History Main / ProperlyParanoid

* ''Literature/{{Worm}}'':
** When the insects around a police station so much as ''move strangely'', the cops take it as a sign that the [[TheDreaded Skitter]] is spying on them, and freak out accordingly. As the reader knows, she is.
** When dealing with the Simurgh, it's literally impossible to be paranoid ''enough''. Whatever plan you make to counter or contain her influence, she has already forseen and accounted for.
** There are also Master/Stranger protocols. Masters have the ability to control people or minions of some sort, so protocols usual involve pass-phrases or similar verifications to ensure people are who they say they are. Stranger powers are generally related to stealth in some way, but the most problematic ones are those that prevent people from noticing the users or the threat the present. Often times having someone off-site viewing footage and giving instructions to those present is a partial mitigation to this, as the power won't work through cameras.

* In ''VisualNovel/FateHollowAtaraxia'', Sakura has no way of knowing that Rider really is attracted to Shirou, but she fears Rider will 'steal' him away anyway.

** Ironwood's FatalFlaw is his paranoia and mistrust, but it also means he's right about a lot of things, too. He's right to suspect Ozpin hiding something from his own BenevolentConspiracy, he's right about Haven being the second target after Beacon, and he's right not to trust Leo. He's right to suspect that the villains are using an Atlesian hacker and that they would be willing to use a refugee evacuation as a cover for infiltration and sabotage. [[spoiler:Unfortunately, many of the decisions he makes in response to his paranoia turn out play into the villains hands, dooming the Kingdom of Atlas instead of protecting it. Some of things the heroes could have used for their own plans therefore get missed because of how unstable and unreliable Ironwood becomes; this leaves them vulnerable to being infiltrated by Cinder and Neo when they're evacuating the kingdom's refugees, the very thing Ironwood feared.]]

* Franchise/AceAttorney:

* ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'': Tarvek warns Gil that he has a lot of nasty cousins who would be eager to take the Lightning Throne if Tarvek doesn't do so and that Gil would definitely prefer Tarvek to any of them. Martellus then shows up to claim the crown and proves Tarvek very right with his incredibly violent ways.

** In ''VisualNovel/TheGreatAceAttorney'', toward the end of the game, it is revealed that while Genshin Asogi(Kazuma's father) [[spoiler:was on death row]], he requested an important favor from Yujin Mikotoba(Susato's father)-- [[spoiler:find Klint van Zieks' pregnant wife and see to her and the child's well-being]]. Yujin agrees and considers involving their mutual friend Seishiro Jigoku(the judge for the Japanese trials), but Genshin insists that only Yujin be involved. [[spoiler:Seishiro was workng for Mael Stronghart, the BigBad of the game]], so Genshin's instincts ended up being right.

->Hastur was paranoid, which was simply a sensible and well-adjusted reaction to living in Hell, where they really ''were'' all out to get you.

* Music/GetoBoys hit song, "My Mind Is Playing Tricks On Me", is about how the street life has made the members of the group paranoid. The music video shows that all of their fears are in their own mind.
* In Music/BruceSpringsteen song ''Murder Incorporated'', dealing with hitmen of organized crime:
-->''Bobby's got a [[PillowPistol gun that he keeps beneath his pillow]]''
-->''Out on the street your chances are zero''

* ''Podcast/TheMagnusArchives'': When Jon first takes the job of Head Archivist, he's told by [[ObstructiveBureaucrat Elias]] that his predecessor, Gertrude, died in the line of duty - but at the end of season 1, he finds her body in the tunnels under the Archives, and it's clear that she was murdered. For the entirety of season 2, Jon is TheParanoiac, refusing to trust anyone and stalking his coworkers in order to prove his suspicion that one of them is Gertrude's killer. This causes major rifts between him and the rest of the team, until it turns out that [[spoiler:he was right: Elias murdered Gertrude. Later, Elias kills Jurgen Leitner as well, and frames Jon for it, forcing him to go into hiding]].

* Anyone who is not this in ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'' should be, because ''[[EverythingTryingToKillYou the entire universe REALLY IS out to get you]]''.
** The treatment of psykers is among the most brutal in fiction: they are hunted down and shipped off to Terra in ships crewed by blanks (extremely un-psychic {{Humanoid Abomination}}s, from the psykers' perspectives), where their potential is tested. If they're too weak, they're used to fuel the GodEmperor's spirit to keep the Astronomican lit, if strong enough, they get to enjoy TrainingFromHell (NotHyperbole) and a lifetime of fighting the many, many horrors and evil creatures the galaxy has to offer. And even after all that, they're viewed with contempt, mistrust if not hatred by their superiors and the soldiers they fight alongside. All of this is ''entirely justified'': an untrained psyker has no defense against the daemons of the Warp, and those who escape the Black Ships are basically time bombs until they're murdered by suspicious civilians, fall to Chaos, explode into a portal that lets daemons pour through, or any combination of the above.
** There are people stupid enough to hire Chaos forces, Dark Eldar or orks as plausibly-deniable mercenaries, and are still surprised when they find themselves betrayed by the biggest AlwaysChaoticEvil / [[ForTheEvulz sadist pricks]] / {{Omnicidal Maniac}}s in the galaxy.

