A hero is trying to Screw Destiny by defying a villain who, according to a prophecy, will rule the world.
What the hero doesn't know, however, is that his actions have done nothing but further the villain's plans.
"Aliens? Do you honestly really think they're not from Earth?"
The "aliens" aren't from Earth: they're Eldritch Abomination Demonic Invaders, and they're much higher on the Sliding Scale of Villain Threat.
"How far do you think it really goes?"
edited 2nd Aug '11 12:47:55 AM by USAF713
I am now known as Flyboy.The protagonist has his eyes opened to corruption within the ranks of the supposedly lawful/benevolent organisation he recently became a part of. The line is dropped to him by a more cynical friend of his who ranks higher up in that organisation, implying that it runs much deeper than even the protagonist could imagine.
"Okay, good... That means it's working."
Switch FC code: SW-4420-1809-1805The line-sayer is a humanitarian. In fact, they're a wendigo. And thanks to what the character just got tricked into eating, sooh s/he will be, too...
Turn it over. I can't stand sad songs.
"Proto-Indo-European makes the damnedest words related. It's great. It's the Kevin Bacon of etymology." ~MadrugadaThe Villain, up till now portrayed as sympathetic and redeemable because of The Power of Love discovers that the girl he'd loved is already married to someone else, and for various reasons the two of them are incompatable.
And then someone much more sinister comes along to comfort him...
"Don't you see?! Mankind is broken! I'm just trying to make things right...!"
WWE wrestler Mick Foley, once know as Mankind(
) has been badly injured due to pulling another one of his crazy stunts. The Doctor taking care of him is stating this to the People inquiring if he will wrestle again, since he feels guilty for letting Mick go back out into the ring, knowing what he would do.
He's already awake again isn't he?
One Strip! One Strip!One of the protagonists, heavily sedated and strapped to his bed, hears the conversations of the nurses in the adjacent room, discussing how, after months of slowly going mad, he had snapped a month before he woke up.
Thing is, he can't remember a thing of the moment he snapped. Through the haze of the drugs, he vaguely remembers the details leading up to it... sigils painted in red on his walls, a black book, the voices... but what happened?
"Do you see it, Michael? The wheels that turn this world?"
edited 13th Aug '11 9:48:04 AM by Icarael
"Stealing is a crime and drugs is a crime too BUT if you steal drugs the two crimes cancel out and it’s like basically doing a good."Michael is an assistant of Mad Scientist who claims to know the secret of the Universe. When Michael starts questioning his boss motives and trust, annoyed sciencist opens some doors and show him something that makes him scream and go insane. Then Eldritch Abomination reaches from the portal and grabs Michael as doctor ask that question.
Rats who dares to stand before us, feel our guns go live!
edited 13th Aug '11 7:01:00 AM by PrimoVictoria
A group of housecats have formed a Thrash Metal band. Their lyricist does not like rats, and they have acquired firearms. Hilarity ensues.
"Well, Burlybeef Mc Manlyton, you certainly have travelled far. Your persistence is to be admired, however futile it may be. Ah-ah-ah! Not too close! One more step and I'll pull this!"
I'm not quite sure you people really understand what a Wham Line is...
Correction - the idea is to create the prior circumstances that could make a statement a Wham Line. Basically, create a scenario that could be radically altered by someone saying that line.
edited 2nd Sep '11 4:18:27 AM by Iaculus
What's precedent ever done for us?Hence why the last response didn't fit—it was an interesting explanation for the line, but it wasn't a situation that would be radically changed by it.
The speaker is a sympathetic very popular character in a high school or college setting. The line doesn't seem to make sense until you realize he's a Half-Human Hybrid trying to live both in our world and behind The Masquerade at the same time. The 'they' who will not accept him are the full-blooded versions of his other half playing Fantastic Racism.
"He opened the door to find that the noise was in fact coming from above."
Shinigan (Naruto fanfic)"A Police Officer has been hunting a killer (who unbeknowst to him, was Supernatural in orgin) and entered a room where he knew said killer Character Tic said murderer posseses. The tendency to click his tongue. He kicks the door down thinking he has the advantage, only to see an empty room.
