Search/Recent Changes
DBTropes
...it's like TV Tropes, but LINKED DATA!

Apathy Killed the Cat

 Apathy Killed the Cat
type
FeatureClass
 Apathy Killed the Cat
label
Apathy Killed the Cat
 Apathy Killed the Cat
page
ApathyKilledTheCat
 Apathy Killed the Cat
comment
Remember that old saying, "Curiosity killed the cat"? It seems that many fictional characters have taken it so close to heart that it may as well be a pacemaker.
Whenever "normals" from the real world end up discovering they're in a Speculative Fiction and/or Supernatural world, they inevitably run afoul of some Applied Phlebotinum, Negative Space Wedgie or magical phenomenon... and show no curiosity as to how it works, why it's there, or any other thing that people would immediately wonder about.
Advertisement:propertag.cmd.push(function() { proper_display('tvtropes_mobile_ad_1'); })Of course, in some cases, the characters are afraid of messing with something they don't understand. Most of the time though, they don't even ask the simplest questions that anyone would be dying to know; or, you know, might lead to them not screwing up things further. The plot cannot have that, however.
Specific instances of this outside technology also include alien societies in general, ignoring their discoveries in science, philosophy, art, culture in general, even local flora and fauna unless it's the deadly carnivorous plant variety. This often leads to (or results from) a Planet of Hats treatment. Other possibilities include the discovery of an afterlife (Judeo-Christian or not), the existence of souls and ghosts, the discovery of superpowers, and in general discovering a partial or full answer to one of the deep questions humanity currently wrestles with.
Advertisement:propertag.cmd.push(function() { proper_display('tvtropes_mobile_ad_2'); })Then again, Curiosity Killed the Cast.
Compare Misapplied Phlebotinum and Forgotten Phlebotinum. See also It's Probably Nothing, and Bystander Syndrome. Contrast Achievements in Ignorance, for when this is necessary.
 Apathy Killed the Cat
fetched
2023-03-13T09:58:08Z
 Apathy Killed the Cat
parsed
2023-03-13T09:58:08Z
 Apathy Killed the Cat
processingComment
Dropped link to FantasyKitchenSink: Not an Item - FEATURE
 Apathy Killed the Cat
processingComment
Dropped link to HeroicMime: Not an Item - FEATURE
 Apathy Killed the Cat
processingComment
Dropped link to InsaneClownPosse: Not an Item - IGNORE
 Apathy Killed the Cat
processingComment
Dropped link to ReedRichardsIsUseless: Not an Item - FEATURE
 Apathy Killed the Cat
processingComment
Dropped link to SerialKiller: Not an Item - FEATURE
 Apathy Killed the Cat
processingComment
Dropped link to StrawmanPolitical: Not an Item - FEATURE
 Apathy Killed the Cat
processingComment
Dropped link to SufficientlyAdvancedTechnology: Not an Item - FEATURE
 Apathy Killed the Cat
processingComment
Dropped link to VillainProtagonist: Not an Item - FEATURE
 Apathy Killed the Cat
processingComment
Dropped link to VisionQuest: Not an Item - FEATURE
 Apathy Killed the Cat
processingComment
Dropped link to justifiedtrope: Not an Item - FEATURE
 Apathy Killed the Cat
isPartOf
DBTropes
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_16941c6
type
Apathy Killed the Cat
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_16941c6
comment
Teen Wolf: Nobody seems to be too interested in the existence of werewolves other than how well they can play high school basketball.
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_16941c6
featureApplicability
1.0
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_16941c6
featureConfidence
1.0
 Teen Wolf
hasFeature
Apathy Killed the Cat / int_16941c6
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_1b71921c
type
Apathy Killed the Cat
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_1b71921c
comment
In Misfile, Ash and Emily meet with angels and learn of a Celestial Bureaucracy that can rewrite reality depending on how the files are arranged. They show no interest in this at all beyond their current predicament.
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_1b71921c
featureApplicability
1.0
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_1b71921c
featureConfidence
1.0
 Misfile (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Apathy Killed the Cat / int_1b71921c
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_33dd1d90
type
Apathy Killed the Cat
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_33dd1d90
comment
Half-Life 2:
Gordon Freeman seems perfectly happy to join up with the first faction he meets without asking simple questions like "Who are you fighting?", "Why?" or "Do you have any kind of plan?". Or saying anything at all, actually. There is a bit of a Hand Wave in that said faction does consist largely of his former coworkers and friends.
