Trope Workshop:Line Crossing Prank

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Laconic: A Practical Joke that isn't deadly but is judged as going too far.

OK, so you're into practical jokes. You're smart enough to avoid using laxatives or more deadly possibilities, limiting yourself to the simple and mostly innocent classics designed to be one and done.

Oh, look, your next target is coming. Wait for just the right moment, and... BINGO! Your little Silly String Spray, cream pie, Trick Bomb (particularly a Stink Bomb), or water cannon was a direct hit, and you caught The Mark completely by surprise.

But hold up there... why's he upset?

Uh, hello?! You just smashed the Nice Guy's ultimate Berserk Button: the disruption of his peace.

Not everyone has your sense of humor, including your victim. He might not have any issue with pranks themselves, just so long as he's not a part of them. Perhaps he learned the painful way not to disregard the potential mood of his target. Or you simply didn't match the prank to the prey. Whatever the reason, he's going to show you firsthand why it's a very wise idea to Beware the Nice Ones.

While he's not so likely to engage in Revenge by Proxy — and less so to do anything that could provoke an Escalating War over it — damage control duty is definitely happening. On his terms.

Since it's not unheard of for The Prankster or resident troublemaker to get a taste of their own medicine in this manner, do not rule out Nothing Is the Same Anymore (i.e. their opinion of practical jokes being irreparably soured).

Since there is no set time or date for the prank, the example does not have to be part of an April Fools' Plot to count. The way the victim responds to the prank is the key to whether it qualifies. Watch for any of these signs:

1. I Was Just Joking or a "Just Joking" Justification are a No-Sell to him (also compare "No. Just... No" Reaction);
2. He invokes either Dude, Not Funny! or Did You Think I Can't Feel?
3. If he passes his Rage Breaking Point, he goes after the offending weapon or the offender's own belongings, without aiming directly at the offender (meaning he is not Ax-Crazy);
4. Except for dealing with the aftereffects, everyone has moved on by the following day.

If, however, the outcome is legit injury or any death at all (particularly if the victim is Driven to Suicide or a Roaring Rampage of Revenge), put it in Deadly Prank instead.

Since this trope involves an In-Universe reaction (meaning the character), not an Audience Reaction, Real Life examples should not be added lightly.

Examples of Line Crossing Prank include:

Western Animation

• SpongeBob SquarePants has two good ones:
  • In "Fools in April," Squidward is horrified to learn that it's April Fool's Day. Knowing from bitter experience just how much SpongeBob loves to play pranks (mostly the innocent ones), he sets up an elaborate network of obstacles as a counter in the fashion of a Rube Goldberg Device. Squidward is the only one laughing at the end ("April Fools, you little sausage!"); SpongeBob bursts out the door in anguished tears, prompting the other customers to glare at Squidward ("April Fools, jerk!") and Squidward in turn to be deeply ashamed of the effects of the trap he sprang on him.
  • In "Frankendoodle," SpongeBob does what he thinks is a seemingly harmless caricature of himself. At first, he enjoys watching the tricks the doodle pulls on Squidward. But then the doodle grabs Squidward by the ankles and engages in Metronomic Man-Mashing, prompting Patrick to continue laughing while SpongeBob goes My God, What Have I Done? SpongeBob spends the rest of the cartoon trying to fix his creation, with even more Amusing Injuries being the result.