Trial Balloon Question: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

{{quote|'''Anders:''' Yeah, and then you wake up one day and discover you're another [[Tomato in the Mirror|thing]]. Still doesn't change who you really are. Still doesn't change the fact that I love you, no matter what.

 

Alice has been going through some rough times lately. She's discovered some upsetting facts about her likes, lifestyle preferences, or even ''species'' that aren't exactly conventional. It can range from the silly, like being a fan of a bad sports team, or a [[Real Life]] conflictive issue like being a lesbian, or ''[[Tomato in the Mirror|not actually being human]]''. Of course, she'll go through a lot of personal anguish over [[What Have I Become?|not being what she thought]], but she'll usually come to terms with it. This trope is about the fact that she's now [[Keeping Secrets Sucks|keeping a huge secret from those around her]], and she wants to let it out rather than [[Masquerade|live a lie.]] Complicating matters is that [[Have You Tried Not Being a Monster?|mainstream society]], or at least [[Fallen Princess|her social circle]], does ''not'' think this is kosher. They might even kill members of that group/species/whatever on sight.

 

 

The truth will eventually come out, and Bob will be forced to actually decide if he loves her for who rather than what she is. If enough people reject her before and after the revelation, she may switch factions entirely either due to disillusionment or for simple survival.

 

{{examples}}

== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==

* Happens in ''[[Scrapped Princess]]'' more than once.

* More or less happens early on in the manga/anime ''[[Esper Mami]]''. Mami has developed [[Psychic Powers]], and the teacher caught her daydreaming about being a superhero. He quickly warns Mami's parents that she's letting her imagination run away with her, and they'd better stifle it for her own good. So when Mami comes to her parents and starts querying about their thoughts on special abilities, they mention that in the old days, people with such powers were known as "witches", and if they existed today, well, we'd just have to [[Burn the Witch]], wouldn't we? Mami decides not to tell her parents, and as of the end of the anime, has still not come out to them. (Not sure about the manga.)

* In ''[[Genesis of Aquarion]]'', {{spoiler|Sirius}} asks {{spoiler|Reika}} what she would do if it turned out that there was a Shadow Angel in their midst. She thinks he's talking about a [[The Mole|mole]], so she reacts rather aggressively to the idea. When she finally finds out the truth she decides she doesn't care, {{spoiler|but she hesitates a half-second too long to prevent his [[Face Heel Turn]].}}

 

== [[Comic Books]] ==

* Sophie Kinsella's ''The Undomestic Godess'' has a main character who's a lawyer, but currently working as more of a maid, and the guy she loves hates lawyers.

 

** It happens in season 1 with Caprica Boomer (Later known as Athena) and Helo, after she decides to run away with him for real. She suggests Cylons can, y'know, love? And ''maybe'' they were misguided in nuking the colonies? Helo's "No, they knew perfectly well what they were doing, they're just ''[[Just a Machine|machines]]''" visibly upsets her before she hides it.

** In both of these cases {{spoiler|[[The Power of Love|Starbuck and Helo decide they love them more and accept their partners]] for what they are.}} Kara violently defends him and Helo bandages up Boomer ''after shooting her''. In his case, {{spoiler|her being pregnant}} helped turn him around.

* In the season 1 finale of ''[[Breaking Bad]]'', Skyler discovers that her sister has been shoplifting. Her husband Walt (who just robbed a chemical depository in order to make meth, while claiming he was away at a Navajo sweat lodge), asks her what she would do if it was him. She says she hopes she never has to find out.

 

* Used for comedy in Oscar Wilde's ''[[The Importance of Being Earnest]]''.

 

== [[Video Games]] ==

 

== [[Western Animation]] ==

* Happens in ''[[Megamind]]'', though Roxanne says she ''wouldn't'' mind the actual alien features and rejects Megamind based on his ''actions''.

 

[[Category:Stock Phrases]]

[[Category:Trial Balloon Question]]