The other faction also tries to kill Gordon before he's made any decisions at all. Which would tend to streamline the decision-making process tremendously.
The G-Man's comments at the end hint Gordon might be without free will, contracted to the faction he fought for by the G-Man.
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_33dd1d90
featureApplicability
1.0
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_33dd1d90
featureConfidence
1.0
 Half-Life 2 (Video Game)
hasFeature
Apathy Killed the Cat / int_33dd1d90
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_36ee2abe
type
Apathy Killed the Cat
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_36ee2abe
comment
This is a common survival tactic in Paranoia, where even the most innocent question could be beyond your security clearance and suddenly draw the attention of Friend Computer, IntSec, and/or your overeager teammates who are looking for an excuse to terminate you for being a suspected Commie mutant traitor.
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_36ee2abe
featureApplicability
1.0
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_36ee2abe
featureConfidence
1.0
 Paranoia (Tabletop Game)
hasFeature
Apathy Killed the Cat / int_36ee2abe
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_3d7a9e29
type
Apathy Killed the Cat
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_3d7a9e29
comment
In The Lost Room, a character gets a key that takes him into a hotel room that exists outside time and space. Walking out of the room takes you to any place in the world with a door. Why, why, why didn't he start experimenting with things like climbing out the window to see what happens? This is especially glaring considering that other characters do things like put things in the room, then close and open the door (making them disappear) and check if the room has electricity and running water (it does).
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_3d7a9e29
featureApplicability
1.0
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_3d7a9e29
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Lost Room
hasFeature
Apathy Killed the Cat / int_3d7a9e29
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_54291151
type
Apathy Killed the Cat
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_54291151
comment
Blythe from Littlest Pet Shop (2012) somehow gains the ability to talk to and understand animals following a dumbwaiter accident. After a brief questioning of it in the first episode, the how and why of it beyond "dumbwaiter accident" is never brought up or pursued again.
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_54291151
featureApplicability
1.0
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_54291151
featureConfidence
1.0
 Littlest Pet Shop (2012)
hasFeature
Apathy Killed the Cat / int_54291151
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_5921531b
type
Apathy Killed the Cat
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_5921531b
comment
It's used to an extent in Persona 4 to pull out a surprise twist, should the player start questioning why the protagonist managed to obtain his persona-summoning abilities WITHOUT having to face his inner demons.
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_5921531b
featureApplicability
1.0
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_5921531b
featureConfidence
1.0
 Persona 4 (Video Game)
hasFeature
Apathy Killed the Cat / int_5921531b
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_5b3356f8
type
Apathy Killed the Cat
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_5b3356f8
comment
Turning Red: Most of Mei's classmates seem uninterested in finding out that her giant red panda transformation is linked to her emotions they only care that the form is cute and huggable. This attitude causes Tyler to become complacent and think bullying her won't have any consequences.
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_5b3356f8
featureApplicability
1.0
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_5b3356f8
featureConfidence
1.0
 Turning Red
hasFeature
Apathy Killed the Cat / int_5b3356f8
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_6053d9f9
type
Apathy Killed the Cat
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_6053d9f9
comment
Silent Hill:
In Silent Hill 2, when James sees his first monster, he promptly whacks it with a board and wonders briefly what it is. After that, he never questions anything else about the decidedly messed up town he's in. Justified because he's completely nuts.
Subverted in Silent Hill 3. Like those before her, Heather assumes the monsters to be either demons or illusions, only to be rebuffed with the famous line: "Monsters? They look like monsters to you?" Of course, Vincent is a Manipulative Bastard of a psychiatrist/cult leader, so he may just be trying to mess with her.
Henry of Silent Hill 4 suffers from the same lack of reflection on the circumstances he's facing. Could be justified in that he's been through extended isolation, sleep deprivation, and malnourishment to the point that he could be prone to and apathetic to hallucination, but this is simply a projection of conditions only alluded to in the beginning, and never touched on through the story. Heck, the first person he runs into, a woman named Velasquez, assumes it's all a weird dream and comes on to Henry. Most of the other people who end up in the Other Side have similar confused and muted reactions, if at all, as the crackhead doesn't seem to even see the monsters.
