Fan Works / Armor Piercing Response

Armor-Piercing Responses in Fan Works.

Crossovers

In Adamantine Mist, Akane finds it hard to believe Ranma is serious about training her in martial arts and ponders why she doesn't believe him.
Akane: Why haven't I ever been able to trust you?
Ranma: Did you ever really try?
In the chapter Divided They Fall of Code Prime, while the Black Knights and the Autobots fight against Gino, Monica, and Airachnid, Lelouch interrogates Cornelia, using his Geass to learn about what she knew about his mother’s death. After learning that she investigated his mother’s death and found nothing, Lelouch then asks what would she had done if she knew that he was Zero. She answers that she would have joined him, and when Lelouch asks why, Cornelia answers because she loves him, and that she never stopped loving him after his exile. This causes Lelouch to break down in tears, as he initially believed that she turned her back on him after his exile.
In A Discordant Note, Harry's children go to war against King Aerys after the latter orders the death of two of Harry's grandchildren. When Havel, the father of the two slain men, makes his way to the throne room, he finds Aerys dead and Jaime sitting on the throne.
Havel: Boy, you betting have a good fucking reason for killing him before I could do it myself.
Jaime: He was going to destroy the whole city with Wildfire.
Havel: That... is a good fucking reason.
Fate: Kill: When Akame throws down with Leone in order to prevent her from sending a message back to Night Raid and by extension the Revolutionary Army about Calla and especially Shirou, as she believes the latter would attempt to exploit both, Leone angrily and despairingly demands to know why Akame is willing to be beaten black-and-blue yet keep getting up despite knowing she can't beat Leone without Murasame. Akame's answer cuts right to the heart of what Leone herself has been struggling to believe about Calla. It's enough to convince Leone to stand down on her intentions.
Leone: WHYY! WHY ARE YOU MAKING ME DO THIS?!
Akame: Because I saw a future! Don't tell me that you didn't see it! You've seen what kind of place Calla is! Enough with the lies Leone! I saw a future without corruption, without hate, nor despair, and you're asking me why I stand opposed?
The Good Hunter:
- In Chapter 19, Talbot comes to the conclusion that Cyril the Hunter is Desperately Looking for a Purpose in Life, and advises him to find something or someone to protect, rather than letting the search be the only thing he lives for. Cyril, believing himself to have lost the right for this role, replies, "Easier said than done." Contrary to typical examples of this trope, however, the advice he rebuffed still lingers within his mind moments later, and he actually ends up heeding said advice in the end.
- In the Wild Hunt (the SpaceBattles.com snippets), Sierra's answer towards the Wandering Scholar's question on whether she thinks that her Bodyguard Crush Cyril is evil proves to be so poignant that her words stayed with him for a long time.
  "Do you think he is evil?" I asked her.
  Sierra looked at me, blinking once. "We all have sins." She said. "Some darker than others. We don't like being reminded of our wrongdoings. I am certain he feels the same way, I could not imagine the burdens he bears and there was a time that I wished to help him bear those burdens... Is he evil? You could say that, but if he were truly evil... you or I wouldn't be here now would we?"
  Those words stayed with me the whole time I was in Sheffield.
In Harry Tennyson, Gwen reads about Dr. Animo and how he went mad after not getting an award he wanted, finishing off her exposition by asking Harry (who wanted a trading card as reward for saving a store) if it sounds familiar.
Harry: No. This Verties Award, by the sound of it, is like the science fair we have at school where the best project wins, and there are set rules we have to follow. By the sounds of it, Dr. Animo was doing something he shouldn't have, and was rightly disqualified. ... I, on the other hand, was helping people, and they were willing to give me a reward for this. An electrician doesn't wire houses for free, an artist doesn't give out free commissions, and I don't risk my life for nothing. When possible, and especially when offered, I expect a reward of some kind. Comparing our situations is just insulting.
While Yoda and Obi-wan are trying to determine in The Havoc Side of the Force why Harry Potter is a Jerkass to some and friendly to others, one of the younglings listening in (implied to be Ahsoka) suggests that Harry is "nice to people who are nice to him". Not only is she correct, the other Jedi never even considered the idea themselves.
In How the Light Gets In, Black Siren tells Dean how horrific the conditions in the Flash's pipeline prison are. Dean, despite agreeing with her, initially tries to defend them, but she leaves him unable to do so:
Black Siren: They're not fit to be running a prison.
Dean: No, they're not. They weren't trained for this, Dee.
Black Siren: Then they shouldn't be doing it.
Dean:...Maybe not.
In Influenced Out of Normality, Xander is talking to his father Tony Stark on the phone about how Buffy and Willow are trying to cut him out of slaying and their jealousy at him having other friends, causing Tony to remark that they don't seem like very good friends, especially since they've been acting this way all year. Xander opens his mouth to defend them before realizing he can't, which makes him realize the two actually aren't good friends.
Kwami Magi Homura Magica: After learning about the events of "Cat Blanc", Alya starts freaking out, wondering how that didn't wind up breaking the timeline, especially since Marinette wound up badly traumatized by its events. Future Bunnyx responds that she doesn't know why that didn't break the timeline, acknowledging that she doesn't magically have all the answers.
Lelouch gets a couple of good ones in Lelouch of the Wings of Rebellion:
- His response to Tsu questioning the point of life. It kinda backfires on him too because it provokes her to spend time with him in the real world in a way that deliberately annoys him.
  Tsu: And like all men, he eventually dies no matter what he does. It's pointless. So why go on?
  Lelouch: I wouldn't expect you to understand. You're cloistered away from humanity here. There is so much to life that you've closed yourself off to.
- His response to Cornelia threatening him and his accomplices with execution. While she responds forcefully, Lelouch notices the cracks in her self-confidence.
  Cornelia: It would be easy for me to order them to be executed for treason... the same sentence you could easily face if you don't cooperate.
  Lelouch: The same sentence Euphemia could face, if you're convinced of her guilt.
In Lighting the Path, Kara Thrace receives at least two when she meets Earth’s heroes after becoming a Green Lantern;
- When her arrival on Oa leads to her fighting Kilowog during training, Kara halts her fight when Hal confronts her and identifies himself as Earth’s Green Lantern.
- While visiting Wayne Manor, Kara is initially prepared to dismiss Bruce Wayne as an arrogant elitist who just fights crime to satisfy some ego trip, but is halted when Alfred clarifies that Bruce does what he does after witnessing the deaths of his parents when he was a child.
Metal Gear: Green:
- Upon finding out Nezu hired the MSF to guard UA after the USJ attack, All Might points out there are heroes he could hire.
  Nezu: And all are under the control of the HPSC. And those that are not are too few to keep the school safe.
  - When the press attempt to demonize the MSF, Nezu asks them if they have any information to prove that the MSF are villains. The reporters have nothing, while Madam President is pissed due to whatever evidence they have linking the HPSC to even worse crimes.
- When Bakugou attacks Akatani with the intent to give bodily harm as payback for losing in the class trial, Akatani has only this to say.
  Akatani: Is that before, or after I pull the trigger on this gun?
Mike Pines: When Ford is confronting Mike about why he's insisting on Ford making up with Stan, Mike's answer causes him to freeze and leads to the duo hashing things out.
Mike: BECAUSE I WANT TO BE FORGIVEN TOO!
When talking about how to deal with some government mercenaries that tried to kidnap Kara in Not In Kansas, Willow and Xander are aghast at her suggestion of killing them.
Willow: But we don’t kill humans.
Kara: Why not? You kill vampires, demons, and other sentient creatures.
Xander: They’re not human.
Kara: Neither am I.
In the ninth chapter of the My Hero Academia/RWBY crossover New Life as a UA Student arc of Our Hero Academia (each arc is a separate story), Momo chastises Weiss for her poor treatment of Ruby and her failure to live up to her grandfather's standards. Weiss asks Momo "How could you say that? I thought we were friends!", to which Momo replies "My friend is Weiss, not Jacques." Being compared to the father she hates is enough to shut Weiss's protests down completely.
In Promises of a Wandering Hero, Shirou/Keitaro informs the tenants that the hot springs will now have a weekly schedule of mixed and gender-specific bathing, and shoots down Motoko's and Naru's attempts to deny him. When Motoko demands to know "what gives [him] the right to ignore the majority's (really just her and Naru) decision", his response stops them cold.
Shirou: I don't really know, Aoyoma-san. It may be on the grounds that I'm a resident, the manager and, more importantly, the owner of this dorm? ... It's not really your choice to begin with. You can either adapt to what the new management has decided or find yourself another place to live.
The Secret Biography of Donald Duck: This is how Donald manages to get Mickey to back down from his plan to kill Magica De Spell.
Mickey: I'm not asking you to compromise your morals Donald, I just want you to stand aside and let me do what I need to.
Donald: What you need to do?! Mickey, killing is never the answer! It won't bring Goofy back, it won't make you feel better! The only thing it's gonna do is leave you with a weight on your shoulders that will haunt you for the rest of your life!
Mickey: And what would you know?!
Donald: BECAUSE I'VE CROSSED THAT LINE BEFORE!
Shadows over Meridian:
- As Jade leaves with the freed Phobos, Tynar begs her not to ally with him. When she scoffs and asks if she should join Elyon and the Guardians instead, and he responds by admitting they were unfair to her, she flies into a rage, pointing out how she was on Meridian for only five minutes before they had decided that she was a threat and nearly killed her. Tynar has nothing he can say in response to that after she's done.
- Caleb sneakily tries to justify his actions by saying the person who disobeyed Elyon's orders regarding imprisoning Jade had good intentions. Only for Elyon to make it clear that that person disobeyed her orders, and they are all paying for his mistake.
"Maybe…" Caleb's voice broke the silence "Maybe someone thought it was for the best?" he said "after all we just got rid of the usurper…and that girl looked too suspicious…" he fixed his tone. "People was still too fearful of him returning so keeping anyone that could be in cahoots with him locked was a good way to give security to the people"
"It doesn't matter if they thought it was for the best." Her hands began to clench the armrests of her throne in slight anger "What matters is whoever did this, did it not only behind my back." She sent Caleb a slight glare with the rebel leader giving a nervous shift as he unconsciously began to see the family resemblance between the Queen and her tyrant of a brother in her rage, "But also went against my own orders for Kage." She lightly snapped as she stood from the throne giving Caleb a hard stare, "And now..." She trailed off with a sigh the rage in her tone dropping to exhaustion as she dropped back into the throne, "Now we're all paying the price for it." Elyon than gave Caleb a hard look "Which is why I want this looked into. I want to know who gave orders in my name."
In Thousand Shinji, it happened twice in the same conversation between Shinji and Asuka. When Shinji demanded to know why Asuka was full of pain and anger, she confessed that her mother died, which rendered Shinji speechless. Then he replied that he was also an orphan, making Asuka see him in a new light.
"Momma died!" Asuka shrieked, clutching her head in agony and shame.
There is a pause before Shinji said, "So? Everyone in our class at school has a dead mother. Including me."
This revelation was like a slap in the face to Asuka, who looked up at Shinji through tear-stained eyes, seeing him in a new light.
What the Cat Dragged In: Tony confronts Alya about her fantasizing about unmasking Ladybug and Chat Noir, forcing her to consider what sort of impact that would have.
Alya: People deserve to know who their heroes are! How else are we supposed to thank them?
Tony: Well, I'd suggest starting with not destroying their civilian lives, myself.
In Woolgathering, Bahija has a reputation as a proud ex-conqueror and nymphomaniac with a massive crush on Callista in particular. Ellen takes the opportunity during one meeting to use this against her in a way that leaves her conflicted.
Ellen: Your twisted attraction towards Callista survived that beatdown four years ago, and you've gone on record as saying that you would do anything for her. [...]
Bahija: And your point would be what? Because I would like to get to the chiropractor at some—
Ellen: ...—Which means that if Callista told you to work towards purging your twisted beliefs and desires from your mind, you would do so without a moment's hesitation.

Amphibia

Trade Us for the World: When Marcy asks Ms. Croaker just how long it will take for her to stop considering her to be nothing more than an outsider, the old frog just scoffs: "Come back in a year and I'll tell you." This leaves Marcy completely aghast, despairing over her lack of any progress.

Arrowverse

In Never Be Silent, when the heroes go public about the need to be more considerate of metahumans rather than judge them all as potential criminals, radio announcer Gordon Godfrey issues his own statement about how metahumans have hardly been 'mistreated' given their impressive powers. While there is no sign that Godfrey himself was bothered by the response, Griffin Grey's broadcast about how his own powers give him heightened strength at the cost of accelerated aging confirm that metahumans need help like everyone else and put a face on the issue.

Avatar: The Last Airbender

Foxfire: The Woman in White, as part of her evolution to the more powerful Kuchisake-Onna, attempts to lure Li to his death by asking him if he thinks she's pretty. Li, who's heartbroken over Jet's rejection of him and his true identity, replies what does he know of beauty since half of his face is melted off. His response makes the ghost take pause and sympathize with Li over their shared facial disfigurements and betrayal by their loved ones.
Towards the Sun:
- Zuko is mortified to learn that Iroh told the Gaang about his Agni Kai with his father, as that was a very personal trauma. Sokka tries to defend Iroh by claiming he was trying to humanize him.
  Zuko: How much more human do you want me to be, Water Tribe?
- Zuko gives one to Iroh when they meet again at the Sun Warriors' village and discuss the unstable political climate Zuko's and Azula's departure has created in the Fire Nation.
  Zuko: We're leaving. We're not trying to start a civil war. I'm not going to lead people against you. We're just... leaving.
  Iroh: That may not be a choice people give you.
  Zuko: How would that be any different than with you?

Bleach

Vow of the King: After their battle, Orihime heals Dordonni, causing him to suggest he'll simply attack her when she's done. Her response stops him cold, largely due to the complete certainty with which she says it.
Dordonni: How do you know I won't simply attack you the moment I'm healed and this barrier falls?
Orihime: Because you're not that horrible a person.

Buffyverse

In And Another Thing I Hate About You, Xander criticizes the idea of a relationship between Angel and Cordelia citing that either she'll give him a moment of pure happiness and break the curse, releasing Angelus again, or she won't break the curse and be forced to live with the knowledge that Angel isn't truly happy with her. Despite trying to refute his argument, Xander's final point forces Angel to agree.
Xander: Long term? Man, that knowledge would eat at and fucking destroy her.
Angel: She's stronger than that.
Xander: She shouldn't have to be.
When Xander continuously dodges her questions in Misconceptions and Corrections, Buffy asks why he's not telling her as friends tell friends things.
Xander: Well, for one thing — because we're not really friends, Buffy.
(Xander then goes on to explain why they aren't friends and why he kept helping her with Slaying anyway)

Danganronpa

In Where Talent Goes to Die, Miura laments her inability to prevent any of her classmates from murdering each other, leading to the following exchange, in which Edogawa recalls something she said about Mitamura after the first class trial.
Miura: I have many regrets about how things turned out, and how many people died on my watch. A part of me wants to ensure that'll never happen again, but...
Edogawa: You'd be asking the impossible of yourself, just like Mitamura-san did.

Death Note

In Death Note Chaotic, Anthony Rester is asking pointed questions of the SPK agents regarding who is running the SPK:
Rester: [Giovanni] is the current head of the SPK, is he not?
SPK Agent: No, he is not, sir.
Rester's eye opened in surprise, and he actually took a step back, as though the unexpected rejoinder had physically smacked him.

Disgaea

Tyrantly Ever After:
- Artina's attempt to convince Nemo that he 'wasn't himself' during his villainous stint backfires when he points out just how long he acted that way.
  Nemo: 'Myself?' I spent so many centuries like that, who's to say that's not the real me now...?
- While questioning Fenrich's motivations, Artina comes up with one herself:
  Fenrich: ...You really think I don't care about my Lord, thief angel?
  Artina: I think you like the idea of Mr. Vampire, not the reality in front of you.
- Fenrich squirms when Valvatorez casually points out that he's insulted him just as easily as he has their True Companions:
  Valvatorez: Everyone except myself is an idiot, are they?
  Fenrich: (smugly) I have never received any evidence to the contrary.
  Valvatorez: You've referred to me as 'moronic' at times even, as well.
  Fenrich: Ah. Well...
  Valvatorez: Only behind my back? Mostly.

Disney Animated Canon

Wreck-It Ralph 2: Minty Zaki argues that they shouldn't take the risk of leaving Bernie's collection in order to return to Litwak's Arcade, pointing out that they were there for sixteen years and had a good run. Vanellope, on the verge of tears, reminds her of the hardships she went through during that time with just five words.
Vanellope: You had a good run.

Dragon Ball

In Hermit, Zuno tells Jamba that the latter hates him because he's the only person to know exactly what he is. Jamba amusedly asks what that would be, and the retort freezes him.
Zuno: A horrible person.
Jamba: That...that's not... you're speaking subjectively.
Zuno: That is incorrect. I am making an objective analysis of your moral character, based on every code of ethics whose existence I am currently aware of. In the overwhelmingly vast majority of them, your actions would be considered utterly reprehensible.
What If Krillin Became a Saiyan?:
- Vegeta and Nappa take one look at Krillin and immediately start mocking his height. Krillin retorts that without counting his excessively pointy hairstyle, Vegeta might actually be shorter than him. Vegeta is too shocked to speak for a moment, while Nappa tries mentally comparing the two to see if he's right.
- When Krillin declares that he'll be taking Gohan with him on his next outing, Bulma gets upset, demanding to know if he's implying that she can't take care of a kid. He snaps back that "You let him run free and he almost got killed!" Unable to counter that, she tells them to get going.
- During a lecture, Zarbon declares that he doesn't like Vegeta, and that the Saiyan like feels the same way about him. He's shocked when Vegeta casually confirms that, prompting "Yes, that's accurate, go on."

Fate Series

In Fate/stay night [Unlimited Blade Works] Abridged, Archer outright dares Shirou to try and come up with an insult that could get through to him, given he knows nothing about the Heroic Spirit. Shirou, in turn, is able to figure out the one thing that could hit Archer right where he lives:
Archer: Come on Shirou, try to cut me down! I know more about you than you can possibly imagine, while you know nothing about me. Not even my name. There's not a single thing you can say to hurt me.
Shirou: Oh yeah? How about this: I think you're a good person.
Archer: ...Care to run that by me again?
Shirou: I think you tried to do something really good and it didn't work out. You're a hero, after all. That's probably why you hate me! You take one look at me, and my dream to become a hero reminds you of what you aren't!
Archer: I am feeling a very complicated version of hatred right now!

Fire Emblem

A Brighter Dark has this lovely little exchange.
Azura: I would never say the inhabitants of Hoshido have accepted me as one of theirs, but they at least understand that Mikoto considers me to be one of theirs...
Corrin: Oh, well, that explains why you weren't at dinner, with the rest of your family.
In Fire Emblem: Three Houses: Fifth Path, while Aelfric is defending his decision to attempt the ritual (which involved blood sacrifices) to bring Sitri back, Jeralt manages to say something that causes him to pause. Unfortunately, this doesn't last and he decides to go through with it anyway but it's the only thing that causes him to even consider the wrongness of what he's doing.
Jeralt: What would it cost? The lives of those kids? The lives of everyone in this room? What would it cost, Aelfric!?
Aelfric: Who cares! All that matters is that I can bring her back!
Jeralt: Sitri would have cared. Don’t you understand? In your delusional quest to bring her back, you’ve gone against everything she stood for.
Shattered Reflection: When Sully demands that they convince Chrom to kill Robin and Rose, Miriel points out that Naga has already shot down that idea.
Miriel: It would be his word against that of Naga herself.

Fullmetal Alchemist

Van in My Master Ed gets upset and starts yelling at Edward when he finds out he jumped into a nearby river, risking drowning in the process.
Van: Did you think for a moment what I would have done if I found out that my best friend killed himself and I didn't prevent it?! For the rest of my life I would be blaming myself, that I didn't help you, just because of some dumb test! You have no idea how worried I was, do you? You looked like a dead man walking that morning and you left without telling me where to or why! Were you planning on killing yourself in secret so I wouldn't be able to stop you? You think I don't care about you? Didn't you think about me at all? How could you be so selfish?!
Edward: You're the only reason I couldn't do it, you moron!

Futurama

In Disillusionment, Fry inadvertently gives one that hits Leela hard when answering someone else's question; Fry has unwittingly provoked a cyborg from the distant past to start a genocidal campaign against alien races, but when the cyborg sees Leela for the first time, she angrily demands to know why Fry never mentioned Leela's one eye, and Leela finds it impossible to remember why she was mad at Fry when he admits that he honestly didn't think that her eye was important in that context.

The Ghost and Molly McGee

In An Unpleasant Surprise, Molly gets depressed after her old friend Ashley reacted poorly to her dating Libby due to them both being girls and Molly ends up breaking ties with her. Scratch tries to cheer her up by bringing up that she stood up against the Ghost Council and destroyed the Chairman because they disapproved of their friendship and asks why she's letting Ashley get to her. Molly's response is what finally causes her to break down crying.
Molly: She was my friend.

Harry Potter

In The Lie I've Lived, Harry uses the Sorting Hat to understand why he keeps remembering things he's never done, leading to an interesting exchange.
Harry: How are my father's memories in my head?
Sorting Hat: Maybe the question you should be asking is, "Why are my memories in my son's body?"

The Hunger Games

The Victors Project: When Nolan tells Plat that the District 1 Victors don't know how hard life is in District 9, Luxe cuts him off and says, "Then tell us. You say we don't know about Nine, Nolan? That's fair. Then tell us." Nolan is taken aback but then describes District 9's terrible conditions. Luxe responds with sympathy but then explains the hardships of District 1.

Infinity Train

In chapter 16 of The Sun Will Come Up And The Seasons Will Change, when Todd finally tells Dana that he wants a divorce, Dana wastes no time trying to place the blame on Mary, which starts yet another argument. When Dana tries to claim that Mary is destroying their lives, he fires back that Mary isn't the one doing that, Dana is...which stuns her into silence.

Kung Fu Panda

The Vow: When Lord Shen is told that his former fiancée Lady Lianne didn't turn her back on him when he was exiled thirty years earlier like he has believed, but saved him from execution by asking him to be exiled, he demands her confirmation of it. After getting it, he asks her why she has allowed him to treat her with hatred after his return and imprisonment of her. Her answer leaves him stunned and leads to him letting go of any hatred towards her, allowing his love to resurface.
Shen: Why did you never tell me?! All these years, I have hated you as much as I wanted you! You let me be so angry with you, you let me treat you this… Why would you let me do that?! Why didn't you tell me?!
Lianne: Because it was what I deserved.
Shen: What?
Lianne: It was my fault any of this happened. I pushed you, and I then banished you, I humiliated you, I forced you to hate everyone you ever loved. I committed such a crime against you Shen... but, your anger and hatred for me was a fitting punishment. I would much rather have that then see you dead. And after everything... it is the least that I deserve.
Shen: (gently strokes her face after recovering from his shock) Don't ever let me hate you again... (they embrace)

The Loud House

No Such Luck, No Such Love: After Lincoln finally unloads on Lynn Jr., Lisa voices her agreement by insulting her sisters as well. Their parents start to scold her, claiming that she shouldn't speak to her sisters like that; Lisa retorts that they were both oddly silent when Lynn Jr. was outright swearing at Lincoln, causing both to fall silent.

Marvel Cinematic Universe

In A New Viewpoint -- Natasha, Natasha eventually asks Tony why he's angry with Steve for not telling him about HYDRA assassinating his parents but not her. His response causes Natasha to seek out Pepper rather than try to talk to Tony further.
Tony: Well, there was no benefit to telling me for you, was there?
Natasha: No, there wasn't. But, if you understand, then why are you still angry with Steve? He didn't tell you for the same reasons.
Tony: I expected Steve Rogers to behave like a decent person.
In Open For All, when Flash and Mr. Harrington draw attention to Peter's "lies" about his internship, Peter (fed-up with everyone's accusations) does a Meaningful Echo of Mr. Harrington's accusatory statement right back at him. Since Peter is never known to fight back, this shuts him up.
Mr. Harrington: Mr. Parker, I thought we had this conversation.
Peter: We did, Mr. Harrington[.] So, I guess we'll see come Friday, right?

Miraculous Ladybug

In ChaoticNeutral's unnamed 'Bad End' fic where Marinette doesn't instantly forgive her friends after Lila's true nature is revealed, Adrien attempts to convince her to smooth things over, only for her to call him out on not doing anything to help her. Then this exchange happens:
Adrien: Marinette... you know we're still friends, right?
(Marinette pauses, considering, before pulling away from him.)
Marinette: I would appreciate it, Adrien, if you wouldn't lie to me anymore.
BURN THE WITCH: Prince Ali discovers that the charity Rose has convinced him to donate to doesn't exist. When Rose, reeling from this news, insists that there must be some misunderstanding and that his 'good friend Lila Rossi' is the founder, he hits her with several Wham Lines in rapid succession.
Prince Ali: I don't know a 'Lila Rossi'. You are either a liar or a fool, and I cannot abide either. This will have to be our last discussion. Goodbye, Rose.
CONSEQUENCES: In CAGED, Luka gets akumatized into Cage-Master and locks Adrien up in order to keep him out of the way while he interrogates Gabriel and Lila. His sister, having become the heroine Ahkari, manages to help him realize just what he's done by comparing his actions to the Control Freaks:
Cage-Master: I AM NOTHING LIKE THEM! All I have done is protect Adrien!
Ahkari: By doing exactly what they did, locking him away in a literal Gilded Cage thinking it was the best thing for him!
Dad Villain AU:
- When Rolland tries to exploit her mother's illness by forcing Marinette to follow HIS recipes and traditions instead, she points out that he's not taking their customers into consideration. Then she throws his own callous claims about Sabine back in his face:
  Marinette: (interrupting him insulting her mother again) If you can't do what our customers want, then you need to leave.
  Rolland: Customers, what????
  Marinette: It doesn't matter what I or you think is the right way to bake bread. What our customers buy is rice bread. If you can't make the product we're supposed to be selling, then you need to leave.
  Roland: How in the world are you supposed to cook all that bread by yourself?!
  Marinette: Well! Considering you think my mom is never gonna come back, I'd better get used to opening up the store alone, right?
- When Chloé gloats about how her family has hired the Dupain-Chengs for a job, taunting Marinette about having to work for her, Marinette counters her bringing up Sabine by pointing out Chloé's issues with her own mother:
  Chloé: Of course Marinette is going to cook for me, I actually have the money to pay her since she's got all those dead-mom bills or whatever!
  Marinette: at least my mom had to die to be apart from me, yours would rather be in New York than stomach your presence.
- After Gabriel says too much at the charity ball, brazenly bragging about his spiteful Wish, Emelie becomes Mayura in an effort to save her husband from Viceroy's wrath. Viceroy promptly calls her out on her Moral Myopia while she averts her eyes, unable to meet his Death Glare:
  Viceroy: Even after hearing what he's done, you're still going to try to rescue him?
  Emelie: ...He's my responsibility, and my judgment would devestate him more than any revenge you could concoct, Butterfly holder. Now please—
  Viceroy: Please? I'm not surprised you think that way. After all, you're still using the peacock even after hearing your little stints are murdering people. I wonder who you're killing now, Mayura?
Feralnette AU: After she catches Felix in Marinette's room, Sabine wants to punish her daughter for sneaking him in without her knowledge. However, her husband disagrees, and gets two of these in rapid succession while debating the matter:
Tom: But... she hasn't gone out to visit any friends for so long... I would rather she has friends that she sneaks in than no friends at all.
Sabine: I understand. And it IS important that Marinette have her fun with her friends. But sneaking them in, not informing us? If she had just told us, trusted us—
Tom: But she doesn't. She doesn't trust us, Sabine. And I can't find it in myself to punish her for being hesitant when we betrayed her trust. I know that look on your face, you feel the same way.
I See What You Do Behind Closed Doors: Marinette gets several of these in the wake of Lila's exposure:
- Firstly, she shuts down Mylene when the other girl declares that "I didn't know she was lying, I couldn't've!", bluntly correcting her:
  Marinette: I don't understand how you think there's no way you could've known. After all, I think I mentioned multiple times? How she was lying?
- Alya then pushes forward the notion that they can't be blamed for dismissing all of her warnings because they assumed she saw Lila as a romantic rival. Marinette bluntly reminds Alya that she previously helped Kagami, another one of her rivals, go on a date with Adrien, causing Alya to freeze up and Marinette to scoff at how swiftly her argument fell apart.
- Finally, she goes off on Kim when he weakly suggests that they just didn't know whether they could trust Marinette, spurring her to list off various ways she's gone above and beyond to help her classmates while they fall into an awkward silence:
  Marinette: I'm sorry? Did I hear that right? You didn't know if you could trust me? I've done... I've done everything for you guys! I got Alya an interview with Ladybug! I fixed Mylene's Papa's outfit so that he'd be able to perform in less than an hour! I spent forever making that sign to cheer Alix on for her race! I designed six costumes within a week just so Kitty Section could send in their submissions! What do you mean you couldn't trust me!?
The Karma of Lies:
- Marinette's first attempt at this fails: When Adrien asks her "What's the harm of overlooking a few lies to keep everyone happy and friendly?", she replies "Because I'm hurt, and I'm not happy." Sadly, her pain means nothing to Adrien, who just smiles and "reassures" her that she's strong enough to handle it, despite how she just told him otherwise.
- This is contrasted with how Tikki responds shortly afterwards. As Tikki launches into one of her usual lectures about how Marinette needs to be strong enough to withstand such emotional abuse, Marinette interrupts her, summarizing her usual talking points before declaring that it's only a matter of time before Hawkmoth wins, as she can't repress her despair forever. This gets Tikki to realize how her well-meaning advice has only been hurting Marinette, spurring her to immediately change tactics and set the rest of the plot in motion.
  Tikki: Marinette, I'm truly sorry. I know you're hurting. But Hawkmoth—
  Marinette: —will akumatize me if I feel strong negative emotions, and if I'm akumatized we lose because then I'd just give him the miraculous, so I have to hold in my emotions to the point where I don't feel them because otherwise the world ends. My friends all abandon me, my crush tells me Lila's lies "don't really matter" and "aren't hurting anyone" even though I'm crying myself to sleep every night, and I have to just pretend it doesn't matter. You realize Hawkmoth's going to win, right? Tikki, I'm trying, but I can't do this forever. I can't keep ignoring all the ways my friends betray me and hurt me. I can't keep ignoring how Adrien knows what's going on but refuses to tell anyone the truth. I can't keep ignoring those feelings. I try and I try, but sooner or later Hawkmoth is going to catch me and then it's all over.
- Marinette also gets to unleash a more effective barrage of these later. When her former classmates expect to be Easily Forgiven, Adrien declares that despite their "disagreements", they're still friends. Marinette bluntly replies that they aren't friends anymore, leading into a blunt summary of why.
- When Alya chases after her and demands to know why she's willing to give Chloé a second chance while cutting them off, Marinette responds that Chloé was trying to improve herself and become a better person before finding out that she was Ladybug, whereas Alya and all of her former friends only wanted to reconcile after learning that themselves.
LadyBugOut:
- Chloé attempts to dismiss Ladybug chastising her for not acting more heroic by haughtily demanding "What do you know?" Ladybug calmly responds "Everything," and proceeds to list all the various ways that Chloé has proven herself unworthy of being trusted with the Bee.
- In The Interview Ruse, Alya confronts Marinette over her 'betrayal' of helping Ladybug out with the titular blog. While Lila had previously lied that Ladybug asked her to help, she backtracked when caught by claiming that she turned her down since she didn't want to betray Alya's trust.
  Alya: Why'd you help Ladybug out with her blog?
  Marinette: Ladybug needed help. How could I say no to that?
  Alya: Lila did.
  Marinette: I'm not Lila.
- Later attempted by Alya, but Marinette counters her effectively:
  Marinette: What do you mean?
  Alya: I can't be friends with someone who won't apologize and can't even see what she did.
  Marinette: I can't be friends with someone like that either. So I guess we're not friends anymore.
Marinette Dupain-Cheng's Spite Playlist:
- In the original fic, after a new Fox Hero debuts, Alya tries to get answers out of Ladybug in a Media Scrum. Both of Ladybug's responses to her queries leave her badly shaken and second-guessing herself:
  Alya: Ladybug. Um, I was hoping to get an answer to a question many of my followers have. What happened to Rena Rouge, and will Malin be a permanent replacement, or just a temporary stand-in?
  Ladybug: I only give out Miraculouses to those I trust. No more questions. Bug out.
  Alya: Wait! Lila Rossi, a good friend of yours, said that you always consult her before giving out Miraculouses. Is this true?
  Ladybug: That girl is no friend of mine.
- In the Remix version, Alya confronts Marinette about transferring out. Once she makes clear that she still won't listen to her side of the story, Marinette counters one of her angry comments in a way she doesn't expect:
  Alya: Then I guess we shouldn't consider ourselves BFFs if there's so much we don't know about each other! Maybe we shouldn't even be friends at all.
  Marinette: Maybe we shouldn't.
  (Alya's Jaw Drops, gaping at her.)
Marinette's Week Off: In the sequel, Alya attempts to declare herself Marinette's "bestie" again after her acting career takes off, only to be rebuffed from Crossing the Burnt Bridge. Later, she tries to gloat about how she doesn't need Marinette's help, only to fluster and storm off when Marinette calmly observes that she's just admitted far more than she intended:
Alya: Just so you know, I don't need you. Lila promised to get me some top notch interviews.
Marinette: So you're admitting you only wanted to be friends again because of what I could do for you. Huh. (smirks knowingly) Thought so.
The One to Make It Stay:
- When Marinette confronts Alya about calling an "emergency meeting" at her house concerning her love life without consulting her, it swiftly becomes clear that Alya refuses to listen to anything she's telling her, trying to force Marinette to do what she wants while claiming that she needs to be pushed. This spurs Marinette to declare that they should take a break from their "friendship" and reassess things:
  Marinette: If that's how you feel, that I'm "unreasonable" and "spineless", then maybe we shouldn't be hanging out right now. It sounds like you have other things you'd rather be doing, and honestly? So do I.
  Alya: What are you saying? That we shouldn't be friends anymore?
  Marinette: Not necessarily. But maybe we need a break from each other. We should go our separate ways and enjoy our summer. And then, before school starts, we can talk things over and see if we want to continue being friends.
- While texting Nino, Alya defends her decision to trust Lila over Marinette or Ladybug by telling him that 'People change.' Nino agrees with her in a way that leaves her temporarily breathless.
  N: yeah, they do. you're looking like a pretty good example of that now and not for the best.
Scarlet Lady:
- When Stormy Weather attacks one of the KIDZ+ employees who'd been selling merchandise for the Weather Girl contest, she demands to know where all of her merch is. His response causes her to realize the contest might have been rigged against her from the start:
  Stormy Weather: And where are MY balloons?! The contest only just ended!
  KIDZ+ Employee: T-they just told us to make Mireille merch! I-I don't know why!
  Stormy Weather: (stares at him for a moment before kicking the cart away) Hawkmoth, I need to have a chat with the producers real quick.
- Two of these happen in "Rogercop": When Mayor André attempts to illegally confiscate Nino's phone, he snarls "Do you know who you're dealing with?" Nino snaps back "I know you're the guy my parents won't be voting for when I tell them you're trying to steal from me!''", spurring the other adults present to agree. Later, when Tom demands to know why Alya didn't stop Chloé from dragging Marinette towards the akuma, Alya retorts that HE didn't intervene either.
- During "Crocoduel", Anarka declares that there's something Juleka doesn't know about Jagged Stone. Juleka bluntly replies, "What, that he's my dad?", revealing shortly afterwards that despite their mother's best efforts, she's always known who her father was.
- Attempted during the denouncement of "Zombizou". When Mme. Bustier laments her akumatization, claiming that letting her negative emotions get the better of her makes her a horrible person, Marigold idly remarks that "Then I guess that means nearly all of your students are 'terrible', given how many of them were also akumatized." Caline tries to defend her class, which Marigold uses to point out that having negative emotions is perfectly normal. Sadly, Caline fails to understand that her students disliking Chloé for being an unrepetant bully is both normal and reasonable.
- When "Sandboy" uses his powers to reveal what all the Miraculous heroes fear most, he's upset that Pigella's deepest fear is her collection of plush animals coming to life and revealing that they hate her. He yells at her about this, only to be caught off guard by her reply:
  Sandboy: How come your nightmare's so weak?! That's cheating! Don't you have any real problems?!
  Pigella: I have plenty of problems! But if I only focused on what could go wrong, I'd never move forward! I want to think of the good things in my life! Just like I know there are good things in yours! You just need a reminder! Gift!
- "Reverser" has Chloé attempting to insult several of her peers by claiming all of the art they create isn't worth anything, only for them to point out her attempts to steal their work:
  Chloé: (pointing at Juleka and Rose) No one cares about your dumb baby unicorn songs!
  Juleka: You seemed to care when you helped XY rip us off. We literally have a recording contract.
  Chloé: (whirling on Marinette) Y-your designs are trash!
  Marinette: Gabriel Agreste and Jagged Stone don't think so. And you also tried stealing my "trash" designs. Twice.
- During the denouncement of "Queen Bee", Master Fu accuses Marinette of wanting to horde the powers of both the Ladybug and Bee Miraculouses. Marinette retorts that "Who cares about power?! I care about Pollen!", causing him to realize that he'd misjudged the situation.
- "Catalyst" has one that takes multiple stages. When Bustier attempts to convince Zoé that they should force the whole class to throw a party to cheer up her half-sister, Zoé points out the obvious flaw in that plan. Bustier then attempts to downplay and dismiss the severity of Chloé's mistreatment, only for Zoé to reveal how she knows about her sibling's history of abuse and why she cares so much:
  Zoé: You know Chloé bullied the entire class, right?
  Mme. Bustier: "Bullied" is a little—
  Zoé: I know because she bragged about it. Look, I know what it's like to be bullied.
  Mme. Bustier: (sweatdropping, mouth twitching as she fights to maintain her smile) O-oh?
  Zoé: It doesn't feel good and it doesn't go away, especially if the bully isn't sorry. Which Chloé isn't.
Tattered Remains of Broken Dreams (Yours, Not Mine): When Marinette sees the ripped-up remains of her sketchbook, the culprits expect her to burst into tears... but are taken aback when she calmly takes a few pictures of the carnage before clearing it away. She then explains that was her school sketchbook, filled with all her school-related projects — and after the exchange below, goes on to explain that means the class just lost out on all the work she'd been doing for them:
Rose: But you worked so hard.
Mylène: You worked in it every day for months.
Marinette: Yeah, it sucks. For you.
Telling Lies? No, Mama: Chloé keeps insisting that Lila is a liar and is not actually Ladybug's best friend. When Lila and the class question her on why she is so certain, she delivers her response that renders the usually chatty Lila speechless.
Lila: Do you have any proof that I'm lying? Did someone tell you that Ladybug and I aren't friends or something?
Chloé: If you mean did Ladybug tell me that, than no.
Lila: Then who-
Chloé: No one told me. But I don't need to hear anything from anyone know that you're definitely not Ladybug’s best friend.
Alix: Oh, and I suppose you are?
Chloé: No! But I don't need to be to know that Lila's the last person she'd be friends with.
Lila: Oh? And why is that?
Chloé: Because Ladybug would never be friends with someone who uses her!
Truth and Consequences: When Adrien confronts Marinette about making decisions about him and his family without his knowledge, she admits that she loves him. Adrien responds that that might be true, but it doesn't mean she respects him.

My Hero Academia

An Attempt To Fly Under The Radar:
- When Aizawa argues that the kids should've had their Quirks under control due to having them for ten years and what he was supposed to do, Present Mic gives him the Simple Solution.
  Present Mic: Here's a radical idea: stay awake in class and actually teach the students who are actually in your class for once in your life! It's not like UA's a school or anything!
- Later on, when Aizawa explains why he's been forcing Midoriya to work with Bakugou, despite the latter's blatant hostility towards the former, expecting them to work it over, All Might asks this.
  Aizawa: I was hoping that the pair would learn from each other and overcome their faults. I punished them for this fight, because they can't break the rules whenever they want -
  All Might: It's clear from the footage that Young Midoriya was defending himself. What is he supposed to learn anything from this other than the fact that he can't trust his homeroom teacher to protect him from his bully?
Apotheosis: When All Might tries to apologize to Izuku (who's a villain) for telling him that he couldn't be a hero, Izuku angrily responds that he's not sorry about what he said, he's sorry that his actions were the catalyst that led to Izuku becoming a villain, and that he'd probably never think about him again had he not turned into a such a dangerous person.
All Might: I'm sorry Midoriya! I truly am!
Izuku: No you're not! You're not sorry for what you said to me! You're sorry about the end result! If I didn't become a villain, would you be here apologizing to me?! Did you even once think about me again after our first meeting?!
(All Might looks away in shame)
Izuku: That's what I thought.
but you gotta get up at least once more: While arguing with Bakugou, Izuku forces him to have a Jerkass Realization by revealing that he still has scars from several of the injuries Bakugou inflicted on him.
Cheat Code: Support Strategist: Mei uses a series of this to help Izuku recognize how horribly Katsuki has treated him, such as pointing out that if he started acting 'different' after getting his Quirk, then he's been acting that way for over a decade.
Dekiru: The Fusion Hero!: Todoroki dislikes Izuku's Human Fusion Quirk as it reminds him of his parents' Quirk marriage, causing him to view Izuku as an abuser despite how his powers rely on trust and teamwork. When he repeatedly harps on and insults his abilities, Izuku finally snaps back "What do you want me to do, only use half of my Quirk?"
Deku? I think he's some pro...:
- When Izuku's mentors learn about how Katsuki treats him, he attempts to defend him, only for Aizawa to counter with one of these:
  Izuku: B-but that doesn't make any sense! If he hurt me, it must be because I did something bad! We've been best friends ever since we were kids!
  Aizawa: Deku, friends don't hurt each other.
- Izuku returns the favor when Aizawa's about to expel Katsuki after their first training exercise. He insists that it isn't Bakugou's fault, and when Aizawa retorts that it's not his fault either, calmly replies "I know." This catches Aizawa's attention and gives him a chance to explain the way Katsuki was coddled at Aldera.
- When Izuku tries to avoid being involved with Principal Nedzu's takedown of his old middle school:
  Izuku: Let's say I agree with you. Wouldn't it be easier to let the police or the parents resolve the issue? Why should I be the one to take them down?
  Nedzu: Because you're a hero.
- During one of his therapy sessions, Katsuki insists that Kirishima is "just some extra". He's clearly taken aback when Hound Dog points out that despite his protests, Katsuki actually remembers Kirishima's name.
- When Katsuki asks Mirko about being the strongest, she retorts that it's just a meaningless title — what actually matters is having the strength to pull through when lives are on the line.
- After learning that Izuku has been working to undermine Endeavor's reputation, Tenya starts berating him, claiming that it's conduct unbecoming of a hero. Izuku bluntly reminds Tenya that he was planning to murder Stain himself.
Haigha:
- After trying to use lethal force on Izuku during their first training exercise together, Katsuki tries justifying himself to All Might by protesting that the Pro Hero doesn't know how suspicious it is that 'Deku' has a Quirk at all. Toshinori shuts him down by revealing that he's one of the heroes who was working on Izuku's disappearance case, adding that he finds Katsuki's behavior to have been utterly distasteful and that they will discuss this further later.
- While sharing his Dark and Troubled Past with Izuku, Todoroki asks him how he's able to bring himself to use the Quirks that were forced into his body, comparing it to how he can't bring himself to use the fire half of his own Quirk. Izuku responds simply that these Quirks are his now, not the property of his abusers.
- When Endeavor snidely asks Izuku not to 'disgrace' his son during their fight, Izuku calmly retorts "There is nothing I could do out there that would disgrace him as much as you have."
I Don't Run An Orphanage!: Kioku gets two of these when she asks Izuku why he still defends All Might after he crushed his dreams of becoming a Pro Hero:
Izuku: Being a hero is dangerous after all, and, well...
Kioku: He didn't think a Quirkless person could do it.
Izuku: (wincing) Well... yes. But it's not like he could have done anything about it. He can't just give me a quirk.
Kioku: But he could though!
Internet Friends: After All For One posts an anonymous rant online about how All Might is the cause of all of society's woes, Izuku fires back with a "The Reason You Suck" Speech that ends in telling All For One that, despite claiming to be a quirk analyst, quirk analysis isn't his hobby. Being a petty bitch is. It shakes All For One so much that even days later, the end of Izuku's tirade echoes in his head. All For One later vows to beat Izuku by out-analyzing him rather than just trolling him until he breaks like the villain had previously been attempting.
It's Over, Isn't It (it's only just begun): When Sir Nighteye confronts Endeavor over using All Might's 'legacy' to force his interns to push themselves to their breaking points, Endeavor attempts the same rhetoric upon him, only for Nighteye to point out his blatant hypocrisy:
Endeavor: Don't talk to me of compassion when you know perfectly well that sacrifices must be made for the sake of peace—
Nighteye: You are sacrificing nothing! Forcing burdens on someone else is not a sacrifice. It's cowardice.
Endeavor: You should watch yourself, Nighteye—
Nighteye: I am not the one with the burden of every spotlight in the country, Endeavor. You are. I know that the only admiration you've ever held for All-Might's legacy is envy. If you keep treating your fellow heroes this way, the only legacy you'll leave is relief that you are gone.
Juxtapose: Izuku manages a silent one: he asks Shinsou whether his power works on non-verbal responses. When Shinsou questions how somebody could respond non-verbally, Izuku mutely sticks his hand out for a handshake. This shocks Shinsou into admitting that he'd never taken body language into account.
The Line Between Midoriya Izuku and Bakugo Katsuki: After Izuku takes him up on his Suicide Dare, Katsuki recalls a moment where he'd bluntly demanded to know why Izuku kept pursuing his dreams despite being Quirkless. While Izuku's words were lost upon him at the time, they trigger a Heel Realization as Katsuki recognizes that he was the one Izuku wanted to be saved from.
Izuku: Because no one's saved me yet.
Mean Rabbit: Aizawa solidifies himself as a Sadist Teacher by giving five of his students an expulsion scare after they fail to beat Izuku in a fair contest. When the class finds out that they weren't expelled, Mina questions why he put them through such unnecessary torment:
Ashido: Just... why? Why threaten us? Why did you let him do that to the others? We made it into U.A. Aren't we all worthy of being here?
Aizawa: No. None of you are. Not yet. Right now you're a bunch of whiney, hormonal, carefree teenagers. U.A. trains heroes. You are not heroes. Until you are, you're not worthy of being here.
One for All and Eight for the Ninth:
- Izuku tells Aizawa that he can't trust him due to the fact that he's done things that remind him of his teachers back in Aldera Middle School. While Aizawa has no problem admitting that he's not a very good teacher, he sees Aldera's staff as particularly reprehensible, so being compared directly to them hits him hard.
- Tsuyu tells Izuku that she heard the noise that indicates a bond has formed when she "started crushing on him".
- When Bakugou insists to Nezu that he'll never be a villain, Nezu hits him with one:
  Nezu: Here's the problem with that statement, young man. You already are a villain. ... After your stunt today, I've submitted everything to the HPSC. The decision was swift. As of twenty minutes ago, Katsuki Bakugou, you are now an A-ranked Villain.
- When Todoroki asks Izuku why he wants to win the tournament if he doesn't care about the title of Number One Hero, Izuku hits him with two in rapid succession:
  Izuku: Because All Might isn't going to be around forever! One day, sooner or later, All Might's going to retire, or god forbid, die. And when he does, there’s going to be chaos. Right now, the world is watching. I want to show the world that even if he's no longer working, that a hero will rise to replace him! That I am here! I don’t care who's the next 'Number One Hero'! I’m trying to be the next Symbol of Peace!
  Todoroki: You... you’re serious... Then, why are you bothering trying to convince me?
  Izuku: Because All Might made one big mistake in his career. He was a symbol, but he was the only symbol. If All Might died tomorrow, how many people would look at Endeavor and say, 'Everything's fine, I still feel safe'? We need more than one great hero. We need several. I want every single one of my classmates to be the next All Might. Your class, too. And with your power, your whole power, you can be one of the strongest pillars our society could ever have. What do you say, Todoroki-kun? Do you want to be a Hero?
  (Todoroki's left side becomes engulfed in flames)
  - The impact behind this becomes amplified because not only does 1-A hear it by eavesdropping (and 1-B by eavesdropping on 1-A), Nezu manages to record it and anonymously releases the footage, where it then goes viral and forces many people to reconsider - including Endeavor, who has his Heel Realization.
- When Ryouji and Isamu, the second and third users of One for All respectively, finally stop giving him the cold shoulder, Izuku reaffirms his position on trying to help villains when he can and save killing for a last resort. When Ryouji rhetorically questions how long those ideals are going to last in the field, Izuku immediately fires back:
  Izuku: If they crumble to pieces at the first sign of trouble, then I don't have ideals at all.
  Isamu: (genuinely impressed) ...screw it. I guess we're uncles now.
- When Sir Nighteye attempts to browbeat Izuku into passing One for All on to Mirio, Izuku makes the reason for his refusal quite clear:
  Izuku: I'm not going to let you kill Mirio-senpai.
Viridian: The Green Guide: After Midoriya Inko finally learns Viridian's Secret Identity, they shut down his continued insistence that he can never be a real hero with just six words: "Can't you see? You already are."
Witness (Good Neighbors):
- When Izuku interrupts Endeavor rounding on Shouto, Endeavor lashes out at him, only to be staggered by his response:
  Endeavor: Do you have any idea how a security breach like this reflects on my agency? Did you even think of that when you decided to do a half-assed job just to spite me—
  Izuku: If you don't want to look bad, then next time make sure your sidekicks don't leak information to the villains trying to kill me!
- At the climax of a heated exchange between Naomasa and Endeavor:
  Endeavor: (leaning into Naomasa's space to try and force him to move back) I would urge you to remember your place, Detective.
  Naomasa: (standing his ground) I know my place, Todoroki-san. But it seems to me, that ever since you had your rank handed to you, you've forgotten your own.
Yesterday Upon The Stair:
- When Stain claims that heroes shouldn't act for their own benefit:
  Izuku: Why not? You do. Take now, for instance. You benefit from doing this because you get to pat yourself on the back without actually doing anything helpful.
- Iida pleads with Izuku to flee the scene, to which Izuku counters:
  Izuku: If you don't want me rescuing you, then you can come over and stop me whenever you'd like.
- The End of Term Exam ends unexpectedly; when All Might confronts Izuku, intending to lecture him for how he resolved the matter, his response causes him to stop and reconsider his stance:
  Izuku: I'd have to do something you wouldn't expect. And you'd never expect me to do anything to disappoint you, right?
- In Chapter 40, Izuku hits Dabi with one that causes him to freeze in place from shock:
  Dabi: Not so fast, Midoriya.
  Izuku: Go home to your mother, Todoroki-kun.

My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic

In Bitter Tears: An Anon-A-Miss Fic, when Twilight is chewing out the Humane Five for turning on Sunset Shimmer because they believed that she was Anon-A-Miss on flimsy evidence, Rainbow demands to know why Twilight was so sure of her innocence. Twilight gives her this incredulous and furious response:
Twilight: You seriously have to ask me that?!
Rainbow Dash: Uh...
Twilight: I believed Sunset because she's my friend! Because I trust her! That's what friends do! They have faith in each other, they stick by each other, and until there is undeniable, irrefutable evidence that says otherwise, they give them the benefit of the doubt! For crying out loud, after all this time, do you still have that little faith in her? Or did her helping us save the entire school from the sirens just go over your heads?!
The Great Alicorn Hunt:
Cotton Mouth: I am not a FOAL KILLER!!
Mudpuppy: Dere's thirty-five little graves out in de swamp dat say otherwise.
The Power of the Equinox: Rainbow Dash accuses Dimmed Star of not appreciating her friends' efforts to make amends to her. Dimmed Star asks that they take a good, long look at her new appearance, reminding them of how her body was permanently changed when the Entity possessed her.
Rainbow Dash: So we made a mistake, a BIG mistake yeah, but we're trying to make up for it! Doesn't that mean anything to you?
Dimmed Star: I want you to take a good, long look at me, Rainbow Dash. I want you to see exactly what your MISTAKE has wrought, and then I want you to ask me that again. (the Mane Five do as they're told, losing confidence with each passing second) Your betrayal did more than just leave me crying in the darkness. Every time I look in the mirror now, I'll be reminded of the pain that you all caused me. (the girls bow their heads in shame)

