A Boy and His X/Playing With

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


Basic Trope: Human forms an emotional bond with a non-human friend.

  • Straight:
    • Adam, a 7-year old boy, has a close animal friend.
    • Alice, a 7-year-old girl, becomes friends with a robot.
    • Adam becomes friends with a paranormal creature.
    • Alice becomes friends with something that is either living, unliving yet still moving, undead, or inorganic but sentient.
  • Exaggerated:
  • Justified:
    • Adam lives in a world where many people have close relationships with non-humans.
    • Alice must have a relationship with this creature, or she and/or it will die.
  • Inverted:
    • A non-human and his human sidekick.
    • Adam is the only human with a non-human sidekick and has to cope with it.
  • Subverted:
    • Adam has a ghost alien friend. However, it turns out to be a hologram prank by bullies.
  • Double Subverted:
    • ...But it turns out the hologram was contacting the REAL ghost alien, who comes to visit Adam.
  • Parodied:
  • Deconstructed:
    • The family doesn't pay attention to Alice and her "X" is her only friend.
    • Alternatively, once the parents discover that Adam has an X, they pay attention to X only.
    • The family exploits or seeks to end their relationship.
  • Reconstructed: Alice eventually learns to have friends other than his "X".
  • Analyzed: Bob wonders why a human-like behavior to non-alien friend causes a great affection compared to normal human/human friendship.
  • Zig Zagged: Adam is friends with "X", it turns out that it's a hologram, but it turns out the hologram was contacting the REAL "X", and then you find out he's in a psychiatric hospital.
  • Averted:
    • Adam has no "X"
    • Adam and his "X" are not unusually close.
  • Enforced: "We need a cute animal to capture female audiences."
  • Lampshaded: "Here's a new pet. You'll become best of friends, I bet!"
  • Invoked: "I'm lonely, I wish I had a companion of some kind."
  • Defied: Adam refuses to like the new companion.
  • Discussed: "You know, you're really that kind of child who could use a non-human friend"
  • Conversed: ""Wow, I love Adam's new puppy! I hope they show it more, and they become really close."
  • Played For Laughs: The companion is a hindrance to Adam, in comical ways.
  • Played For Drama:
    • The "X" dies, leaving Adam alone.
    • Adam dies, leaving "X" alone.
    • Alternatively, Both of them die together of course.
    • As time goes on, Adam and his "X" start to drift apart.

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