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_6053d9f9
featureApplicability
-0.3
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_6053d9f9
featureConfidence
1.0
 Silent Hill (Franchise)
hasFeature
Apathy Killed the Cat / int_6053d9f9
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_68ff28c9
type
Apathy Killed the Cat
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_68ff28c9
comment
In Silent Hill 2, when James sees his first monster, he promptly whacks it with a board and wonders briefly what it is. After that, he never questions anything else about the decidedly messed up town he's in. Justified because he's completely nuts.
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_68ff28c9
featureApplicability
1.0
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_68ff28c9
featureConfidence
1.0
 Silent Hill 2 (Video Game)
hasFeature
Apathy Killed the Cat / int_68ff28c9
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_68ff28ca
type
Apathy Killed the Cat
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_68ff28ca
comment
Subverted in Silent Hill 3. Like those before her, Heather assumes the monsters to be either demons or illusions, only to be rebuffed with the famous line: "Monsters? They look like monsters to you?" Of course, Vincent is a Manipulative Bastard of a psychiatrist/cult leader, so he may just be trying to mess with her.
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_68ff28ca
featureApplicability
-0.3
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_68ff28ca
featureConfidence
1.0
 Silent Hill 3 (Video Game)
hasFeature
Apathy Killed the Cat / int_68ff28ca
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_68ff28cb
type
Apathy Killed the Cat
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_68ff28cb
comment
Henry of Silent Hill 4 suffers from the same lack of reflection on the circumstances he's facing. Could be justified in that he's been through extended isolation, sleep deprivation, and malnourishment to the point that he could be prone to and apathetic to hallucination, but this is simply a projection of conditions only alluded to in the beginning, and never touched on through the story. Heck, the first person he runs into, a woman named Velasquez, assumes it's all a weird dream and comes on to Henry. Most of the other people who end up in the Other Side have similar confused and muted reactions, if at all, as the crackhead doesn't seem to even see the monsters.
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_68ff28cb
featureApplicability
1.0
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_68ff28cb
featureConfidence
1.0
 Silent Hill 4 (Video Game)
hasFeature
Apathy Killed the Cat / int_68ff28cb
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_74b21a30
type
Apathy Killed the Cat
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_74b21a30
comment
Christopher Lloyd's character in Suburban Commando seems to have no questions or comments when it is revealed that his tenant is an alien bounty hunter. The most he registers is mild annoyance at the fact that he WAS FROZEN TODAY!
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_74b21a30
featureApplicability
1.0
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_74b21a30
featureConfidence
1.0
 Suburban Commando
hasFeature
Apathy Killed the Cat / int_74b21a30
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_7832b74c
type
Apathy Killed the Cat
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_7832b74c
comment
Steven Universe:
The Crystal Gems deliberately hide a lot about gems and their history from Steven, but even then Steven tends to not ask questions when they would otherwise be very helpful.
In a broader sense, the Crystal Gems, despite having made their lives' purpose for thousands of years to defend Earth, its living creatures, and humanity, have shown basically zero curiosity about any of them. To the point that what a baby is was unknown to them when Steven was born. While some of it made sense (there had been no union between a human and a gem before Steven so they couldn't be sure what capabilities baby Steven had and how much of Rose resided in him), a lot of stuff seen in flashback indicates they basically lived as hermits with no understanding of the society or species they charged themselves with protecting. It's only when they became responsible for raising Steven that this changed as their role as his caretaker now forced them to acquire this understanding.
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_7832b74c
featureApplicability
1.0
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_7832b74c
featureConfidence
1.0
 Steven Universe
hasFeature
Apathy Killed the Cat / int_7832b74c
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_7a2e12e5
type
Apathy Killed the Cat
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_7a2e12e5
comment
Invoked in Spider-Man: Far From Home. Quentin Beck’s deception of claiming to be a warrior from another dimension works because people in the MCU are so used to the surprise arrival of gods and aliens that nobody bothers to investigate him closely and discover he’s just a disgruntled Stark Industries employee with special effects.
