Noodle Incident: Difference between revisions

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Hobbes: What about the noodle incident?
Calvin: No one can prove I did that!

—Calvin and Hobbes

The Noodle Incident is something from the past that is sometimes referred to but never explained, with the implication that it's just too ludicrous for words, and the reality that any explanation would fall short of audience expectations. Questions about it are often met with "You Do NOT Want to Know" or "Don't Ask". Persisting is a good way to press a character's Berserk Button.

Commonly introduced to the audience through a Wiki Walk. Or by having characters react to some fantastic and improbable event with "Oh no, not again."

Named for an incident referenced by the characters of Calvin and Hobbes, where the author admitted he decided against ever stating what happened, as he figured nothing he could come up with would be as outrageous as what the readers thought happened.

The inversion of this would be Let Us Never Speak of This Again, where the event in question is shown onscreen and the characters make a pact to never mention it.

Compare Second Hand Storytelling, Take Our Word for It, Cryptic Background Reference, Noodle Implements, That Mysterious Thing, What Did I Do Last Night?. Reminiscing about a Noodle Incident by the people involved can result in Lost in Transmission for an outsider. Compare and contrast Offscreen Moment of Awesome, where the off-screen incident would have been better on-screen. See also Cow Tools. Enough such incidents create a character who has Seen It All. If a Noodle Incident is essential to solving a mystery, it's a Riddle for the Ages. If it results in the person/people involved being banished from wherever it happened, they've become Persona Non Grata. See also Great Offscreen War. Contrast Oblivious Mockery, where characters talk about an event they don't know happened but the viewer does (most of the time). Should not be confused with Cut Short, which is where a new instalment was intended to be made after leaving things to leave room for it, but it gets cancelled.

Please do not confuse with the GNR album "The Spaghetti Incident?" (which is, however, a noodle incident itself). Or The Google Incident. (Or the sequel.)

Examples of Noodle Incidents are listed on these subpages:

