Basic Trope: A character monologues in a situation where, realistically, they either wouldn't be talking about it at all or wouldn't have enough time to say all that they are saying.
- Straight: "Oh no! That fire engine — It's barreling right at me! And there's no time to get out of the way!" cries Alice, as the comic panel shows the speeding vehicle at a perfectly far enough distance away for her to jump aside.
- Exaggerated: Alice also has time for a Sherlock Scan which tells her the make, model and license number of the oncoming truck, and also the age, personality and profession of the truck driver.
- Downplayed:
- "Oh no, a truck!" cries Alice.
- Only sapient AI robots do this while taking the sensible action because they are capable of such coordination. It has a slight Uncanny Valley Effect that their attention isn't focused like a human's.
- Alice is talking while dodging out of the way. How she can concentrate on talking and acting is no ones guess.
- Justified:
- Alice is merely thinking, and we see/hear the words via a cloud-shaped speech bubble rather than a smooth one or via a reverb effect placed on her voice, respectively. Although it takes the audience a moment to wade through the monologue, the thought actually goes through Alice's mind in an instant.
- Alice is frozen in terror.
- Alice talks really fast.
- Alice has the power to slow down time, and uses this to comment on the situation.
- Inverted: A short conversation with no significant pauses described takes fifteen minutes.
- Subverted:
- Alice looks like she's going to say something but doesn't...
- Alice gets Caught Monologuing and dies before she can finish her sentence.
- Double Subverted: Until she says something while she dodges the car
- Parodied:
- Alice's monologue leaps from one subject to the next like a Wiki Walk:
"ZOMG a Dodge Ram, 1998 vintage, barreling directly toward me at a velocity of 98 miles per hour! I remember from the movie Twister that these trucks are practically indestructible. Boy, Knight Rider was a silly show, wasn't it? With its Talking Appliance Sidekick car and all. I think I may have left my iron on. Or maybe the oven. I hope Bob did the dishes, that ketchup will be hard to wash out. That truck is going to turn me into ketchup! O sweet Tropernia! If only there were some way I could save myself! This is the end! ...Where was I again?"- The truck driver slams the brakes so Alice can speak. When she's done, the driver asks if she's finished and only resumes barreling towards her when she says yes.
- Zig Zagged: Alice gets in many situations like this, sometimes she talks, sometimes she just dodges out of the way.
- Averted: Alice simply leaps to safety and then delivers a monologue after the danger has passed ("Gee, that Could Have Been Messy.")
- Enforced:
- "We need to show why Alice just stands there, instead of moving, so people won't think she's an idiot." "Well, why not just have her explain that there's no time to move?" "Brilliant!"
- The English Dub had to stretch the duration of the, originally short, monologue to not sound like a Motor Mouth Dub ala Speed Racer.
- Lampshaded: "No time to leap out of the way; only time to talk about it!"
- Invoked: Alice comments on the oncoming truck to make sure she has time to leap out of the way.
- Exploited: The villain notes Alice's hesitation and points this out to The Hero, invoking a Sadistic Choice.
- Defied: "I'm geting out of here right now. When Supertroper and Emperor Evulz start fighting they tend to throw cars around, and I don't want to get smooshed."
- Discussed: Bob yells to Alice, "This isn't a movie! Don't talk, just get out of the way!"
- Conversed: ???
- Deconstructed:
- Alice is Killed Mid-Sentence because she wasted time on talking instead of dodging the vehicle.
- The driver gasps and slams on the brakes, stopping mere inches before Alice, who continues waffling about how she can't get out of the way in time. The driver then deadpans and drives around her.
- Reconstructed: Talking about the situation helps Alice understand it better, and through this, survive.
- Necessary Weasel: Alice herself; big fight scenes generally require at least one muggle who can be endangered.
Gadzooks! We've only a few seconds to click on the link back to Talking Is a Free Action!