* As the name implies, this is completely justified in ''TabletopGame/{{Paranoia}}''. The skill High Alert / Focused Paranoia / Scam Radar isn't about asking ''if'' there's a threat — there are loads of them all the time — but ''which one'' is most immediately relevant.

** Most players also tend to become this. In a world where monsters look like rocks, plants, items, clothing, walls, ceilings, and other innocuous objects, attacking the treasure chest isn't paranoia, it's good tactics. You never know what might be a Mimic…

* In ''TabletopGame/AdeptusEvangelion'' (Think ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' by the way of ''TabletopGame/DarkHeresy''). You can take Paranoia as a strength. Not a weakness, a ''strength''.
* In ''[[Literature/TheChroniclesOfAmber Amber]] Diceless Roleplaying'', this is used as an example of how the [=PCs=] have no chance whatsoever of defeating any of the [=NPCs=] from the original series. [[MasterSwordsman Benedict]] cannot SeeTheInvisible, but his ImplausibleFencingPowers are so well-honed that he can ''anticipate an attack by invisible people'' and kick their asses anyway.
* In the ''TabletopGame/{{Illuminati}}'' card game, the Paranoids are one group you can control, and give you protection against all attacks except natural disasters.

* In ''VisualNovel/FateHollowAtaraxia'', Sakura has no way of knowing that Rider really is attracted to Shirou, but she fears Rider will 'steal' him away anyway.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* One ''Webcomic/{{mezzacotta}}'' character [[http://www.mezzacotta.net/archive.php?date=1950-10-06 says]] this is why you humans cannot be allowed to leave Earth.

* ''Literature/WhateleyUniverse'':
** Whateley Academy is actively trying to instill a form of this attitude in its students. As staff members have been heard to state outright, the point of the school isn't so much to produce superheroes or — villains — or even provide a formal education (though it does that, too) as to train young mutants to survive in a world in which many people ''are'' out to get them.
** Phase is paranoid, and rightly so. He grew up in an ultra-wealthy family, and so has spent his whole life watching for conmen, hucksters, golddiggers, false friends, you name it. He bought a high-end utility belt after only a couple weeks at Whateley Academy. The one time he wasn't wearing it (because the powers testing guys insisted on experimenting on it) he really, really needed it.

* In the {{Creepypasta}}, "[[http://www.creepypasta.com/psychosis/ Psychosis]]", the protagonist becomes increasingly convinced that everyone but him has been abducted and replaced by shapeshifting monsters assuming their identities, and that he's next. It certainly seems like it's all in his head and that he's just going crazy, and the ending confirms that he is in fact wrong. [[spoiler:Everyone is being controlled by {{Puppeteer Parasite}}s instead]].

* In ''WebVideo/MarbleHornets'', Alex starts constantly filming himself midway through producing his student film. After J watches the tapes, he starts filming himself as well. What they find is disturbing, to say the least.

* ''WebVideo/TheAutobiographyOfJaneEyre'': Jane senses that something is off from the moment she came to be Adele Rochester's tutor. In episode 13, her suspicions are confirmed as far as the strange happenings in the house go, though she doesn't know the mystery yet. However, it's also the episode when she admits that Mr Rochester is all right, and she expected him to be horrible — neglectful or abusive to Adele and possibly to herself.
* ''WebVideo/{{Markiplier}}'' is ''horrified'' by mannequins and suits of armor. Any time he walks into a room where either or both are present, he will freak out. Unless, of course, the angel statue is somewhere around.
* ''Film/TheFlyingMan'': Mike is afraid that the murderous vigilante will crash their arms deal. Rob tells him not to worry. Guess who shows up?
* In ''WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall'', Lord Vyce is determined to hunt down and kill the Entity, despite Linkara's insistance that he killed it. [[spoiler:And "The Sleepwalker" arc reveals that Vyce is indeed right, as a fragment of the Entity has possessed Linkara since its defeat. However, he loses the "Properly" part when he once again thinks it's still alive, even after witnessing the Entity kill itself again.]]

* ''LetsPlay/{{Markiplier}}'' is ''horrified'' by mannequins and suits of armor. Any time he walks into a room where either or both are present, he will freak out. Unless, of course, the angel statue is somewhere around.

->''"Rule 40: If you think someone's out to get you, they are."''
-->-- '''Gibbs''', ''Series/{{NCIS}}''

* ProperlyParanoid/RealLife