Line #72 OOCIsSeriousBusiness/Webcomics


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7	[[quoteright:350:[[Webcomic/AskWhitePearlAndStevenAlmostAnything https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tumblr_pqmdd9br1s1xgtvj4o3_1280.png]]]]
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11	* ''Webcomic/EightBitTheater'':
12	** Black Mage takes a serious hit during the fight with Lich. When the [[TheDitz thickheaded and childlike]] Fighter realizes he's not getting up, he starts becoming visibly scared and a whole lot less cheerful, [[PleaseWakeUp begging the corpse to yell at him for being stupid]]. When Black Mage ''doesn't'' get up, he then proceeds [[UnstoppableRage attack Lich like it's the only thing in the world that matters]]. It's the only time in the ''entire comic'' that Fighter doesn't even think about heroics or niceties or even being polite, continuing to hit Lich until he's satisfied. Later, when Black Mage gains extreme evil power, Red Mage and Thief don't even consider fleeing, facing him down like actual heroes.
13	** Played for comedy while Black Mage is petrified with shock at discovering that Dragoon's pet, Muffin, is a very large and very evil dragon.
14	--->'''Thief:''' Why hasn't Black Mage stabbed you in the back of the neck yet?\
15	'''Fighter:''' I know, right? Hope he's feeling okay.
16	* In an arc of ''Webcomic/TheAdventuresOfDrMcNinja'', Mitzi [=McNinja=] gets cursed [[ItMakesSenseInContext to slowly disintegrate into ash, like a mummy.]] After she gets far enough along, she has a talk with her son, Sean, and apologizes for the way she raised him. Leading to this exchange.
17	-->'''Dan [=McNinja=]:''' (''returning with a method to cure his wife'') How is she?\
18	'''Sean:''' Well... She gave me the "I'm sorry I was a horrible mother" speech.\
19	'''Dan [=McNinja=]: ''DRIVE FASTER.'''''
20	* ''WebComic/AndShineHeavenNow'': This trope is how [[Manga/{{Hellsing}} Integra]] knows something shady is going on with [[Anime/ReadOrDie the British Library]] when they tell her Yomiko Readman burned down the Library. One, it's so ''wildly'' out of character for Yomiko to do that that it ''has'' to be true, as the Library would have made up something more plausible if they were trying to discredit her. Two, having worked with both Yomiko and her predecessor Donnie, she knows papermasters regard books as having souls and burning a library to the ground would be akin to mass murder...so for Yomiko to do that means it had to be something ''serious'' for her to get to that point. [[spoiler: Namely, she found out about Joker's experiments on children and the Paper Sisters' existence.]]
21	* ''Webcomic/{{Archipelago}}'':
22	** Credenza is a PluckyGirl and an AllLovingHero. When she starts yelling at Knull at the top of her voice, lunging at him (and Blitz has to hold her back!), we immediately know he's hit her TraumaButton. When she isn't smiling for several hours, even Raven (who has NoSocialSkills at the moment) knows she's seriously upset.
23	** Lucinda has actually made a DealWithTheDevil to become an EmotionlessGirl. When she begins LaughingMad, it freaks out the person responsible.
24	* When Rose in ''Webcomic/AskWhitePearlAndStevenAlmostAnything'' sees White Pearl, she drops all pretense of civility and fully intends on killing (or at least poofing and bubbling) Steven under the pretense that he is White Diamond. Justified, considering she had known both White Diamond and White Pearl personally and would know not to hesitate.
25	** White Diamond has never apologized for anything, so when Steven apologizes to Rose for whatever made her hate him so much (having no memory of White Diamond's actions), this finally makes Rose doubt her certainty that Steven is just White pulling some cruel joke on her.
26	* ''Webcomic/TheBedfellows'': The one time Fatigue actually stands up for himself is in the strip "Board Meeting," when he calls out his bosses for doing nothing but patting themselves on the back (and other places) for their good work rather than make it even better.