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{trope}}
-[[File:noodle-incident_gunnerkrigg-court_409.jpg|link=Gunnerkrigg Court|right]]
+[[File:noodle-incident gunnerkrigg-court 409.jpg|link=Gunnerkrigg Court|frame]]
-{{quote|'''Hobbes:''' What about the [[Trope Namer|noodle incident]]?<br />
+{{quote|'''Hobbes:''' What about the [[Trope Namer|noodle incident]]?
-'''Calvin:''' [[Suspiciously Specific Denial|No one can prove I did that!]]|''[[Calvin and Hobbes]]''}}
+'''Calvin:''' [[Suspiciously Specific Denial|No one can prove I did that!]]
+|''[[Calvin and Hobbes]]''}}
-The [[Noodle Incident]] is something from the past that is sometimes referred to but never explained, with the implication that [[Crazy Awesome|it's just too ludicrous for words]], and the reality that any explanation would fall short of audience expectations. Questions about it are often met with "[[You Do NOT Want to Know|You Don't Want To Know…]]" Persisting is a good way to press a character's [[Berserk Button]].
+The '''Noodle Incident''' is something from the past that is sometimes referred to but never explained, with the implication that [[Crazy Awesome|it's just too ludicrous for words]], and the reality that any explanation would fall short of audience expectations. Questions about it are often met with "[[You Do NOT Want to Know]]" or "[[Don't Ask]]".  Persisting is a good way to press a character's [[Berserk Button]].
 Commonly introduced to the audience through a [[Wiki Walk]]. Or by having characters react to some fantastic and improbable event with "[[Oh, No, Not Again|Oh no, not again]]."
@@ Line 11: / Line 12: @@
 Named for an incident referenced by the characters of ''[[Calvin and Hobbes]]'', where the author admitted he decided against ever stating what happened, as he figured nothing he could come up with would be as outrageous as what the readers thought happened.
 The inversion of this would be [[Let Us Never Speak of This Again]], where the event in question is shown onscreen and the characters make a pact to never mention it.
-Compare [[Second Hand Storytelling]], [[Take Our Word for It]], [[Cryptic Background Reference]], [[Noodle Implements]], [[That Mysterious Thing]], [[What Did I Do Last Night?]]. Reminiscing about a [[Noodle Incident]] by the people involved can result in [[Lost in Transmission]] for an outsider. Compare and contrast [[Offscreen Moment of Awesome]], where the off-screen incident would have been better on-screen. See also [[Cow Tools]]. Enough such incidents create a character who has [[Seen It All]]. If a [[Noodle Incident]] is essential to solving a mystery, it's a [[Riddle for the Ages]]. If it results in the person/people involved being banished from wherever it happened, they've become [[Persona Non Grata]]. See also [[Great Offscreen War]]. Contrast [[Oblivious Mockery]], where characters talk about an event they don't know happened but the ''viewer'' does (most of the time). Should not be confused with [[Woody's Finest Hour]], which is where a new installment was intended to be made after leaving things to leave room for it, but it gets cancelled.
+Compare [[Second Hand Storytelling]], [[Take Our Word for It]], [[Cryptic Background Reference]], [[Noodle Implements]], [[That Mysterious Thing]], [[What Did I Do Last Night?]]. Reminiscing about a Noodle Incident by the people involved can result in [[Lost in Transmission]] for an outsider. Compare and contrast [[Offscreen Moment of Awesome]], where the off-screen incident would have been better on-screen. See also [[Cow Tools]]. Enough such incidents create a character who has [[Seen It All]]. If a Noodle Incident is essential to solving a mystery, it's a [[Riddle for the Ages]]. If it results in the person/people involved being banished from wherever it happened, they've become [[Persona Non Grata]]. See also [[Great Offscreen War]]. Contrast [[Oblivious Mockery]], where characters talk about an event they don't know happened but the ''viewer'' does (most of the time). Should not be confused with [[Cut Short]], which is where a new instalment was intended to be made after leaving things to leave room for it, but it gets cancelled.
-Please do not confuse with the [[Guns N' Roses|GNR]] album ''"The Spaghetti Incident?"'' (which is, however, a noodle incident itself). Or [[The Google Incident]]. (Or [[About/The Second Google Incident|the sequel]].)
+Please do not confuse with the [[Guns N' Roses|GNR]] album ''"The Spaghetti Incident?"'' (which is, however, a noodle incident itself). Or [[The Google Incident]]. (Or [[TV Tropes/The Second Google Incident|the sequel]].)
-{{examples}}
+{{examples on subpages|suf=s}}
-* [[Noodle Incident/Advertising|Advertising]]
-* [[Noodle Incident/Anime and Manga|Anime and Manga]]
-* [[Noodle Incident/Comic Books|Comic Books]]
-* [[Noodle Incident/Fan Works|Fan Works]]
-* [[Noodle Incident/Film|Film]]
-* [[Noodle Incident/Jokes|Jokes]]
-* [[Noodle Incident/Literature|Literature]]
-* [[Noodle Incident/Live Action TV|Live Action TV]]
-* [[Noodle Incident/Music|Music]]
-* [[Noodle Incident/Newspaper Comics|Newspaper Comics]]
-* [[Noodle Incident/Puppet Shows|Puppet Shows]]
-* [[Noodle Incident/Radio|Radio]]
-* [[Noodle Incident/Stand Up Comedy|Stand Up Comedy]]
-* [[Noodle Incident/Tabletop Games|Tabletop Games]]
-* [[Noodle Incident/Theater|Theater]]
-* [[Noodle Incident/Video Games|Video Games]]
-* [[Noodle Incident/Web Animation|Web Animation]]
-* [[Noodle Incident/Webcomics|Webcomics]]
-* [[Noodle Incident/Web Original|Web Original]]
-* [[Noodle Incident/Western Animation|Western Animation]]
-* [[Noodle Incident/Real Life|Real Life]]
 {{reflist}}
-[[Category:This Index Happened Offscreen]]
+[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
-[[Category:Narrative Devices]]
 [[Category:Absurdity Ascendant]]
+[[Category:Born in the Funny Papers]]
+[[Category:Comedy Tropes]]
 [[Category:Dialogue]]
+[[Category:Narrative Devices]]
 [[Category:Older Than Radio]]
-[[Category:Comedy Tropes]]
+[[Category:Show, Don't Tell]]
-[[Category:Show Don't Tell]]
+[[Category:This Index Happened Offscreen]]
-[[Category:index]]
-[[Category:Noodle Incident]]
-[[Category:Born in the Funny Papers]]