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_7a2e12e5
featureApplicability
1.0
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_7a2e12e5
featureConfidence
1.0
 Spider-Man: Far From Home
hasFeature
Apathy Killed the Cat / int_7a2e12e5
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_7fbd6753
type
Apathy Killed the Cat
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_7fbd6753
comment
In ThunderCats (2011), the Catfolk-populated kingdom of Thundera is largely confident in its Medieval Stasis, Kung-Fu Wizard Magic Knights and its magic-sword-wielding king. Technology, however, is nothing but a fairy tale for cubs, and anything for sale in the Black Market is obviously a fake crafted to take in the gullible. Naturally, the trope becomes exceptionally literal once a newly Higher-Tech Species pulls a Super Weapon Surprise on the Cats.
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_7fbd6753
featureApplicability
1.0
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_7fbd6753
featureConfidence
1.0
 ThunderCats (2011)
hasFeature
Apathy Killed the Cat / int_7fbd6753
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_81692f99
type
Apathy Killed the Cat
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_81692f99
comment
Star Trek is famous for not asking the alien cultures they visit about local laws and rules. Especially when they send crew members on shore leave; you would think it might be smart to ask about local laws and taboos just to make sure no one accidentally violates them. The notorious Prime Directive would give them an incentive to avoid asking those questions. The less they know about the culture, the less intentional their interference in it becomes, and the better excuse they can make for a court-martial.
In one episode, the planet they visit is described as being like the Garden of Eden and they arrive to see it as nice, relaxed and so are naturally put off guard about the possibility that there may be randomly applied death penalty for even a tiny infraction (though they do find out about it through casual conversation, albeit a little too late). In retrospect, it does make the initial comparison double-sided.
Most of the time, the blunders the crews make would not have happened in the first place if the aliens had said "by the way, we punish doing this by death — tell your people not to do this, okay?" And the fact that they NEVER make exceptions for ignorance of the local laws because these are offworlds... One example involves B'Elanna Torres of Star Trek: Voyager nearly suffering neurological damage because they were removing violent THOUGHTS, which are illegal on this planet (their hat being telepathy). B'Elanna is part KLINGON — violence is the brim on their hat.
There are multiple explanations for this, and they vary depending on the specific show you are watching. Kirk's Enterprise was an exploratory vessel, most of the places they were going were not explored or had very little known about them. The red shirts sacrificed are the people the (future) history books will cite when they say "Planet 56793-d: Breathable atmosphere, rocky terrain, salt vampires". Picard's Enterprise had this as less of an excuse, though they did encounter new territories and cultures. The ones they were even mildly familiar with were probably cataloged in the ship's computer and served as intercom messages before departing. Even so, laws change, and the files may be dated. And regardless of which ship you are on, the fact remains that if you go to a foreign country/planet, and break a law, "I didn't know" doesn't tend to work. Still doesn't explain why they don't ask for a copy of all local laws and have a computer program flag any capital punishment or where the punishment is two or more orders of magnitude harsher than Federation average.
There's also cases where something unexpected happens with their own technology as the impetus for the episode, and no one worries about the implications. Such as the episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation where it's discovered that a partially reflected transporter beam caused there to have been two William Rikers for several years. When they do find the other Riker, they do ask a couple perfunctory questions, like which one is the real Will Riker. The answer to that is a half-assed "They're both real." No one seems at all concerned with the physical or metaphysical ramifications of their discovery, or even question whether the accident could be duplicated to effectively create clones of every living being in the Galaxy. They just spend the episode helping "Tom" Riker adjust to being back among civilization.
In the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "When the Bough Breaks", Wesley Crusher learns the Aldeans have no interest in learning how their own technology works or how to repair it. In this case, apathy was really killing them as their technology was the reason why they were sterile and slowly dying.
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_81692f99
featureApplicability
1.0
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_81692f99
featureConfidence
1.0
 Star Trek (Franchise)
hasFeature
Apathy Killed the Cat / int_81692f99
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_819b8c9e
type
Apathy Killed the Cat
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_819b8c9e
comment
In Warehouse 13, Pete hasn't read the Warehouse's manual, and even the characters who have are still finding out new things about the Warehouse - they were surprised to find an entire Bed and Breakfast inside, for example. Justified in that the Warehouse is impossibly large (stretching farther than the eye can see) and Artie doesn't like to share information.
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_819b8c9e
featureApplicability
1.0
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_819b8c9e
featureConfidence
1.0
 Warehouse 13
hasFeature
Apathy Killed the Cat / int_819b8c9e
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_87f2d9f8
type
Apathy Killed the Cat
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_87f2d9f8
comment
In Mass Effect, it's actually illegal to perform aggressive research (in other words, capturing or dissecting) the Keepers, the enigmatic species that runs the Citadel that galactic government is run from. This is mostly because there's not much to gain from trying, as the Keepers will self-destruct if interfered with and they are incredibly difficult to scan. After over a millennia of completely fruitless attempts to research them, the Council gave up. It's revealed in the game that they were actually engineered to run the Citadel by the Reapers and the whole structure is Schmuck Bait: a perfect space station to set up a galactic government from so that the Reapers can decapitate said government in their opening attack and seize all its records on military structure and populations. Fortunately, the last surviving Protheans figured out what was happening and figured out a way to interfere, giving the current species a fighting chance.
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_87f2d9f8
featureApplicability
1.0
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_87f2d9f8
featureConfidence
1.0
 MassEffect
hasFeature
Apathy Killed the Cat / int_87f2d9f8
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_8a339030
type
Apathy Killed the Cat
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_8a339030
comment
Indiana Jones: Indiana has been presented with absolute incontrovertible proof of the truth of the Old Testament and the New Testament (and arguably the Bhagavad Gita). This seems to have had absolutely no effect on his lifestyle, career, or (dis)belief in the supernatural.
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_8a339030
featureApplicability
1.0
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_8a339030
featureConfidence
1.0
 Indiana Jones (Franchise)
hasFeature
Apathy Killed the Cat / int_8a339030
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_8d6c924b
type
Apathy Killed the Cat
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_8d6c924b
comment
Invoked in Looper. Joe asks his future self about time travel and memories, but Old Joe shuts him down, pointing out how confusing time travel can be. "I don't want to talk about time travel shit. Because if we talk about it, then we're gonna be here all day, drawing diagrams with straws." Abe, who's also from the future, concurs: "This time travel shit just fries your brain like an egg."
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_8d6c924b
featureApplicability
1.0
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_8d6c924b
featureConfidence
1.0
 Looper
hasFeature
Apathy Killed the Cat / int_8d6c924b
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_8ec33a88
type
Apathy Killed the Cat
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_8ec33a88
comment
Xenoblade Chronicles 3: A major plot point is that everyone in Aionios suffers from this regarding pretty much everything not related to the Forever War. After the protagonists become Ouroboros, they start to notice that many details of the world around them are clearly very odd, especially the unknown reasons for the war, and yet they'd never thought to question any of it before now. This even extends to basic biology; the human races are all born from Uterine Replicators with no concept of natural birth, but it's only the party members who wonder how exactly animals and monsters can reproduce. Moebius turns out to be invoking this effect via the Flame Clocks, which are designed to dampen people's natural curiosity in order to make them focus on killing each other and keeping the world stagnant.
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_8ec33a88
featureApplicability
1.0
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_8ec33a88
featureConfidence
1.0
 Xenoblade Chronicles 3 (Video Game)
hasFeature
Apathy Killed the Cat / int_8ec33a88
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_9d7ec380
type
Apathy Killed the Cat
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_9d7ec380
comment
The Good Place: Played for laughs. As Chidi explains to Eleanor that Janet can answer any question about history or the origin of the universe, Eleanor asks about an old crush. She then spends the rest of the series resolutely ignoring Janet unless she needs something. Presumably Chidi did ask all those important questions, but they aren't relevant to Eleanor's problems, so we never hear the answers.
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_9d7ec380
featureApplicability
1.0
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_9d7ec380
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Good Place
hasFeature
Apathy Killed the Cat / int_9d7ec380
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_a3129642
type
Apathy Killed the Cat
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_a3129642
comment
In a similar vein, the cast of Spinnerette have encountered a villainess who turned herself into a drider by performing a ritual to Lolth, and a Cerberus-girl charged with keeping damned souls in Hell. No one has any questions about the theological ramifications of this.
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_a3129642
featureApplicability
1.0
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_a3129642
featureConfidence
1.0
 Spinnerette (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Apathy Killed the Cat / int_a3129642
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_a63b23da
type
Apathy Killed the Cat
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_a63b23da
comment
Both Bruce Almighty and Evan Almighty run into this trope where the protagonist meets God and, even once they are convinced it is really God, do not ask any of the questions one might expect (in fact they ask very few questions of God at all).
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_a63b23da
featureApplicability
1.0
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_a63b23da
featureConfidence
1.0
 Bruce Almighty
hasFeature
Apathy Killed the Cat / int_a63b23da
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_ac67074d
type
Apathy Killed the Cat
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_ac67074d
comment
In the final episode of Teen Titans, "Things Change", while the other Titans question how Terra is back to normal after being turned into a statue, Beast Boy is more interested in the fact that she is back rather than how she came back.
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_ac67074d
featureApplicability
1.0
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_ac67074d
featureConfidence
1.0
 Teen Titans
hasFeature
Apathy Killed the Cat / int_ac67074d
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_b3690647
type
Apathy Killed the Cat
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_b3690647
comment
Discussed by Magneto in X-Men: The Last Stand as justification to have Worthington Labs' mutation cure destroyed on the grounds that while at first it would be played as a voluntary cure; Worthington and the other Humans would soon start rounding up Mutants and forcing Mutants like them to take the cure all the while the neutral Mutants would be talking about trying to get organized, form committees and talk to government representatives about raising Mutant awareness.
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_b3690647
featureApplicability
1.0
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_b3690647
featureConfidence
1.0
 X-Men: The Last Stand
hasFeature
Apathy Killed the Cat / int_b3690647
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_b454fbcc
type
Apathy Killed the Cat
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_b454fbcc
comment
During Brightest Day, Lex Luthor asked Death why she did not interfere during Blackest Night. She answers that the Zombie Apocalypse did not really interest her.
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_b454fbcc
featureApplicability
1.0
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_b454fbcc
featureConfidence
1.0
 Brightest Day (Comic Book)
hasFeature
Apathy Killed the Cat / int_b454fbcc
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_ba07853c
type
Apathy Killed the Cat
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_ba07853c
comment
In Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, No character on Mother Base cared what happened to Paz after she fell out of the Metal Gear you built. Except an army of players, of course...
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_ba07853c
featureApplicability
1.0
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_ba07853c
featureConfidence
1.0
 Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker (Video Game)
hasFeature
Apathy Killed the Cat / int_ba07853c
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_bcadd7cb
type
Apathy Killed the Cat
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_bcadd7cb
comment
Almost a policy in Warhammer 40,000, where you most likely don't want to know. "Only the awkward question; only the foolish ask twice."
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_bcadd7cb
featureApplicability
1.0
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_bcadd7cb
featureConfidence
1.0
 Warhammer 40,000 (Tabletop Game)
hasFeature
Apathy Killed the Cat / int_bcadd7cb
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_c2463c55
type
Apathy Killed the Cat
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_c2463c55
comment
Notably averted in Final Fantasy X ... Tidus' questions about things that everyone knows or takes for granted is what begins to truly convince Lulu that he's not from Spira. It also ends up driving the whole plot since otherwise no one would end up questioning the system they are in. This is probably what the Fayth intended when they tossed Tidus out of Zanarkand into Spira; to ask the questions and start demanding better answers than "this is so" so as to kick apathy out of Spira.
That said the trope is played straight when Auron joins the party. Tidus knows for a fact Auron knows more than he lets on about what is going on, but rarely pushes for answers - nor does he ever question why Auron is being so secretive, mostly just dismissing that crucial piece of info as Auron being obstinate. He also never even makes it clear to Yuna and the rest of the group how much Auron has to know so they can help press him for answers. Auron of course has his reasons to play things close to his chest but the party never really confronts or asks any questions about why the man who clearly has all the answers isn't saying anything.
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_c2463c55
featureApplicability
-1.0
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_c2463c55
featureConfidence
1.0
 Final Fantasy X (Video Game)
hasFeature
Apathy Killed the Cat / int_c2463c55
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_c4282b71
type
Apathy Killed the Cat
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_c4282b71
comment
Happens continuously within My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic whenever it comes to a foreign power or overlord invading Equestria to cause havoc. The biggest example of this happens when Changelings launched an all-out invasion of Canterlot during a wedding celebration at the end of Season 2, and later returned to capture the Political Leaders and National Heroes and replace them with their own Changelings at the end of Season 6. For well over four seasons, the Ponies, the Princesses, and the Royal Guards knew what sort of threat the Changelings posed to Equestria, but they did not seem to do anything at all to create any sort of anti-Changeling protocols in order to try exposing disguised Changelings that might be infiltrating their towns and cities. Thorax, a Changeling that had participated in the original invasion of Canterlot and had later defected to the Crystal Empire; the Ponies did not even bother to ask him where exactly the Changelings Hive was located at or even what kind of defenses the Changelings had employed to protect their territory.
