The "tentacle blade instance" founded and made popular by Southpaw refers to any instance in which a character has the will, means, and
resources to kill another character, and when given the
opportunity, chooses not to with no further
explanation. Most excuses given are the character forgetting to use their resources or calling them arrogant.
Person 1: "Hey, why doesn't Doc Ock ever kill
Spider-man with
the blades in his
tentacles? He wants to kill him and has so many chances."
Person 2: "That's a tentacle blade moment and bad writing."