27	* ''Webcomic/DocRat'':
28	** Ben's father Winston suffers from dementia, the result of a series of strokes not long after Ben reached adulthood. Normally, he was very sedentary, responding to most things with just "That's nice", and occasionally asking for his wife, who died several years prior to those strokes from breast cancer. But when Ben introduced him to Daniella after their engagement, Winston had an exceptional moment of clarity:
29	--->'''Daniella:''' Mr. Rat... can I call you Winston?\
30	'''Winston:''' That's nice.\
31	'''Daniella:''' What's your trade?\
32	'''Winston:''' Tax planner.\
33	'''Daniella:''' You old rascal. Can I call you Dad?\
34	'''Winston:''' Sure can. And if you stick with my son Ben, [[IWantGrandkids he'll make you a mother of some extraordinary children]].\
35	'''Daniella:''' [[MyBiologicalClockIsTicking Ohhh... Dad]]!\
36	'''Ben:''' He's never done that before!\
37	'''Winston:''' That's nice.
38	** At another point, Ben noticed this when Jarrad Dryandra's behavior began to change. His mother Shirley, and her then-boyfriend Brayden, initially tried to get him on ADHD drugs for it. Ben diagnosed it as a sleep disorder, and eventually Jarrad had his tonsils removed.
39	* In ''Webcomic/TheDragonDoctors'', Aki is sweet, gentle, and lighthearted almost all the time ... but every once in a while, [[http://dragondoctors.dhscomix.com/archives/comic/ch-22-page-20 shows the iron faith and determination that underlies that gentleness.]]
40	-->[[TheRant Speedball:]] Aki is full of love. Some of it is TOUGH love.
41	* ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'':
42	** While possessing Ellen in the ''Sister 3'' arc, [[LackOfEmpathy Sirleck]] [[http://www.egscomics.com/comic/2017-11-17 swerves to avoid running over a raccoon]]. Turns out Ellen [[FightingFromTheInside was never as fully under Sirleck's control]] as [[http://www.egscomics.com/comic/2018-03-21 he thought she was]].
43	** After discovering that [[spoiler:both Diane and Lucy already knew that she was gay and in a relationship with Catalina]], Rhoda was ''[[http://egscomics.com/comic/tlod-030 pissed]]''. She proceeded to yell about all the effort that had gone to waste, as well as order both [[http://egscomics.com/comic/tlod-031 Diane and Lucy around]], catching them both off-guard because she's usually fairly quiet and meek. All links contain spoilers.
44	* ''Webcomic/{{Erfworld}}'': [[MasterOfIllusion Jack]] [[CloudCuckoolander Snipe]] [[PungeonMaster never,]] ''ever'' stops cracking jokes and speaking in riddles, even to [[LadyOfWar Wanda]]. Except when [[http://archives.erfworld.com/Book%202/120 she's just barely recovering consciousness]] after [[spoiler:killing her own mount, plummeting hundreds of feet to the ground and just barely getting healed back from the brink of death]]. Once Wanda's back on her feet, though, Jack [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments picks it right back up again.]]
45	* ''Webcomic/{{Freefall}}'':
46	** [[http://freefall.purrsia.com/ff2400/fc02301.htm Max Post calls Raibert, and is polite.]] Raibert asks what's wrong, as usually Max calls Raibert to rant at him.
47	** Much later, during Florence's recovery from the secret base, she [[http://freefall.purrsia.com/ff2700/fc02663.htm knows Sam was really worried about her]] when she finds out he was in the company of another person for more than twenty seconds and didn't take their wallet.
48	* ''Webcomic/GirlGenius''
49	** A subtle but effective one; Airman Higgs is normally composed and nonchalant about everything, with an almost bored facial expression. Except when [[spoiler:Zola runs Zeetha through with a sword]]. [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20101018#.Vbza4dhQZ8c The next strip]] features a close up of his face, eyes open, and delivering a OneLiner with [[OohMeAccentsSlipping the slightest hint]] of the [[FunetikAksent Jäger accent]] (something he'd never shown before). This comes moments before he [[UnstoppableRage punches someone across the room]] so fast that SequentialArt cannot [[SpeedBlitz capture it]]. The effect, whilst subtle, is rather frightening.
50	** Gil also has one of these, when the Incorruptible Library gets bold enough to try to [[spoiler:abduct Tarvek.]] Usually, Gil attempts to resolve situations diplomatically, something his enemies had counted on. [[BewareTheNiceOnes So he decides to show them that he's not to be underestimated.]] Even [[BloodKnight Dupree]] is surprised at this.
51	--->'''Dupree:''' Are... Are you okay?\
52	'''Gil:''' ''No!'' Those bookbinders think they can come in here and just ''abduct people?'' After all the ''trouble'' I've gone to? I've obviously done too much ''talking'' and not enough ''damage!'' ''We're getting him back!''\
53	'''Dupree:''' This is ''weird--'' You're still talking and I'm actually still ''listening.''
54	** Krosp is always hungry, filching and mooching any food when and wherever he can through the story. But in England he meets an orange cat, having an outright panic attack about her. Since he's usually so hyper and mildly paranoid, everyone ignores him. But in the April 16, 2021 [[https://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20210416#.YHucYuhKhPY strip]], he's still so upset he ''refuses food''. That's when Agatha takes him seriously.
55	* Early in ''Webcomic/{{Goblins}}'', Minmax teases Forgath for saying that he loves Minmax like a brother and calls Forgath gay several times. When he realizes [[spoiler:Forgath is about to die]] he holds Forgath close and calls him "Brother."
56	* In ''Webcomic/GunnerkriggCourt'', Ysengrin is a YesMan who is wholly devoted to Coyote. When he learns that [[spoiler:Coyote knew all along that the Court tricked Reynardine and imprisoned him and did nothing to help him]] he immediately calls him out on it, asking him how he could leave Reynardine trapped there. Especially notable since previous interactions between Ysengrin and Reynardine indicated that they were not particularly fond of each other.
57	* From ''Webcomic/HeadTrip'', Mal is an unapologetic ChaoticNeutral ComedicSociopath. But when [[http://headtrip.keenspot.com/d/20080505.html confronted with]] ''Literature/TheTwilightSaga'', she breaks down crying and ''begs'' a priest to come over and exorcise the book.
58	* ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}''
59	** Dave Strider is normally an [[TheStoic unflappable badass]], so when he [[HeroicBSOD stares at his blood-stained hands for ten minutes]] [[spoiler: after throwing the corpse of an AlternateTimeline version of himself out of a window]], the audience knows that the CerebusSyndrome has kicked into high gear.
60	** The trolls all have a characteristic quirk or two when it comes to communicating through their messaging system. When [[spoiler: Gamzee's changed from "[=hOnK=]" to "honk HONK", signifying that he's now sober and completely AxCrazy]], Karkat [[OhCrap freaked out.]] (Along with the rest of the readers.)
61	--->[[color:#626262:CG: OH MY GOD]]\
62	[[color:#626262:CG: NO NO NO NO NO NO NO]]
63	** Feferi and Eridan typically have very distinctive typing styles but drop their quirks briefly to have a serious conversation about Feferi being Eridan's MoralityChain.
64	** Vriska blushes and covers her mouth in embarrassment the one time she accidentally types ''nine'' exclamation marks in a row, instead of her trademark eight.
65	** As of Act 6, you know something's up when ''Terezi'', who is normally the resident HandicappedBadass and TheChessmaster who is obsessed with [[TheNoseKnows smelling and tasting]] everything as replacement for her missing eyesight, suddenly starts hiding her eyes behind her dragon hood and acts more withdrawn. It would seem that meeting [[spoiler:the pre-scratch version of her ancestor]] made her feel more self-conscious, and some of her behavior could also be caused by what is revealed sometime later that [[spoiler:she and Gamzee are filling a black quadrant together, and at some point she had Aranea fix her eyes.]]
66	** Later in Act 6, when ''Gamzee'' is staring with a blank expression at something, you know it's weird.
67	** Dave again . . .
68	--->DAVE: jade this is STUPID\
69	DAVE: my quest is a STUPID PIECE OF GARBAGE QUEST for LAME SHITTY LOSER FUCKHEADS WHO SUCK BALLS WHILE CRAPPING THEIR PANTS\
70	JADE: omg\
71	JADE: youve really spent way too much time alone with karkat havent you\
72	DAVE: ...\
73	DAVE: i need help :(
74	** Doc Scratch almost never loses his FauxAffablyEvil demeanor. When Terezi tells him that Vriska had one of his Magic Cue Balls, he gets ''truly'' pissed off and both he and [[RainbowSpeak his text]] start flashing violently. He blows an eye and arm off of Vriska moments later.
75	--->'''SHE HAS WHAT?'''\
76	GC: >:o
77	* ''Webcomic/{{Lackadaisy}}'': The only time Rocky's not crazy, zany, and upbeat is when he's recovering from a [[spoiler:serious head wound]]. Going forward there's something... seriously off about him from that point on.
78	* ''Webcomic/NerfNow'': Angie realizes there's a huge problem when Jo, usually eager to promote fanservice, immediately tries to cover Angie up. The problem? She's dressed up as a female [[Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles Ninja Turtle]], and Jo wants no part of that due to the poor reputation female ninja turtles have after the BaseBreakingCharacter [[Series/NinjaTurtlesTheNextMutation Venus di Milo]].
79	* ''Webcomic/NextSoundOfTheFuture'': Shine absolutely adores Miku androids and especially Hatsupress member Tech, having a PosterGalleryBedroom full of Miku merchandise, reacting excitedly when Dr. Yuki shows her that she got a picture with Tech, and being ecstatic when she finally does meet her. [[spoiler: This makes her disappointment when she realizes that Roll is watching the Hatsupress episode of O-Len's show the first sign that Tech's disparaging words towards her in the previous chapter severely damaged her impression of her.]]
80	* ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'':
81	** [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0141.html The first time]] [[QuirkyBard Elan]] proves he can actually be useful, it comes as a shock to his teammates. Belkar, naturally, also takes advantage of this to trick Roy.
82	** [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0591.html Vaarsuvius passing on a perfect opportunity]] to say "IToldYouSo" gets Durkon really worried.
83	** Belkar is a HeroicComedicSociopath BloodKnight at all times, so when he suddenly starts [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0620.html advocating the most peaceful solution to a conflict]] to reduce the bloodshed... it seriously freaks out Haley and Celia. ([[GenreSavvy Which was of course his intention all along.]])
84	** [[TheNicknamer The Monster in the Darkness]] finally [[YouCalledMeXItMustBeSerious calls O-Chul by his real name]] when he breaks out of his cage to try to kill Xykon.
85	** [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0880.html Belkar again]] after [[spoiler:Malack kills Durkon and turns him into a vampire spawn]]. Roy is so furious and disbelieving at Belkar's account of the events he threatens to kill him. But after he tells them about [[spoiler:Durkon asking Malack to spare the rest of the Order]], Haley believes him because she doesn't believe the canonically ChaoticEvil Belkar [[EvilCannotComprehendGood is capable of making something like that up]].
86	** And [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0922.html Belkar yet again]], this time forgoing [[PsychoKnifeNut his usual style]] for [[FluffyTamer something a little nicer, though bloodier]].
87	--->'''Roy:''' OK, now I know we're doomed. Belkar's acting like a ''ranger''.
88	* In ''Webcomic/ThePetriDish'', Bob can tell that "Thaddeus" is really a robot when he does an experiment perfectly.
89	* In ''Webcomic/{{Plume}}'', usually snarky and emotional Corrick turns into a statue when forced to attack Vesper to protect Dom.
90	* ''Webcomic/{{Precocious}}'':
91	** The kids once [[http://www.precociouscomic.com/archive/comic/2009/10/12 broke Ms. Monster]] by pretending to have been acting constructive and cooperative when she arrived late.
92	** Also, the reaction when Tiffany is [[http://www.precociouscomic.com/archive/comic/2009/11/16 seen without her button]].
93	* In ''Webcomic/QuestionableContent'', the normally-calm-and-passive Marten is furious after Dora flips out on him and Faye for thinking they were fooling around[[note]]actually Marten calming Faye down from a panic attack[[/note]], which startles Faye.
94	* ''Webcomic/SandraAndWoo'': [[http://www.sandraandwoo.com/2013/03/17/0464-any-questions/ Larisa coaches Landon on how to spot an impostor pretending to be her]]: if she's no longer a {{Pyromaniac}}, something is wrong.
95	* ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'':
96	** Captain Tagon is being briefed on an A.I. that was found in the massive space station where their mission is taking place. After Tagon is told the AI's name is translated to "Broken Wind", he asks if [[PluckyComicRelief Ennesby]] made a "fart joke" before diving into the computer to fight the AI. When told he did not, Captain Tagon [[LampshadeHanging says]], [[http://www.schlockmercenary.com/2014-02-15 "We ARE in trouble"]].
97	** Tagon himself falls under this every time he would reject the chance for (more) money. One time, it was simply his hatred for a certain FatBastard overpowering his greed (slashing the local reverend's hopes for any salvation of Tagon's soul when he learned of that), and the second time, his employer was getting ''incredibly'' annoying, by mercenary standards at least, with his restrictions imposed on the crew. Though he quickly snapped out of it, turning it into an extra profit opportunity (in the form of purchasing infinite Yell at the Captain rights), and lampshading it for good measure ("I don't know what came over me").
