History Main / ExtraStrengthMasquerade

* There are also examples where the AncientConspiracy did try to erase people's memories, but the coverup attempt is laughable. Really, do you think that in ''Film/MenInBlackII'' they managed to erase everyone's memory, considering that 1) it's doubtful everyone was looking at the Statue of Liberty, and 2) that doesn't erase photos?

* This is what's probably happening in ''Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers,'' with the whole personified nations thing. It's a lot more obvious in the Movie, where there's an AlienInvasion going on. Apparently, NASA and every astronomer in the world were too busy looking at solar flares to notice the Pict showing up all of a sudden. And what makes it all the more crazy is that at least in Switzerland, Liechtenstein and [[spoiler: Iceland]], ''none of that's happening.''

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* ''[[Series/StargateSG1 SG-1]]''/''{{VideoGame/XCOM}}'' crossover ''XSGCOM'' plays with this. After battle of Antarctica (with humanity having two 303's and two Ha'Taks, plus a shitload of satellite weapons) and finally having drone weapons launched X-COM decide to pull so unbelievable excuse, that it must be true: essentially they are claiming that AlienInvasion is a cover-up for military-exercise-nearly-turned-WWIII. They also lie that governments have been breaching the disarmament of space. To normal journalists, governments trying to cover up major screw up by alien invasion sounds more possible than the other way around.

* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles''. Harry also spends a decent amount of time explaining why it works over the series.

* [[WebVideo/NinjaTheMissionForce Was that a ninja I just saw?]] What's that? [[RunningGag Ninjas don't exist? They're just a fairy tale?]] Nevermind, then.

** Some of the stuff that happens in the series that should result in thousands of deaths, such as Oberon putting the whole city to sleep in the middle of whatever they were doing in "The Gathering," [[InferredHolocaust simply doesn't happen]]. [[WordOfGod According to some of the creators]], most or all of the [[NoEndorHolocaust implied destruction]] ''did'' actually happen, but the average episode was already straining the limits of what Disney would allow on the air, so [[NothingIsScarier they had to leave some things up to the imagination.]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/InfinityTrain'', people suddenly end up on [[EldritchLocation the train]] and are often gone for months before returning, whereas some have been gone so long they've almost certainly been presumed dead. Despite the train simultaneously holding dozens or perhaps hundreds of people for at least several decades, there's no sign of its existence becoming public knowledge. The epilogue for book one shows [[spoiler:Tulip has a MissingReflection even after getting home]], which apparently no one else has noticed.
* Subverted in ''WesternAnimation/DeltaState'' when it's revealed that, in spite of the Rifters taking considerable steps to hide their activities from humanity, the government is ''well'' aware of them and is has entire divisions devoted to combating them. Brody, who works for the government no less, is even rather amused by Luna being surprised that the government knows about the {{Masquerade}}, though assures her that they don't know about her or her friends.

* ''Roleplay/DawnOfANewAgeOldportBlues'' seems to have a particularly strong masquerade in place to explain why the existence of superpowers isn't made available to the public, despite such events as a giant bug monster attacking a warehouse of criminals and then the police, a bug swarm helping kidnap an author on a public street, a reptilian monster attacking multiple civilians, a car being flung through the air, and a news van being exploded by a fireball. There is some implication that the [[MenInBlack government]] have been trying to cover events up.

* In ''ComicBook/AstroCity'' story "Pastoral", the CloseKnitCommunity's means of acting as a collective SecretKeeper is ObfuscatingStupidity. They do it so well that Cammie feels like they are in a Masquerade that only she can see through.

** In "The Mirror", all of Manhattan's population is turned into Gargoyles for several hours. Of course they don't notice a difference due to the spell, but apparently none of them photographed themselves or drove outside the island during this time. What's more, the director's online commentary notes that the transformation destroyed their shoes and the re-transformation doesn't return them. Nobody thinks much is odd about suddenly losing their footwear.

