Always Late
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He was always late on principle, his principle being that punctuality is the thief of time.
—Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray, chapter 4
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A character is never on time for anything.
In video games the player character can be treated as this to lampshade Take Your Time.
For younger characters, this can result in a chronic case of Late for School, but differs from that trope in that it is a stock scene, while this is a character trait.
Examples of Always Late include:
Anime and Manga
- Usagi Tsukino of Sailor Moon always seems to be running to get somewhere -- usually school -- on time, and often failing.
Comic Books
- Some writers have made this part of The Flash's cover for his Secret Identity.
Literature
- Lord Henry in The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, who is the subject of the page quote.
Live-Action Television
- The 2014 Flash TV series makes this a trait of Barry Allen before he becomes The Flash to add a bit of irony to him becoming "The Fastest Man Alive". It's never mentioned again after the first episode.
Video Games
- Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth is an example of the player character treated as always being late.