He can still hear the clicking though, and that's when he realizes the truth.
We were too late. I sorry Sarge....... she's dead.
One Strip! One Strip!Takes place in a book where two soldiers were going behind enemy lines to rescue the president. the soldier speaking is the dimmer one, and the "She's dead" is the WHAM. "She" means it wasn't the president they were trying to rescue.
The war is not the problem. This was never about the war.
edited 2nd Sep '11 5:56:13 PM by OriDoodle
DoodlesA high-ranking, decorated general of The Kingdom has just been asked by The Hero why, when he had The Empire's greatest tactician captured and locked up, he didn't simply have him executed. The general's answer is simply that, the war itself was never a priority; all of the missions that the general had sent The Hero on were actually meant to bring the tactician and the general far enough behind enemy lines to finally dispose of their greedy, incompetent sovereigns and divide the land between them.
Don't forget, my friend... everyone wins one.
edited 4th Sep '11 2:58:42 PM by tropetown
A previously weak rival-type character who has always been defeated by the heroes finally snaps. Once before, the hero had defeated him in a sparring match, but consoled him by stating that "everyone wins one." Years later, after a falling-out, after both the hero and rival do a lot of unforgivable things and destroy any friendship they might have once had, the rival joins the villain and pulls a Xanatos Gambit to ensure that he can enact his revenge on the hero without the villain getting in the way. While the hero is lying on the ground, broken, defeated and on the verge of death, that line is said.
"I was there all along."
Anyway here's BlackwallThe protagonist and his love interest, who works at an orphanage, are trapped by the villain. As victory appears to be guarenteed, he decides that this is the perfect time to reveal everything about his previously unknown backstory. Apparently, the event that first led him onto the path of evil was being bullied on a daily basis at the orphanage. He whines that he probably wouldn't have turned out the way he is now if the lady caretaker had been more assertive with the bullies, and admits that the main reason he targeted the hero was because his girlfriend looks like that caretaker. That's when the love interest apologizes for everything, and when both the hero and the villain ask what she's talking about, she utters the above line and reveals that she's been the caretaker at that orphanage since the day it was built, more than a century ago.
"Dying with dignity sure sounds nice, but I think that living with dignity will be a whole lot better."
edited 6th Sep '11 12:09:04 AM by EndarkCuli
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A stealthy villain has managed to whittle down a five-man band of adventurers to two people, and both of the remaining adventurers are at his mercy. He gives them a sadistic choice: whoever pledges his loyalty to the villain first will be spared while the other one will automatically be killed.
After several minutes of silence, both shout "Never!" at the same time. The villain cackles and remarks that at least they would die beautifully with their dignity intact.
It's then revealed that one of the adventurers that the villain thought he killed had actually managed to survive and pinpoint his location. He says the line above as he stabs the villain.
—> Dammit, I ran out of knives. <—
edited 6th Sep '11 3:48:10 AM by fillerdude
The hero is facing the villain and his various minions, and then the Big Bad tells him something nthat shakes his whole world. As he's standing there, mouth open, The Cavalry arrives! The short, dirty-fighting but lovable scoundrel of the Party has brought them, and he does his all to enjoy the moment to its fullest, although he does little to contribute to the victory as their opponents are dragons and golems and his measly weapons break the moment he tries to use them (though he is saved by another member of the massive heroic army a moment later every time). As the Cavalry is chasing the survivors into the hills he walks up to the still shocked hero and speaks the above line.
"But if you are her, and she is him, then who am I?"

The speaker is The Messiah acting as a figurehead for La Résistance after one too many Break the Cutie / Break The Stoic moments and losing too many friends to pretend that The End Justifies the Means any longer. So when the rebel leaders present their newest fail-safe plan, he shakes his head and leaves, leaving them to their fates.
"Fighting fate? Were it not for fate, the lowliest ant could tear the stars from the sky."
edited 30th Jul '11 1:43:58 PM by Winglerfish
In this episode, Michael attempts to construct a time machine to escape debt and dinner party obligations.