* Seems to be in play in ''ComicBook/LeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen''. A Martian invasion devastates London in 1898, and come 2009 even the head of [=MI6=] (whose predecessor was ''involved'' in those events) is credulous that it ever happened. Presumably the [[Literature/NineteenEightyFour Ingsoc government]] of the 50s pulled overtime to edit records and convince people it was [[Literature/TheWarOfTheWorlds just a work of fiction]].

* Humanity on the whole remains ignorant of alien existence in ''Manga/SgtFrog'', even after the main cast of [[IntelligentGerbil Keronians]] have exotic machinery run amok outdoors and on a couple occasions ''performed before a stadium full of people''.

This is when a story has a {{Masquerade}} in place that, based on the events of the plot, should have been {{broken|Masquerade}}, but somehow [[StatusQuoIsGod isn't]]. Maybe a dragon terrorized the populace of Manhattan. Maybe aliens landed in London and had [[BritsLoveTea tea with]] the Queen. Or maybe the Sphinx came to life and led a mummy army against Cairo. Whatever the specifics may be, it seems like the world of the story should have become [[TheUnmasquedWorld unmasqued]], yet the general public seems as ignorant as ever.

** After a spell turns most of Manhattan's population into stone for two consecutive nights, said population lets it go with a shrug. While there's a scene where the people are understandably frightened at the prospect of having lost a night, nothing comes of it. Nobody outside of Manhattan seems to notice the largest city in America shut down completely either. There's also the fact that Demona shattered some people while they were turned to stone yet no one questioned where they went.

* ''Literature/Wereling2009:'' Early in the last book, it's noted that [[BigBad Caliban]]'s plan--transporting a giant black tower to the middle of London, complete with a magical force field around several blocks, then starting a ZombieApocalypse--will break TheMasquerade once and for all. Then, it doesn't, because the heroes make up a story that it was actually a chemical attack that made people hallucinate, which the government contained with secret force field technology. You'd think people would question why a chemical attack resulted in so many decapitated corpses, why everyone hallucinated the same thing, and why the government doesn't use its force field technology the next time something bad happens.

* Subverted in ''WesternAnimation/DeltaState'' when it's revealed that, in spite of the Rifters taking considerable steps to hide their activities from humanity, the government is ''well'' aware of them and is has entire divisions devoted to combating them. Brody, who works for the government no less, is even rather amused by Luna being surprised that the government knows about TheMasquerade, though assures her that they don't know about her or her friends.

** Vampires' Extra-Strength Masquerade is backed by them having the most thorough organization for maintaining the {{Masquerade}} of all supernatural splats, an organization which at least ''claims'' every vampire in existence as a member, and by said Masquerade also being the lynchpin of their political maneuverings. Individual vampires try to avoid even the most trivial Masquerade breach for fear that their enemies might use it to bring them down, young vampires try to curry favor with their elders and eliminate the competition by cleaning up everyone else's breaches, and every elder vampire who lasts long enough to become an elder fervently agrees with maintaining the status quo. Also, entire campaigns can be made out of playing [[TheMenInBlack Archons]] responsible for cleaning up after [[OffTheRails neonates gone Michael Bay]].

** Of course, by the beginning of the third film, the Fallen's broadcast is commonly assumed to be some kind of elaborate worldwide prank perpetrated by hackers. No mention is made of a city block in Paris getting leveled a US aircraft carrier being sunk at the same time.

** Of course, by the beginning of the third film, the Fallen's broadcast is commonly assumed to be some kind of elaborate worldwide prank perpetrated by hackers.

* In ''LightNovel/MagicalGirlRaisingProject'', even though Magical Girls are often seen when helping people leading to rumors about them, their existence is still a secret since memories of them tend to be fuzzy if contact is brief. The Land of Magic also has memory wiping magic if a large incident happens that can't be explained as a terrorist attack or whatnot.

[[folder:Film]]

--->''ring'' "Harry Dresden! [[NamesTheSame Yes, I'm really]] [[Franchise/HarryPotter a wizard named Harry]]. No, I don't do parties." ''click''