History Main / FumblingTheGauntlet

* In Creator/AnneMcCaffrey's ''Literature/AcornaSeries'', Acorna often unnerves her fellow Linyaari by smiling human-style (with teeth showing). Among her people (Acorna was raised by humans since she was a toddler), baring your teeth is a display of naked aggression, akin to walking around with your fists up.

* ''WebVideo/CriticalRole'': In Campaign 3, during the masquerade ball in episode 13, [[KnightInSourArmor Ashton]] gets spotted by an antagonist they'd met a few days earlier, thanks to Ashton wearing a mask of [[EldritchAbomination the Nightmare King]] (whom the antagonist had been working with), and then gets confronted by the antagonist's HiredMuscle, [[MookLieutenant General]] [[BloodKnight Ratanish]]. Ratanish [[DramaticUnmasking rips the mask off]] Ashton, who promptly slaps him in the face. The general just slaps him back, and after some more intense (but polite) escalation, [[TakingTheFightOutside takes him outside]].

-> '''Atherton:''' I accept.\\

* In ''Literature/KyoKaraMaoh'', Yuri [[AccidentalMarriage accidentally proposes]] to Wolfram by striking him across the left cheek. Wolfram is so embarrassed and furious that he throws the tableware to the floor- resulting in Yuri accidentally accepting Wolfram's duel challenge by picking up a knife.

* The same happens in a ''Literature/{{Xanth}}'' story, by Creator/PiersAnthony. Dor meets a giant spider, and tries a "hug" gesture to show friendship. The spider thinks he is readying his fangs.

* In Creator/AnneMcCaffrey's ''[[Literature/AcornaSeries Acorna]]'' series, Acorna often unnerves her fellow Linyaari by smiling human-style (with teeth showing). Among her people (Acorna was raised by humans since she was a toddler), baring your teeth is a display of naked aggression, akin to walking around with your fists up.
* In Creator/RobertAHeinlein's ''Literature/TheMoonIsAHarshMistress'' a teenage girl flirts with Stu, a tourist from Earth. He takes the initiative and tries to kiss her, not realizing that this is a capital offense. Partially justified, as the Loonies invoked this as part of their justification for their planned independence war.

* The Final War of the ''Literature/{{Bolo}}'' continuum was begun in part due to standard Melconian FirstContact procedure: Enact a Non-Intercourse Edict until the governing body has come to a conclusion. The Concordiat saw this as a sign of aggression and the situation deteriorated from there.
* In the Consul's tale in ''Literature/{{Hyperion}}'', he recalls his friend having an altercation with a group of locals on a foreign planet. The locals interpret his behavior as grounds for a duel. They toss him a sword, and he simply watches it fall to the ground, not understanding. Not picking up the sword doesn't cancel out the challenge, unfortunately.
* In ''Literature/SixteenThirtyTwo'' high school JerkJock Chip Jenkins, angry at what he sees as someone moving in on his girl, punches Alex [=MacKay=] in the teeth[[note]]For bonus points, Alex had just endured dental work sans anesthetics that day[[/note]] at the Thuringan Gardens. [=MacKay=], being the product of [[UsefulNotes/ThirtyYearsWar his times]], views this act as the prelude to a duel and announces that his choice of weapon will be cavalry sabres. For bonus points, Alex is a professional soldier with significant combat experience. It's fortunate for Chip that authorities Alex will defer to intervene.
* The war with the Formics in ''Literature/EndersGame'' started because of this. It is not uncommon for them to kill another queen's drones to send a message; as they are a HiveMind, the life of any one individual drone is meaningless to them. When they first made contact with a human spaceship, they killed everyone on board, under the same reasoning. Humans, of course, took this as an act of murder. [[spoiler:Once the Formics figured out that humanity were individuals and they had slaughtered intelligent, thinking people, they were [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone horrified to their cores]] and nearly gave up all hope of ever calming humanity's wrath toward them.]]
* ''Literature/CodexAlera'':
** When Tavi first encounters Ambassador Varg of the Cane in ''Academ's Fury'' he sees a guard dealing with the frustrated 9-foot tall wolfman being hesitant and trying to defuse the situation calmly. While normally acceptable action for dealing with humans, Tavi realizes if this wolfman is like predators back in his home valley then it is the wrong move. He moves forward, ordering the guards and stares down Varg who is about 4 feet taller and could rip him apart with ease [[spoiler:going so far to put a knife to Varg's throat]] and while terrified won't back down. He also deduces that bowing would be equally dangerous as prostrating could be seen as being prey-like. Instead, he copies Varg's raising of the neck just slightly. Varg is impressed enough to leave until a later time.
** This is discussed in ''Princeps' Fury'' when the Princeps of the realm is leading with Ambassador Varg two fleets back to the Cane homelands. The Princeps is having Alerans tutor Cane in their language and the Cane tutor Alerans in their customs and language. He figures if there is to be more fighting between them, it best be for good reasons and not a miscommunication.