This level of apathy just described unfortunately also seems to extend to the Main Character Twilight Sparkle: who through a confluence of events in Season Five wound up in an Alternate Timeline where Equestria fell to a Changeling invasion and a Resistance Movement was founded within the Everfree Forest that opposed Queen Chrysalis. This resistance was led by Zecora; who managed to have created a salve specifically-designed to forcibly remove the disguises from Changelings when applied to the skin. Upon returning to their own Time, the pair share the story of their escapades into alternate timelines where it is treated like nothing more than a simple adventure. Not once during Twilight and Spike's brief stay within this timeline did they try to:
A.) Ask that Timelines' Zecora for the recipe to make the salve. B.) Request several samples of the salve that they could take back to be reverse-engineered. C.) Bother to ask their own Zecora if she could make this Changeling-Revealing Salve.
Several Tropers almost see fit to use the above example alone as justification to have Twilight Sparkle moved into the Reed Richards Is Useless category.
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_c4282b71
featureApplicability
1.0
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_c4282b71
featureConfidence
1.0
 My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic
hasFeature
Apathy Killed the Cat / int_c4282b71
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_c43df4d8
type
Apathy Killed the Cat
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_c43df4d8
comment
Doctor Who:
Various companions fail to question changing history, whereas some address the problems from the start (Barbara Wright). "Why do we need to save history? I come from the present, so I know history went right," or "If you can't change history, why could you save me? I'm history to you!"
This was lampshaded in the 1975 story "Pyramids of Mars". When they're in 1911, Sarah Jane asks the Doctor why they need to save the future when they've already been in 1980 and it didn't need saving. The Doctor answers the question by taking the TARDIS to 1980 and showing her that the Earth has been destroyed. Only if they set things right back in 1911 can the "real" 1980 be restored.
At least there's one odd thing they never fail to remark on: "It's bigger on the inside!"
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_c43df4d8
featureApplicability
1.0
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_c43df4d8
featureConfidence
1.0
 Doctor Who
hasFeature
Apathy Killed the Cat / int_c43df4d8
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_d115b0a5
type
Apathy Killed the Cat
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_d115b0a5
comment
In Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, Gretel starts to question why their parents abandoned them in the woods and why witches' magic doesn't affect them directly. Hansel says he doesn't care.
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_d115b0a5
featureApplicability
1.0
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_d115b0a5
featureConfidence
1.0
 Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters
hasFeature
Apathy Killed the Cat / int_d115b0a5
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_d7c4626a
type
Apathy Killed the Cat
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_d7c4626a
comment
Which has been badly contradicted by numerous accounts, including The Sandman (1989) itself, which explicitly states that you go to Hell only if you want to, and that there are numerous other places to go, including Hades for those of the traditional Greek faith, the Dreaming for those whom Dream finds interesting, and reincarnation. The Judeo-Christian God is explicitly the creator of everything, but pagan gods exist and have power under him.
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_d7c4626a
featureApplicability
1.0
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_d7c4626a
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Sandman (1989) (Comic Book)
hasFeature
Apathy Killed the Cat / int_d7c4626a
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_e278316b
type
Apathy Killed the Cat
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_e278316b
comment
Just about everyone in The Prisoner (1967) apart from the main character. "Questions are a burden to others, answers a prison for ourselves". Brrr. They do have some incentive to avoid questions, what with the giant suffocating bubble lying in the wings.
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_e278316b
featureApplicability
1.0
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_e278316b
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Prisoner (1967)
hasFeature
Apathy Killed the Cat / int_e278316b
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_ebaac028
type
Apathy Killed the Cat
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_ebaac028
comment
Fate/type Redline:
When Kanata Akagi starts vanishing from existence because his grandmother is being killed, Assassin is only mildly surprised before deciding he doesn't care.
Kaname Asama and her Archer find the magic hourglass that transported Kanata Akagi to their time period. She shows it to her superior, Major Magatsu, and says she can tell it is special and would like to study it and find out how it works. Magatsu says he doesn't care and berates her for wasting his time.
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_ebaac028
featureApplicability
1.0
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_ebaac028
featureConfidence
1.0
 Fate/type Redline / Web Comic
hasFeature
Apathy Killed the Cat / int_ebaac028
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_ef076a36
type
Apathy Killed the Cat
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_ef076a36
comment
Most of the time, the blunders the crews make would not have happened in the first place if the aliens had said "by the way, we punish doing this by death — tell your people not to do this, okay?" And the fact that they NEVER make exceptions for ignorance of the local laws because these are offworlds... One example involves B'Elanna Torres of Star Trek: Voyager nearly suffering neurological damage because they were removing violent THOUGHTS, which are illegal on this planet (their hat being telepathy). B'Elanna is part KLINGON — violence is the brim on their hat.
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_ef076a36
featureApplicability
1.0
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_ef076a36
featureConfidence
1.0
 Star Trek: Voyager
hasFeature
Apathy Killed the Cat / int_ef076a36
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_ff9ab17f
type
Apathy Killed the Cat
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_ff9ab17f
comment
There's also cases where something unexpected happens with their own technology as the impetus for the episode, and no one worries about the implications. Such as the episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation where it's discovered that a partially reflected transporter beam caused there to have been two William Rikers for several years. When they do find the other Riker, they do ask a couple perfunctory questions, like which one is the real Will Riker. The answer to that is a half-assed "They're both real." No one seems at all concerned with the physical or metaphysical ramifications of their discovery, or even question whether the accident could be duplicated to effectively create clones of every living being in the Galaxy. They just spend the episode helping "Tom" Riker adjust to being back among civilization.
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_ff9ab17f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Apathy Killed the Cat / int_ff9ab17f
featureConfidence
1.0
 Star Trek: The Next Generation
hasFeature
Apathy Killed the Cat / int_ff9ab17f

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 Apathy Killed the Cat
processingCategory2
Apathy Index
 Apathy Killed the Cat
processingCategory2
Speculative Fiction Tropes
 Pale Cocoon / int_3f48bffa
type
Apathy Killed the Cat
 Phoebe and Her Unicorn (Comic Strip) / int_3f48bffa
type
Apathy Killed the Cat
 The Lament Series (ChaoticNeutral) (Fanfic) / int_3f48bffa
type
Apathy Killed the Cat
 Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters / int_3f48bffa
type
Apathy Killed the Cat
 Margin Call / int_3f48bffa
type
Apathy Killed the Cat
 X-Men: The Last Stand / int_3f48bffa
type
Apathy Killed the Cat
 Differently Morphous / int_3f48bffa
type
Apathy Killed the Cat
 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone / int_3f48bffa
type
Apathy Killed the Cat
 Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus / int_3f48bffa
type
Apathy Killed the Cat
 Throne of Glass / int_3f48bffa
type
Apathy Killed the Cat
 GoldilocksAndTheMinesOfMoria
seeAlso
Apathy Killed the Cat
 Taelor
seeAlso
Apathy Killed the Cat
 WeirdnessIsolationTropes
seeAlso
Apathy Killed the Cat
 Gantz (Manga) / int_3f48bffa
type
Apathy Killed the Cat
 My Roommate is a Cat (Manga) / int_3f48bffa
type
Apathy Killed the Cat
 Squid Girl (Manga) / int_3f48bffa
type
Apathy Killed the Cat
 Doubt Academy (Roleplay) / int_3f48bffa
type
Apathy Killed the Cat
 Chzo Mythos (Video Game) / int_3f48bffa
type
Apathy Killed the Cat
 Majesty (Video Game) / int_3f48bffa
type
Apathy Killed the Cat
 Aselia the Eternal - The Spirit of Eternity Sword (Visual Novel) / int_3f48bffa
type
Apathy Killed the Cat
 Eien no Aselia (Visual Novel) / int_3f48bffa
type
Apathy Killed the Cat
 Seinarukana (Visual Novel) / int_3f48bffa
type
Apathy Killed the Cat
 Littlest Pet Shop (2012) / int_3f48bffa
type
Apathy Killed the Cat
 South Park: Joining the Panderverse / int_3f48bffa
type
Apathy Killed the Cat
 The Dreamstone / int_3f48bffa
type
Apathy Killed the Cat
 Potemayo / int_3f48bffa
type
Apathy Killed the Cat
 apathykilledthecat
sameAs
Apathy Killed the Cat