Naruto

Dreaming of Sunshine: When Inari tells Team Seven that they have no chance against Gatou and his goons and should leave if they don't want to die, Shikako points out that if they do give up on their mission, Inari's grandfather Tazuna will wind up dead instead. Unable to come up with any kind of counter to this, Inari ends up locking himself in his room.
Kushina attempts to give an Armor-Piercing Question to Naruto in Eroninja about how he can possibly love the Kyuubi after what she did, only for Naruto to calmly turn it back on her.
Naruto: Can't you see how she felt?
Kushina: How she felt?! After what she did?! She-
Naruto: Was a prisoner. (Stunned Silence) She was sealed away for almost a hundred years, and when she finally got free, one of the first things she saw was you and dad trying to imprison her all over again.
The Kakashi Way: After learning that Naruto has been spending a lot of time with Indra, a mysterious Uchiha who's secretly an adult Sasuke, Hiruzen berates him for trusting a complete stranger simply because they treated him nicely. Naruto's retort brutally reminds the Sandaime of how isolated he's been:
Hiruzen: Naruto, you need to stop trusting everyone who's nice to you just because they're nice to you!
Naruto: Then I'd be even more alone.
In The Lives Worth Saving, Might Guy expounds on the virtues of springtime, but a disguised older Naruto says he prefers autumn.
Guy: How could you? Spring is the stage of life where every ninja starts to grow their roots! We can show our springtime of youth to the world as we begin to flourish!
"Haruki": Yeah, but once we reach autumn, we've led a successful enough life that we've managed to see half of it.
sunflower: Gai gets two of these, back-to-back, during a quarrel with Kakashi over how he's been running his ANBU unit. Kakashi is unaware that Gai is a Deep Cover Agent in his unit — one of the very same agents that Kakashi is complaining about:
Kakashi: When a directive is given, you follow orders. You don't question. You don't hesitate, that's what a ninja does.
Gai: Not when it goes against what's right. (Kakashi stares at him, caught off-guard) Not when it involves abandoning your teammates. Disrespecting your fellow human beings.
Kakashi: (snidely) What do you know about being in ANBU, Gai?
Gai: You know better than anyone that good shinobi don't always strictly adhere to the Ninja Code. You know they don't account for everything. You know how trust goes both ways. You can't expect anyone to trust you when you can't trust them, Kakashi.
Three's A Crowd:
- Sakura hits Kakashi with one while calling him out on his reluctance to do anything about Sasuke and Uo's attitude problem:
  Kakashi: Do you not have confidence that your team could handle a mission outside the village?
  Sakura: I don't trust them to have my back on even the smallest tasks, sensei. I appreciate that the bell test was meant to teach teamwork, but I'm not stupid enough to put my life in their hands. Not when Sasuke would leave me bleeding out if someone offered to teach him a powerful jutsu. Not when Uo has never once looked at us with more than passing interest. Maybe... (her voice wavers, cracking) Maybe a more dangerous mission would convince my teammates to care about me or about each other. Maybe some life-threatening situation would cause an epiphany. But maybe it won't. Maybe we'll end up injured because my teammates don't know how to work together to achieve anything. Maybe one of them will end up hurt because the other just doesn't care if someone gets hurt 'cause it's not their problem. Maybe I'll end up dead 'cause I trusted them to watch my back against my better judgment. I'm... I'm sure that you could look out for us. I'm sure that whatever C-rank we get probably won't be that dangerous. But I'm not going to go anywhere with them if I can't trust them. And the whole point of doing D-ranks is to work on teamwork. They haven't even tried! And I don't want to take a C-rank without an actual team! And...
  (She sheds a few tears; Kakashi watches her cry without making any move to comfort her. Her face hardens as she recomposes herself.)
  Sakura: Despite what you may think, I don't need this team. There are at least four medics at the hospital that would likely take me on as an apprentice, especially if I showed them the skills that I've already taught myself. So from now on, I will not be the only one to put any effort into this team. Either you do your job as a sensei and make them work as a team, or you break up the team and call it a failure.
- She gets another one not long afterwards, when he attempts to fix the problem by forcing her to show off her tree-walking skills — something that only makes the boys' resentment of her even worse.
  Kakashi: Why don't you show off more? You hold back all the time. Even in taijutsu. I've seen you pull some truly inspired moves in spars, but you throw it at the last minute. Do you really hate the idea of them finding out what you are capable of?
  Sakura: (glaring him down) It's not them that's the problem.
What You Knead:
- When Kakashi informs the Sandaime that he's not just retiring from ANBU, but wishes to retire entirely, Hiruzen protests that he's only twenty-two and is one of his strongest shinobi. Kakashi reminds him that he's been serving since he was five years old, stating that he'd like to learn how to be a person before it's too late. This is enough to convince Hiruzen to let him enter the reserves.
- Jiraiya attempts to guilt-trip Kakashi by invoking his teacher's name, only for Kakashi to fire back with a reminder of the ero-sennin's hypocrisy:
  Jiraiya: You have a duty to Konoha. What would Minato say?
  Kakashi: I think he'd say, 'Why is my ten year old son living in an apartment by himself, sensei, instead of with his godfather?'
While discussing alternative candidates for the position of Hokage in White Eyes, Fugaku nominates himself. Itachi also nominates himself to stop his father from gaining the position, while Fugaku dismisses his son's claim since he is not the head of the Uchiha Clan. In response, Itachi challenges his father to a Duel to the Death to decide who will become the new head of the clan, which leaves Fugaku speechless.
Fugaku: You would kill your own father? For power?
Itachi: I would do anything to protect the hidden Leaf village. Short of making it not worth protecting.
your move, instigator (draw your weapon and hold your tongue):
- When a military recruiter comes to her doorstep in order to force the four-year-old Sakura to enroll in the Academy and train to head to the front lines, Mebuki coldly declares "You are running a daycare." The man goes white and retreats.
- When Danzo gives one of his speeches about how Konoha is "uniting the shinobi world," Sakura laughs:
  Sakura: You can't unite the shinobi world if you're fighting everyone, silly?

Neon Genesis Evangelion

The Child of Love: Shinji broke up with Asuka because he thought he could not protect her, ergo he was unfit to be her boyfriend and her child’s father. Nothing anybody said managed to change his mind... until this exchange:
Asuka: (walking towards him) Why are you running away from us, Shinji?
Shinji: I...I'm not able to protect you, you already know that.
Asuka: And what's the matter with that? I'm strong. I can take care of myself. I don't need your protection. However, I need something else from you.
Ghosts of Evangelion: Asuka does not believe Shinji when he confesses he loves her... until Hikari and Touji tell everyone thinks it's obvious he does:
Hikari: Shinji confessed to her this morning.
Touji: And that's bad?
Hikari: She doesn't think he means it. She thinks it's an act or something, to make sure he doesn't cause anyone any trouble.
Asuka: That's exactly it! If you could only see the way he acts toward me...
Touji: Uh, Soryu... Look, you know I'm not exactly your biggest fan and all, but I think you're kinda off base here.
Asuka: Then you're an idiot.
Touji: No, seriously, what you're saying doesn't make sense. I spend more time with the guy than anyone, apart from you I guess, and he never talks about you embarrassing him or anything. He just wants to make you happy.
Asuka: Of course he does. If he makes me happy he'll get praise, and then he'll feel like he's worth a damn. Same old Shinji.
Hikari: Asuka, that's a really cynical way to look at it.
Asuka: What are you talking about?
Hikari: Well, it's true that he's always a little concerned or upset when he's talking about you, since that's just the way you two are... but even so, when he talks about something good that happened between you two his face just lights up, like he—
Touji: Yeah! He'll get this stupid grin on his face, like he's the happiest guy on Earth.
Asuka: That's... that's insane. You guys are just defending him!
Touji: You think it's just us?
Hikari: Everyone knows about it. It's, ah… it's kinda obvious.
Asuka: No, he's just... I mean, it's Shinji, he... Everyone?
Hikari: Well...
HERZ: When UN Inspector Kurumi walks into Misato’s office to accuse her of breach of trust, theft, fraud, and Kaji’s murder and vow to make her to pay for her alleged crimes, Misato’s reply stops her tirade abruptly.
Kurumi: You'll pay for your crimes. I'll see to it.
Misato: I have no doubt in your abilities, Cpt Kagero. But understand that if you persist in your crusade, it will be Shinji and his family who will pay the price for your foolishness.
Kurumi: What!? What does Shinji-kun have to do with all this?
Misato: Everything, Kurumi. Everything.
Kurumi: How?
Misato: He is the Alpha and the Omega. The Beginning and the End.
Kurumi: I don't understand.
The One I Love Is...: In chapter 6, "Friends", Asuka is dissing one of the friends of her boyfriend:
Shinji: Hey! Touji's a nice guy!
Asuka: He's just a pervert like you!
Shinji: I didn't know you liked perverts...
In Neon Genesis Evangelion: Genocide, during an argument, Asuka screams that Shinji wasn't trying to protect her in the last battle. Why would he want to protect someone whom he hates? Shinji's reply renders Asuka speechless (and it eventually leads to their Relationship Upgrade):
Shinji: It was going to hurt you… I just couldn't stand by and do nothing. I couldn't let it hurt you.
Asuka: Liar! You hate me, why would you want to protect me? You care for Wonder Girl more than you care for me! Everybody cares for her more than they care for me! You hate me because I am not your doll, and that's fine with me!
Shinji: I don't hate you! I... tried to protect you because I... I care about you!
Scar Tissue: When Rei is angry and upset because Asuka abused Shinji and Shinji does not want her harming Asuka, Ritsuko reminds her that Gendo abused Shinji in worse ways for YEARS, Rei knew about it, and she did not care back then.
Rei: I am... so angry. [...] What Sohryu has done... it-
Ritsuko: It's no worse than what his father did to him his whole life, Rei, and you knew all along.

One Piece

When he learns Ace truly is alive in Embers and Frost, Luffy gets pissed off against Law for keeping it secret and scoffs when the Heart Pirate claims Ace would rather see Luffy safe than being free.
Luffy: You don't know that! You don't know what Ace would want! How would someone like you know about being a brother?
Law: I was one!
(Stunned Silence)
In This Bites!, when a Marine tries to convince Kashi and Oimo that Cross is lying about Broggy and Dorry being free rather than in Impel Down and is using Soundbite's powers to fool them, Cross admits it is possible, but there's just one problem.
Cross: Just tell me... when we could have gotten their voices.