* ''Series/{{Firefly}}'' episode "Shindig": Mal hauls off and decks Atherton Wing after the latter hits the former's BerserkButton by implying that Inara is a whore (Mal may not respect her job, but Atherton disrespected ''her''). Turns out that punching someone in a social function on that planet is considered a formal challenge, and Mal ends up having to fight a sword duel over her honor.
-->'''Mal:''' Use of a sw-what?

* ''Series/BlakesSeven''. In "Power", Avon is captured by the leader of a primitive society, and grabs his arm to stop him hitting his wife. As their society is based on AsskickingLeadsToLeadership as well as misogyny, he assumes that Avon is challenging him for leadership.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Karateka}}'', ''don't'' [[spoiler:approach Princess Mariko in fighting stance]]. [[NonstandardGameOver Just don't]].

* ''WebVideo/CriticalRole'': In Campaign 3, during the masquerade ball in episode 13, [[KnightInSourArmor Ashton]] gets spotted by an antagonist they'd met a few days earlier, thanks to Ashton wearing a mask of [[EldritchAbomination the Nightmare King]] (whom the antagonist had been working with), and then gets confronted by the antagonist's HiredMuscle, [[MookLieutenant General]] [[BloodKnight Ratanish]]. Ratanish [[DramaticUnmasking rips the mask off]] Ashton, who promptly slaps him in the face. The general just slaps him back, and after some more intense (but polite) escalation, [[TakingTheFightOutside takes him outside]].

* ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy'': In the episode "Dueling Eds," Eddy inadvertently disgraces Rolf's customs and family honor by throwing one of his cucumber balls at a fence. Double D [[OrderedApology forces him to give Rolf a flower as an apology]]... but it turns out that said plant is "the Potted Shrub of Ridicule," and an even greater insult in Rolf's country. Rolf is so pissed at this that he [[ThrowingDownTheGauntlet challenges Eddy to a duel]].

* In ''LightNovel/KyoKaraMaoh'', Yuri [[AccidentalMarriage accidentally proposes]] to Wolfram by striking him across the left cheek. Wolfram is so embarrassed and furious that he throws the tableware to the floor- resulting in Yuri accidentally accepting Wolfram's duel challenge by picking up a knife.

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* Touching hair was considered a grave insult in Fiji that merits mortal retaliation (and worse) before the encounter with the Europeans, especially the hair of a chief. Several early European visitors to the island found this out the hard way (especially Reverend Thomas Baker, an English missionary, in 1867).

* Japanese culture has a lot of non-verbal signs that can be easy to botch if you're a ''gaijin''. But there was one even locals could fall for: in the era of the UsefulNotes/{{samurai}}, emphatically striking one's sheath, or ''saya'', with the sword's guard was a gesture of a challenge. Given that this is also the culture which invented [[SingleStrokeBattle Iaijutsu]], this little tradition probably kept the number of warriors with loose ''saya'' rather low.

