Strangely Arousing

"I have the weirdest boner right now."

— Troy Barnes, Community, "Romantic Expressionism"

Sometimes, someone will come upon something they don't understand, or simply cannot comprehend. Maybe it's two (or more) people engaged in something so Head-Tiltingly Kinky that it blows their mind. Maybe it is an Eldritch Abomination made of nothing but tentacles and gaping orifices. Maybe it's Australian-rules football. It doesn't matter. All that we know is that:

1. They have no clue what is happening.
2. It's hot!

Strangely Arousing is a trope that takes people far beyond the brink of arousal, with no understanding of why. The confusing element doesn't even have to be sexual in any way. Nor does the character have to be one that responds sexually to everything. In fact, the trope works infinitely better if the inciting incident isn't indecent. Though if it is, it should be so far gone beyond "normal" sexuality it comes out the other side.

Compare Head-Tiltingly Kinky. Note that Stupid Sexy Flanders is a very mild form of the trope, limited only to an unusual homoerotic sensation. Can overlap Fantastic Arousal, but only when a party witnesses it without understanding it, or to further drive home a sense of Blue-and-Orange Morality. Can also be referenced later as a Call-Back when we later find the character has embraced this trope and turned it into a personal fetish.

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Examples:

Anime & Manga

• One chapter of Ayakashi Triangle leads to Suzu suggestively wrapped up in silkworm threads. She tells Matsuri not to start a fight (turns out the ayakashi controlling the threads was just taking her measurements), and he uncomfortably resolves to just watch. Shirogane then give Matsuri a Dope Slap, with the obvious suggestion that watching someone else do things to Suzu was arousing him.
  Shirogane: What kind of kinky stuff is this?! Stop it already!
• Hana Isuzu from Girls und Panzer gets aroused the first time she fires the Panzer IV's 75 mm gun, not exactly knowing why, and afterwards volunteers to be the team's gunner.

Fan Works

• The My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic fanfiction ARTICLE 2 has to destroy a large cache of human weapons a pegasus researcher found fascinating. The available tools on hand? Explosives! After the resulting blast, said pegasus has problems keeping his wings down, and a small amount of teasing on the matter.
  • Later, the main character introduces several male guards to the joys of centerfolds, with each and every one tilting their head when the pages unfold. Some things are universal: dudes like looking at photos of racing cars. What, what did you think I was going to say?
  I’m not even sure what I’m looking at... but I like it.

Film — Live-Action

• Clerks II. Upon witnessing the Donkey Show, Becky exclaims, "I'm disgusted and repulsed and... and I can't look away."
• In eXistenZ, the two main characters are in an advanced form of video game where their characters suddenly feel aroused and start making out; At first they are confused but quickly figure out that the game's script calls for their characters to start a love affair, so they just go with it to advance the plot, all the while talking on a meta-level about the significance of the whole thing and their situation.
• Kinsey: In a meta-example, during one of the survey interviews, one subject claims he only ever achieved orgasm once, while playing Mozart. The interviewer is clearly confounded by the idea.
• In Pride & Prejudice: A Latter-Day Comedy, Will has a less bizarre version, saying, "I find... I find, I find you strangely attractive. [beat] You're not the sort of girl I normally go out with—I mean, you're loud, you're disorganized, your friends are an embarrassment. But I like you, I don't know why. Will you... will you... will you have dinner with me tomorrow night?"

Live-Action TV

• Community:
  • In "Romantic Expressionism", Troy is both confused and aroused by his perspective on Annie after Jeff and Britta manipulate him into thinking about her in a sexual manner, providing the page quote.
  • In "Basic RV Repair and Palmistry", while looking at Britta trying to squeeze through the giant hand, Jeff wonders out loud what's wrong with him if he finds it hot.
• How I Met Your Mother has Marshal learn that Lily has been subtly training him to use good hygiene via sex, which he says explains why he gets aroused when he flosses. In another episode he shares that to even look at a woman other than Lily he has to concoct an elaborate Imagine Spot of her death and him waiting a respectable amount of time to move on, which only made death and sex interconnected and he's "sporting a partial" when they pass a cemetery.
• Mystery Science Theater 3000: A running gag about Tom Servo is that some of the strangest and Ambiguously Gay things sort of turn him on. It carries over into The Movie.

Web Animation

• Red vs. Blue. Upon learning that multiple assumptions regarding the other cast members were wrong, Sheila the Tank says, "I am confused. I thought your name was López. And I thought you were a man. This is all so strange. I feel like my circuits are crossed... And I like it."
  • In season 11, Sarge, Grif, and Doc find a Humongous Mecha on board a crashed ship. Grif and Doc beg Sarge to stop describing the mech with female pronouns as they find it weird. Sarge responds:
  Sarge: Not as weird as the throbbing erection she's giving me!

Web Original

• Attack on Titan Abridged has Connie's reaction to Sasha drooling over the meat she got from Shardis.
  Connie: "I HAVE THE MOST AWKWARD BONER!"
• Hellsing Ultimate Abridged:
  • Episode 4 has Alucard's reaction to Schrödinger, the girly-looking metaphysical Nazi catboy.
    Alucard: "Ah, the return of the "why" boner. With a vengeance."
  • The outtakes in Episode 10 bring this back with the aged Integra.
    Alucard: Y'know, you do look like a gender-bent Walter... "Why Boner 3: THE RECKONIIIIIIIING!"
• One episode of Yu-Gi-Oh! The Abridged Series makes a Running Gag over the phrase "I have the weirdest boner right now.":
  • The first part has it with Kaiba at the beginning:
  Kaiba: A Blue-Eyes White Dragon Train! I have the weirdest boner right now.
  • Then Téa's reaction when Yami challenges Noah for possession of his body:
  Yami: My body, Noah. Take it or leave it.
  Téa: I have the weirdest boner right now.
  • And finally Yami when Noah tries to forcibly take possession of his body:
  Noah: You're not getting away that easy! (Grabs Yugi's chests) Your nipples belong to me! I want your body! Give it to me! Let me in! LET ME IN!
  Yami: I have the weirdest boner right now!
  • The first episode of Season Zero Abridged has Yugi unable to stop looking at Ushio's Big Ol' Eyebrows.
  Yugi: (Thinking) "God, those eyebrows are huge! I can't stop staring at them! It's like Martin Scorsese and Jennifer Connelly had a baby. And now I'm picturing Martin Scorsese having sex with Jennifer Connelly... Why do I keep doing that?!"
  Ushio: "Something wrong?"
  Yugi: "I AM EXTREMELY AROUSED!"

Western Animation

• Family Guy. Quagmire finds it strangely arousing to see Lois beat up a bunch of New Yorkers. Not paying attention, he accidentally drops the window he opened up on his manhood and had to call 911.
  Quagmire: Hello, 911? It's Quagmire. Yea-yeah, it's in a window this time.
• South Park. Butters, upon watching Back Door Sluts 9, experiences arousal for what we can assume is the first time. "What's going on down there?". It acts as a double-down of the trope, as both the porno and his arousal are strange and exciting.

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