Pokémon

In Dear Diary, N uses his powers to talk to Blair's team and convince them to join his cause. While his inquiries are often Armor Piercing Questions themselves, Cenn's response is enough makes even N hesitate for the first time.
I grew up in the wild. Did you even consider that some of us want to be caught? I willingly joined Blair. And given the choice, knowing the sort of man he is, I would do so again. The forest where I lived was hell. I suffered things you can’t even understand. And our friend who died? She died at the hands of wild pokemon. So don’t act as though you’re making some grand utopia by forcing us back into a world of eat-or-be-eaten—especially not when you just ordered the murder of one of my good friends!
Only Flowers Fall centers around Lillie struggling with her complicated sentiments towards Lusamine after everything she suffered at her hands. When she confides in Burnet about this, the older woman affirms that she has every right to feel this way:
Lillie: But she's my mother.
Burnet: She was your mother. But she she abdicated any right to that position long ago. You owe her nothing now.

Psychonauts

Those Who Hurt You The Most: When Donatella confronts Dion over how he's treating Raze, he questions why she's taking Raz's side, since they both dislike psychics. Donatella bluntly responds "And I am trying to do better. You are not."

Puella Magi Madoka Magica

In Resonance Days, Annabelle Lee goes on a cynical rant about how an immortal life is meaningless, that all love is temporary, and that the only thing that matters is finding a way to die. Finally, she gloats that by the time Mami realizes that she's right, AL will already have found death. Mami responds "But you won't". Oblivion, the only person who can grant true death, has exiled Annabelle for incompetence. Whether she's right or not, she will never die. Annabelle is sent into a panic attack.

Red vs. Blue

In Recovery None, Church and Tex inadvertently leave Caboose not only mentally impaired, but so traumatized he repressed his memories of Church to cope, when they drive O'Malley out of his mind. As an utterly furious Washington explains this to Tex, Church complains.
Church: How am I supposed to lead a guy who can't remember me?
Wash: How about asking how you’re supposed to lead someone who you have, at least in some form, mentally incapacitated? How about you take some responsibility for causing that stress and that harm on someone who trusted you to lead them? How about you worry about that and then about how you could still call yourself a leader?

RWBY

Service with a Smile: Played for Laughs when Velvet complains about having to wear heels at work, only for Russel and Jaune to tell her that there's no dress code and she can wear flats if she prefers.

The Saga of Tanya the Evil

A Young Girl's Delinquency Record: Tanya gets two during her trial.
- Firstly, she calls out the prosecutor for accusing her of attacking citizens of 'neutral parties', spelling out their country's extensive history of war, finishing off her rant with "Less than six months ago my unit was ambushed by a battalion of Albish-speaking mages, I suppose they were neutral as well!"
- Her response to being accused of killing the Dacian Army without taking any prisoners is to call the witness General back to the stand, asking him whether any of his HQ guard actually called out to surrender. He admits that such an order was never issued, leading to the following exchange:
  Dacian General: But that's because that she-devil killed them all before they even had a chance!
  Tanya: It is not my fault your soldiers are so incompetent they can't even survive long enough to surrender.

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona

The Evil Queen: During his "The Reason You Suck" Speech to Makoto in Chapter 21, he counters her indignance to one of his accusations this way:
Akira: You were just running to school to get her fired because I refused to be in a relationship with you! If I let you have your way, you would've wound up raping me!
Makoto: HOW DARE YOU!? I WOULD NEVER DO SOMETHING SO VILE, SO REPREHENSIBLE, SO-
Akira: Oh come off it, Niijima! You haven't been subtle at all! The constant comments on my appearance, the shared meals, the looks and touching, not to mention how you LITERALLY FORCED YOURSELF ON ME in my own home!
Makoto: (Stunned Silence)
In One Year, Yu Narukami does this to his old friend Kenji, while Kenji's in the middle of a falling out with their mutual friend Kaoru. When Kenji points out that he was actually jealous of Kaoru for having a dream, Yu notes "And yet, you didn't fully understand what it felt like to have his hopes dashed," forcing Kenji to admit that he didn't realize how his words came off to Kaoru.
Wanted It To Be A Game: During the Iwatodai trip, Adachi ultimately rebuffs Kashiwagi's advances by declaring "I'd rather have the attention of a woman that respects herself more than this." This outburst leads her to seriously reflect upon her own mistakes and behavior.

A Song of Ice and Fire

The King Nobody Wanted: When Janos Slynt says Lannister soldiers killed his father during the Sack of King's Landing, Cersei protests that he must have done something to give them a reason to kill him, and Janos's reply leaves her stunned and contrite.
Janos: He opened the door to assure 'em they had the wrong building.
In Robb Returns, Gerion Lannister says he paid a terrible price for obtaining Brightroar, and Joffrey says that Grandfather Tywin will match that price. Gerion lifts his eyepatch to show his ruined eye and tells him of all his crew members that lost their lives during his odyssey, and Joffrey is sent fleeing.

Star Wars

The Desert Storm:
- While debating the flaws of the Jedi Code, Yoda asks Ben if the Sith were winning in the Bad Future he came from. Ben responds by clarifying that the Sith had already won and reveals that nearly the entire Jedi Order was wiped out. Ben’s answer leaves Yoda completely stricken in shock.
- In Remembrance: Part II, Mace Windu asks Quinlan if there's anything important from Ben's future that he should know about. The latter sums up everything Mace needs to know with three short sentences:
  Quinlan: It never mattered. What he told you. You never listened.
In Patron of the Art of War, when Thrawn is imprisoned and request to see Sabine he starts to pester her about everything he could have offered her and then ask her to remove her helmet and look him in the eyes to deny that she wasn’t tempted. Her response is that he hasn't earned the privilege to see her face, then leaves the room.

Sword Art Online

Live To See The End Of The World:
Kirito: I swear, I tried to save them.
Keita: YOU SHOULD HAVE TRIED HARDER!

Teen Titans

Beast Boy and Raven Join PETA: Beast Boy demands that Don Gooseson give one example of the meat industry helping animals. Don responds by describing how the buffalo meat industry saved the buffalo from extinction.

Tokyo Ghoul

Do You Remember: Two in chapter 9. First, when Hide is explaining that Kaneki, Touka, and Hinami are benevolent ghouls who only kill humans when they have to, Akira tells him to explain why they killed her father Kureo; in response, Hide points out that Kureo killed Hinami's parents in cold blood right in front of her, and Touka and Hinami were only defending themselves because he attacked them first.

Tolkien's Legendarium

In Heart of the Inferno, Faervel tries to convince Smaug to accept the condition that he'll get Kathryn back once the dragon returns from his mission in the north and leaves without harming anyone in Esgaroth's area. The Elf ambassador succeeds when he calls on the favour Smaug has owed him since the events of Heart of Ashes.
Faervel: There is one thing, Smaug, that you have not accounted for...
Smaug: And what is that?
Faervel: You owe me a debt.

Tsubasa -RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE-

When Fai realizes that he doesn't know the true Syaoran in Shatterheart, he asks Kurogane, Syaoran's Only Friend what he's like. Kurogane's response forces Fai to realize how poorly he treated Syaoran.
Fai: What does this Syaoran like?
Kurogane: Well for one, he'd like it if you'd drop the 'this Syaoran' bullshit and just called him by name.

Warhammer 40,000

In Tales of the Emperasque, LIIVI (a human assassin who fell in love with the Eldar farseer Taldeer, who now lives with her at her Craftworld) gives the Emperor one of these, and it's noted that the Emperor doesn't really have a response to it. The Emperor was trying to get him to see the Eldar as just untrustworthy xeno enemies of humanity (in short, as "not people"). LIIVI responds:
When you have witnessed an Eldar mother shrieking in horror and regret after seeing her child fall out of a car and die without wearing a soul stone, knowing with certainty that his innocent soul is feeding Slaanesh, it becomes difficult not to see them as people, my Lord God.

Xenoblade Chronicles

Where We Don't Belong: When Mio and Sena overhear Vandham refuting Rex's Technological Pacifist stance by noting that armies rely on far more than just weapons and that one way or another everyone is involved in the "war", the former doesn't take that very well given the Forever War she spent so much time ending on Aionios and tries to refute him in turn. Vandham still manages to pick apart her argument just as succinctly as he did Rex's.
Mio: [Sena and I have] seen too much war not to know [life can be cruel]. But I don't want to believe that's all there is to our lives. There's more than conflict in this world... I know it.
Vandham: It's noble to want peace, Mio. But even peace is a resource to be fought over. After all, that's why Mor Ardain and Uraya are at each other's throats… because they want that peace and security, even at the expense of others.

Young Justice

In Emergence, when hearing of the last six months of Superboy's exploits, Superman is shocked to hear about his coma. The following exchange causes him to realize he's come to think of Conner as his son.
Superman: But why wasn't I told?
Batman: Honestly? After our conversation at Bebbo's, I didn't think you'd care.
Superman: His coma could have been permanent!
Batman: I was aware of that. I still didn't think you'd care.

Armor Piercing Response / Fan Works

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