* Japanese culture has a lot of non-verbal signs that can be easy to botch. But there was one even locals could fall for: in the era of the samurai, emphatically striking one's sheath, or ''saya'', with the sword's guard was a gesture of a challenge. Given that this is also the culture which invented [[SingleStrokeBattle Iaijutsu]], this little tradition probably kept the number of warriors with loose ''saya'' rather low.

* ''Series/{{Firefly}}'' episode "Shindig": Mal hauls off and decks Atherton Wing after the latter hits the former's BerserkButton by implying that Inara is a whore (Mal may not respect her job, but Atherton disrespected ''her''). Turns out that punching someone in a social function on that planet is considered a formal challenge, and Mal ends up having to fight a sword duel over her honor. Use of a swhat?

* ''Series/BlakesSeven''. In "Power", Avon is captured by the leader of a primitive society, and grabs his arm to stop him hitting his wife. As their society is based on AsskickingEqualsAuthority as well as misogyny, he assumes that Avon is challenging him for leadership.

* ''WebVideo/CriticalRole'': In Campaign 3, during the masquerade ball in episode 13, [[KnightInSourArmor Ashton]] gets spotted by an antagonist they'd met a few days earlier, thanks to Ashton wearing a mask of [[EldritchAbomination the Nightmare King]] (whom the antagonist had been working with), and then gets confronted by the antagonist's HiredMuscle, [[MookLieutenant General]] [[BloodKnight Ratanish]]. Ratanish [[DramaticUnmasking rips the mask off]] Ashton, who promptly [[ArmorPiercingSlap slaps him in the face]]. The general just slaps him back, and after some more intense (but polite) escalation, [[TakingTheFightOutside takes him outside]].

* ''Series/BlakesSeven''. In "Power", Avon is captured by the leader of a primitive society, and grabs his arm to stop him hitting his wife. As their society is based on AsskickingEqualsAuthority as well as misogyny, he naturally assumes that Avon is [[ThrowingDownTheGauntlet challenging him for leadership]].

* ''Literature/Dune'': The Atreides arrange for Stilgar to meet them on behalf of the Fremen. He walks up to Duke Leto Atreides, gives an appraising look, and spits on the floor in front of him. Gurney Halleck, with his UndyingLoyalty to Duke Leto, is immediately ready to slay Stilgar on the spot for such a brazen insult. Fortunately, Duncan Idaho quickly intervenes to explain that Stilgar's gesture was courteous. On Arrakis, a planet where water is so rare and precious, shedding a few drops of moisture at someone's feet is a sign of respect.

-->-- ''Series/{{Firefly}}'', "Shindig", upon Mal punching Atherton in the face over Inara.

* In ''FanFic/ThePerilsOfInnocence'', Dr. Aymler tries to greet a goblin guard outside Gringotts by shaking hands. The guard comments that in goblin culture an outstretched hand would initiate a duel, while nodding is their preferred form of greeting.

* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8429437/15/The-Perils-of-Innocence The Perils of Innocence]]'', Dr. Aymler tries to greet a goblin guard outside Gringotts by shaking hands. The guard comments that in goblin culture an outstretched hand would initiate a duel, while nodding is their preferred form of greeting.

-->-- ''Series/{{Firefly}}'', "Shindig"

In an [[FishOutOfWater unfamiliar social environment]], a character does something that he thinks is mostly innocuous, either intentionally or by accident. Unfortunately, in ''this'' society, said act constitutes ThrowingDownTheGauntlet, and will result in him engaging in a DuelToTheDeath, possibly on the spot. Oddly enough, the people from the local culture ''never'' seem to grasp the concept that [[ValuesDissonance different cultures do things differently]], so they never understand the poor foreigner's plight, and he does not get a free pass for not understanding the gravity of what he just did.