98	** Acting director Daggermother Ezraene has a moment of this when the extremely expensive [[OnlyInItForTheMoney mercenaries]] her predecessor hired (our protagonists) are willing to send a report despite the fact that she invoked an exit clause that means that they are no longer contractually obligated to.
99	--->'''Karl Tagon:''' That means we don't have to send you our summary report.\
100	'''Daggermother Ezraene:''' Correct.\
101	'''Karl Tagon:''' I'm sending it anyway. The money doesn't matter.\
102	'''Daggermother Ezraene:''' ''Keep talking. ''
103	** Over the series, [[DeusEstMachina Petey]] has established a habit of "inviting" holographic avatars of himself into private meetings. When he ''apologizes'' for doing so, [[https://www.schlockmercenary.com/2019-11-14 those present take notice]].
104	--->'''Chisulo:''' [[SuddenlyShouting Everybody!]] Stop what you are doing and '''LISTEN!'''
105	* ''Webcomic/SleeplessDomain'': Bud is usually a bit of a goof with a [[GossipyHens keen interest in gossip]], while her friend Harley is the calm, no-nonsense StraightMan to her antics. Both girls, however, are shocked upon encountering [[spoiler:their friend Cassidy violently interrogating new club member Undine about the death of her teammates]]. Bud's tone of voice and body language are [[TranquilFury dead serious]], while Harley is absolutely furious and immediately gets in her face. In the following scene, Harely is still notably heated, and in an interesting role-reversal Bud has to be the one to remain calm and bring up rational points. Bud herself even notes how unusual it is to see her friend "this spicy."
106	* In ''Blog/SliceOfLife,'' when Pumpkin Cake passes up the chance to make mischief, her parents (and Pinkie Pie) can tell she's ''really'' upset.
107	* ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance''
108	** When [[CloudCuckoolander Torg]] starts to actually ''think'' (or simply stops acting silly), you know business has just got serious. Often coupled with LetsGetDangerous.
109	** In "Oceans Unmoving", Honest Stu ''always'' tells the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth -- no matter how awkward or dangerous the occasion or rhetorical the question. The one time he actually lies, and [[ItAmusedMe just for the fun of it]] too, is [[spoiler: when he is dying, very nearly with his last words.]]
110	* ''Webcomic/StandStillStaySilent'':
111	** A mild form happens in Chapter 3. Emil and Lalli sort of bond over their shared hatred of the bed belts in the night train that they are riding. Later in the night, Lalli hands Emil his belt and tangles himself in his own right before sudden movement of the train projects anyone not strapped to their bed (read: Emil) out of it.
112	** Sigrun may know when to back down from a fight, but she's also walked into troll nests and killed grosslings, considers a suicide mission to be a relaxing vacation, and through it all has been absolutely fearless. [[http://sssscomic.com/comic.php?page=483 So the first time she's shown to be downright terrified]], it's clear that the crew is in ''serious'' trouble.
113	** The first time we see ''[[TheStoic Lalli]]'' [[http://sssscomic.com/comic.php?page=627 look completely terrified]]. Remember, this is the guy who spends his nights scouting the troll-infested Silent World at night when the monsters are most active without batting an eyelash regressing to a state of panicked flailing.
114	* ''Webcomic/ThisIsTheWorstIdeaYouveEverHad''
115	-->"Oh my God! She's letting him drive her car!"
116	* In ''Webcomic/TwoKinds,'' the Red-Haired Swordsman is quite casually racist against [[BeastMan keidran]]. However, his current LoveInterest is a werewolf with PowerIncontinence that causes her to [[InvoluntaryShapeshifting shift between human, wolfwoman, and partially-changed forms randomly]]. He makes a concerted effort not to be, um, speceist? to avoid hurting her feelings, and his companions are floored by it.
117	* ''Webcomic/{{Widdershins}}'' has a double example: Verity [[https://www.widdershinscomic.com/wdshn/august-5th-2016 drops in]] on her former partner [[TheSnarkKnight Harry]] with all her usual bombast, realizes Harry isn't even bothering to argue with her, and immediately asks what's wrong. When Harry tells her that [[spoiler:Harry's grandfather, a beloved RetiredBadass, has been shot,]] Verity is aghast and suspends their usual rivalry to help.
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Context OOCIsSeriousBusiness / Webcomics