History Main / ATragedyOfImpulsiveness

From [[WindmillCrusader seeing enemies where there are none]], to [[EmptySwimmingPoolDive jumping in a swimming pool before checking for water]], to [[WhatDoesThisButtonDo messing with]] the {{Big Red Button}}s on the MadScientist's machines, acting without considering consequences can cause catastrophic calamities.

* ''Theatre/OedipusTheKing'': Prior to his arrival back to Thebes and becoming a king, the eponymous character killed (unbeknownst to him) his father for basically cutting him off at the crossroads. He married his mother completing the other half of the famous complex at leisure though.

*** After Harry is caught by Umbridge, he ''does'' try to tell Snape by coded message, but take's Snape's reaction (or lack of reaction) as a sign that he didn't get it. It never occurs to him that for the same reason Harry is talking in code in the first place, Snape could hardly acknowledge that he understood the message even if he did (which, as it turns out, he did).

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Amphibia}}'': [[spoiler: [[Characters/AmphibiaMarcyWu Marcy Wu]] was not in a good state when she found the Calamity Box, having just been told by her parents that they were moving away, and made the rash decision that it was the solution to the problem of not wanting to be separated from her friends. They all pay for it]]. It's implied that Marcy has basically realized this by the time she and Anne meet up again in Newtopia, as she cautions Anne about making decisions with her heart, rather than her head.

* ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'': In the tragic backstory of the Pines family (spoiler alert), [[Characters/GravityFallsGrunkleStan Stan Pines]] overhears a conversation between the school principal and his parents where his brother Ford is praised for his genius-level intellect, and it's suggested that he might end up going to an elite college on the West Coast. When their mother Caryn asks about Stan's future, the principal pulls no punches painting a bleak outlook for him, outright saying he's a "clown" who'll be "lucky" to graduate, scrape barnacles off a dock for a living, and stay stuck in New Jersey for the rest of his life. Hurt and heartbroken, that night he goes to the gym to clear his head, and in a moment of anger accidentally breaks Ford's homemade perpetual motion machine that could potentially have guaranteed his admission to the college. He immediately regrets what happened and tries to fix it, but the damage is done, and the next day when his action is discovered his angry father throws him out of the house, sparking over thirty years of tragedy and loneliness for both brothers. If he had bothered to talk to Ford about what was bothering him, not gone near the project, or just told Ford what happened in time, perhaps none of it would have happened.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'': [[Characters/TheOwlHouseLilithClawthorne Lilith Clawthorne]] reveals to her sister Eda during their battle in "Agony of a Witch" that [[spoiler:the Owl Beast curse]] more-or-less springs from one of these. [[spoiler:Lilith was the one who placed the curse on Eda in the first place. They were close as kids, but Eda was the stronger magic user, no matter what Lilith did. So when they were pitted against each other in a witch's duel to see which one of them got to enter the Emperor's Coven, Lilith went to the black market and got a curse that was supposed to weaken Eda's powers for one day. However, Eda decided to forfeit the duel and let Lilith win. But as she did, the curse took effect, transforming Eda into an owl beast. Not only was cursing Eda pointless since she was planning on ThrowingTheFight to begin with, but the curse ended up becoming permanent, [[MeaninglessVillainVictory resulting in Lilith getting what she wanted at the cost of ruining Eda's life]]. Lilith's later actions are framed in the light of [[MustMakeAmends trying to make amends for what she had done]], knowing deep down that had she so much as talked to Eda, none of what happened would have come to pass.]]

** Late in Season 5, Chloé becomes so desperate to convince her mother that she's just as, if not even ''more'' "exceptional" than Marinette that she reveals [[spoiler:her secret identity to all of Paris]]. This costs her dearly, as it [[spoiler:shatters what remained of the BrokenPedestal Scarlet Lady was standing upon, as the public learns their {{Nominal Hero}}ine was willing to completely abandon them and demands she hand her Earrings over to the ''REAL'' heroes]].

* ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans2003'': Terra's entire story shows this twice. The first time is after Robin tells Terra he knows she can't control her powers, and Terra runs away under the assumption that Beast Boy lied to her about keeping it a secret[[note]]allowing her to fall under Slade's sway and become his apprentice[[/note]], unaware that Robin had simply figured it out and was unaware it was a secret. The second time comes when Beast Boy tells Terra that she has no friends after learning that she was TheMole, and immediately regrets this as Terra fully embraces villainy.

* ''Anime/KillLaKill'': After Ryuko learns that [[spoiler:she is infused with Life Fibers, just like her biological mother [[BigBad Ragyo]]]], [[GoMadFromTheRevelation she begins to lose her mind]] [[SanitySlippage so much]] that she cuts all ties with everyone, including Senketsu, losing her ability to listen to reason as a result. When Ragyo and Nui lure Ryuko into go to Honnouji Academy, Ryuko makes the decision to go by herself. If she had listened to Mikisugi's warnings that it was a trap, and reconcider her sudden resentment towards Senketsu in the first place instead of blaming him for what happened, Ryuko wouldn't have been captured and forced to wear Junketsu, which turned her BrainwashedAndCrazy. After finally managing to break free, Ryuko admits to her allies that she really should have done things with a more clear head.

** In ''ComicBook/RedDaughterOfKrypton'', ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} decided the best and quickest way to help a [[ComicBook/GreenLantern Red Lantern]] get her mind back was taking a tank of lake blood and ripping it open over the city that Sheko was in. Unfortunately, Atrocitus was present, and he took control of the blood rain, making it into a tornado. Supergirl tried to fix the blood storm, igniting it with her heat vision... and unintentionally setting the city on fire. Her teammates angrily said that she had to learn to think before acting.

* ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans2003'': Terra's entire story shows this twice. The first time is after Robin tells Terra he knows she can't control her powers, and Terra runs away under the assumption that Beast Boy lied to her about keeping it a secret, unaware that Robin had simply figured it out and was unaware it was a secret. The second time comes when Beast Boy tells Terra that she has no friends after learning that she was TheMole, and immediately regrets this as Terra fully embraces villainy.

* 'WesternAnimation/{{TeenTitans2003}}': Terra's entire story shows this twice. The first time is after Robin tells Terra he knows she can't control her powers, and Terra runs away under the assumption that Beast Boy lied to her about keeping it a secret, unaware that Robin had simply figured it out and was unaware it was a secret. The second time comes when Beast Boy tells Terra that she has no friends after learning that she was TheMole, and immediately regrets this as Terra fully embraces villainy.