Single Tear




 * A single tear rolled down her cheek, like a liquid diamond.
 * —Eragon, chapter 27

A Single Tear is a cliché that generally occurs in fanfiction when a Mary Sue angsts. It is meant to be a more dignified way of showing sadness than full-on sobbing, which tends to leave characters with unattractive red and puffy eyes. Often, it is described with urple prose along the lines of the "liquid diamond" cited above or the "pearl-like drop" observed upon Vixen Doom's "silky cheek" by the Department of Technical Errors.

When a male character does it, it may be a Manly Tear, because man's man manly men are obviously too full of testosterone and Y chromosomes to outright cry. They're only allowed the one tear, or they have to turn in their Man Cards. (See also: toxic masculinity.)

Like any other trope, the Single Tear can be done well. In visual media, it is a quick and effective way to show that a stoic character has reached their breaking point. It shows up in popular canons such as Torchwood, Supernatural (especially Dean) and the movieverse of The Lord of the Rings, though YMMV on whether any particular instance is effective pathos or trite bathos.

It is more difficult to pull off in writing, where it is often more effective to show a character's emotional state through their behavior than by fixating on one inconsequential visual detail. The first two books of The Inheritance Cycle are frequently guilty of the latter.

Using a cliché Single Tear, especially combined with urple prose, is a legal charge, providing some relief for the agents that have to suffer through witnessing one. In continua where they're common, though, a better charge might be ripping off the canon characters.