terms of respect implies the opposite. May be rebuffed with "TheyCallMeMisterTibbs."