Basic Trope: A person forgets that a mind-reader is present and thinks something they doesn't want known.
- Straight: Alice has just developed mind-reading powers. While she's rambling on about something to Bob, he thinks, "Bo-ring! I wish Emperor Evulz would come along — then I could get out of this."
- Exaggerated: Alice has just developed mind-reading powers. While she's rambling on about something to Bob, he thinks, "Bo-ring! I wish Emperor Evulz would come along — then I could get out of this." His attempt to correct himself when he realizes Alice could potentially hear him results in even more faux pas.
- Downplayed: Alice has just developed mind-reading powers. While she's rambling on about something to Bob, he thinks, "Bo-ring! I wish — oh wait, Alice can hear me; quick, think something else…"
- Justified:
- Bob is not used to Alice having these powers.
- Alice just got these powers. It's not "Forgot about the mind reader" in this case, it's "Never knew they could read minds."
- Inverted:
- Alice has just developed mind-reading powers. Bob thinks, "Wow! She's beautiful, daring, smart, and a great conversationalist", hoping Alice will be listening in on his thoughts.
- Alice has just developed mind-reading powers. Bob polices his thoughts to make sure Alice doesn't hear anything he doesn't want her to hear, but she isn't listening to his mind.
- Bob knows Alice has mind-reading powers, but she doesn't.
- Subverted: Bob has Psychic Static beaming false, embarrassing-but-harmless thoughts into the minds of telepaths like Alice. He feigns shock and indignation when she comments on one of them, but it really just tells him his deception is working.
- Double Subverted: Bob has Psychic Static beaming false, embarrassing-but-harmless thoughts into the minds of telepaths like Alice. It's not working, as he finds out when she chooses just the right time to reveal a thought that he was trying to hide.
- Parodied:
- Alice has just developed mind-reading powers and is literally telling Bob how she got those powers and how they work. He thinks, "Bo-ring! I wish Emperor Evulz would come along — then I could get out of this." He's bemused when she elbows him in the ribs and castigates him for not paying attention to her.
- Both Alice and Bob have mind-reading powers with a direct Psychic Link to each other, and they forget about each other's telepathy all the time — to a Fridge Logic-inducing degree.
- Zig-Zagged: Sometimes, Bob remembers that Alice has mind-reading abilities, while other times, he forgets.
- Averted: No people in the story have mind-reading abilities.
- Enforced: The author is trying to highlight the downsides of superpowers.
- Lampshaded:Bob: [Thinking] Bo-ring! I wish Emperor Evulz would — wait, Alice can hear me now. Was she listening? Rats, rats, rats!
- Invoked: ???
- Exploited: Alice goads people with leading questions.
- Defied: Alice has control over her powers and believes in Mind over Manners; she'll only read your mind if she's trying and you've given her a reason.
- Discussed: ???
- Conversed: "This girl in the movie just learned how to read minds, and a boy's crushing on her hard, but he's too shy to tell her — this is going to be hilarious!"
This is the stupidest trope I've ever heard of. If I have to hear one more example — wait! Were you listening?
