This is a phrase typically used when a character has finished an adventure isolated from the others. Since it is redundant to have him/her explain the events we just saw ourselves, the typical move to have the character answer the others' questions of what happened is with, "It's a long story" with the assumption that he tells it to them later, off-screen. Another subversion is for the person on the receiving end of the story to say "I have time." This phrase can also be used as a substitute for the explanation of a Noodle Incident. Examples of It's a Long Story include: