Arc Words: Difference between revisions
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Often shows up on the Internet Movie Database "memorable quotes" page for the show, with the label "repeated line".
The high-browed, academic <ref> Read "[[All
When this is a number instead of a phrase, it's [[Arc Number]], and [[Arc Symbol]] if it's an image. Compare with [[Dream Melody]]. Not to be confused with [[Iron Man|Arc Reactor Words]], which generally have to do with [[Memetic Mutation|caves and boxes of scraps.]]
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* ''[[Giant Robo]]'': "The Beautiful Night" and "Can happiness be achieved without sacrifice?" from the [[OVA|OVAs]].
** Another arguable example would be "Big Fire." For most of the series, we're led to believe that Big Fire is nothing more the name of the global criminal superorganization which opposes the Experts. Only in the next-to-last episode do we learn that {{spoiler|Big Fire is a ''person'', and all those worshipful chants the BF members were fond of shouting ("Hail Big Fire! Alliance or death!" and so forth) were in reference to him, not the eponymous organization over which he reigns.}}
* ''[[Noir (
** ''Thus spake the Hermit, the blood of the soldats shall run through the wilderness and mingle with the great sea...''
* ''[[Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann]]'': "Yours is the drill that will pierce the Heavens!".
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* "Fooly cooly" from ''[[FLCL]]''. Despite being the basis for the show's title and appearing at least once in each episode, "fooly cooly" is never explained. In the final episode, Naota's father tries to goad him into revealing the answer to this: "C'mon, you have to know. [[Lampshade Hanging|The main character always knows stuff like this!]]"
* ''[[Mai-Otome]]'' has [[Arc Words]] in the form of a ''song'' ("Hoshi ga Kanaderu Monogatari"). Each of the three main characters -- Arika, Nina and Mashiro -- knows and sings one stanza each, and its real significance is only revealed in the final arc.
* ''[[
** There are two variations of the second part. The first is "ye not" when Rosewater tries to pilot Big Fau and it just shuts down. The second is "ye guilty" when Alan Gabriel is piloting Big Duo and {{spoiler|it kills him}}.
** Also, there are the "tomatoes", introduced as a metaphor<ref>As Gordon Rosewater puts it, "These tomatoes are reproduced synthetically, with only the memories of the sweet flavor from the original. If we keep repeating the process, this fruit will eventually become the real thing."</ref> at the end of the first season and revisited through the second season as part of an [[Ontological Mystery]].
* ''[[Fafner in
* "Voodoo Child" are Himiko's personal [[Arc Words]] in the ''[[
* "Three years ago" in the ''[[
** In the 9th novel "three years ago" becomes "four years ago" since at that point roughly a year has passed since the start of the series.
* ''[[Chaos
* In ''[[Last Exile]]'', a vaguely peanut-like shape starts to appear more and more in various places over the course of the series, in the same vein as some of the images described below. Then comes the last episode...
* In ''[[Hellsing]]'' the phrase: "The bird of the Hermes is my name, eating my wings to make me tame." appears together with the series' title as well as on Alucard's coffin. It's taken from the Ripley Scrowle, by alchemist George Ripley. (Whoever that is.)
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** Occasionally the phrase "Can you feel the pulse of the awakening?" was used, too.
* In ''[[Madlax]]'', there's one phrase that's used over and over again: Elda Taluta. There are two others that accompany this (Sarks Sark and Arks Ark) but rarely get used. The [[Big Bad]] uses these words to {{spoiler|drive the "true nature" of humans out, which normally results in brutal murders or mind rape}}.
* In ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam 00]]'', the Innovators often mention or allude to what they call "the dialogues to come", which according to Revive is a concept beyond human comprehension. However, after {{spoiler|[[And Then John Was a Zombie|Setsuna becomes an Innovator]], it's hinted that these "dialogues" may be referring to what he believes is Aeolia Schenberg's plan for human evolution.}}
** It's suggested that it means humanity's first contact with aliens, and that humanity would have to surpress it's warlike nature and internal conflicts to prevent an interstellar war.
* ''[[Princess Tutu]]'': "May those who accept their fate find happiness. May those who defy their fate find glory."
* ''[[The Girl Who Leapt Through Time]]'': "Time waits for no one."
* The "kind king" of ''[[Konjiki no Gash Bell]]'' that everyone who encounters Gash hopes to become.
* ''[[Monster (
* ''[[
* ''[[Ghost in
* ''[[
* Lots of [[
** To make sure it was absolutely clear, the English dub uses the term inevitability.
* ''[[X 1999]]'' -- Before Fuuma {{spoiler|awakens as Kamui's twin star,}} "Kamui, I am your..."
* ''[[
** Also a rare case of a series where the title itself qualifies as arc words. The words "One Piece" are hardly ever spoken in the show's dialog. When it is mentioned, it's always a major event.
* ''[[Welcome to The NHK]]'' has NHK show up often, especially when the protagonist is about to have a nervous breakdown.
* ''[[Higurashi no Naku Koro
** Also, "USO DA!" ("THAT'S A LIE!")
* ''[[Umineko no Naku Koro
* ''[[Chrono Crusade]]'': Mary Magdalene. Used to the point that the name is actually worked into the title logo.
* ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion]]'' has a few, but the most recognizable by far is "I mustn't run away."
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** For a much more [[Never Trust a Trailer|ironic taste]], "[[Fan Service|Service]]."
* ''[[Pluto]]'': The main character has the recurring flashback of a man saying "500 Zeus a body." Seeing as the main character is a robot, other robots can experience his flashback as well.
* ''[[
* ''[[Mahou Sensei Negima]]'': Variations on "[[Determinator|Always keep moving forward]]" tend to crop up in plot-important moments.
** The manga is an interesting case, in that the actual [[Arc Words]] ("a little bit of courage") rarely show up. Rather, after the one time someone compared the need to rush bravely in (rather than hanging back and giving your opponent time to prepare) to the [[Arc Words]], the concept of bravery and aggression, as well as trusting your training, comes up more and more. This makes it more of an [[Arc Words|Arc Concept]] than anything.
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** The referral to the alchemists who practised human transmutation as 'sacrifices' is very thinly explained until the relevent plot point.
** Lust's character arc has the arc words "Where did I come from? Where will I go?"
* The Japanese version of [[Yu-Gi-Oh (
* Kotomi Ichinose's route in ''[[
** Also, Nagisa's "If you like, shall I take you to the place in town where dreams come true?" Appears in the first episode, later as the first line of her play, and {{spoiler|in the [[Grand Finale]] of ~After Story~}}.
* Walpurgisnacht or Walpurgis Night in ''[[
* [[
** [[
* "The Destination of Fate", "Survival Strategy", and "Never amount to anything" in ''[[
** "Survival Strategy": Revealed to be {{spoiler|some sort of terrorism plot by the [[Well-Intentioned Extremist|Kiga group/Penguinforce]]}}.
** "Never amount to anything": Initially, it was only used by the Princess of the Crystal in mocking those that she summons, but it's later revealed that this particular phrase has ties to the self-worth of several characters.
* [[Pandora Hearts]] has, "A darkness that swallows everything," which is used to describe several plot related things.
* [[Soul Eater]] has "A sound soul dwells within a sound mind and a sound body".
* ''[[Street Fighter II:
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* "Something fell" from ''[[Cerebus]]''. It is usually said a moment before a sudden, life-altering event in Cerebus' life. The first time it was said, the falling object was directly responsible; the next few times, something just happened to fall immediately before the big event, and a character remarked on it. In later instances, a character just ''thinks'' he heard something fall, but we don't see that anything actually does. One interpretation is that ''the words themselves'' have the power to cause important things to happen, but none of the characters seem aware of this.
** [[Lampshaded]] in "Rick's Story," when Rick tells Cerebus "something fell" just to freak him out. It's followed by a major event anyway.
* ''[[Watchmen (
** The full phrase "Who Watches the Watchmen" is ''never'' shown in its entirety {{spoiler|Until the very last page, after the story has ended.}} It's always either unfinished (as it mainly appears as graffiti) or cut off by the panel border. Probably a subtle suggestion that the minds of the "heroes" are not fully comprehensible.
*** It could also be a suggestion that up until then, the question was unanswered -- the vigilantes were mostly ungoverned. {{spoiler|Then Ozymandias manipulates them all, showing that he was watching and controlling the "watchmen."}} The question was only shown when it had been answered.
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** Also, "Barbelith."
* ''[[Blackest Night]]'': '''RISE.'''
* For [[
** Leading to the irony that {{spoiler|even Bruce doesn't know what the phrase means, as the last thing he ever said to his father is "what?" implying he didn't clearly hear what he said.}}
* In ''[[
* The phrase "The Crimson Hand" kept cropping up in the post-Donna ''[[
* In ''[[The Sandman (Comic Book)|The Sandman]]'', "Wake up" and its variations.
* In ''[[Deadpool]]'', during Chris Priest's run. Occasionally, whenever things would get dramatic, Deadpool would say "None of this is actually happening. Somewhere, there's a guy with a typewriter..."
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** "Fighting for friends."
** Warbound.
* [[Spider
* [[Crisis
* ''[[Fifty Two|52]]'''s storyline with [[The Question]] had "Who are you?" and "Are you ready?"
* [[Hellboy (
** A minor example in ''[[BPRD]]: 1946'': "The waters here are warmer."
* The first issue of [[Hourman]] opens with Snapper Carr, Hourman's sidekick, writing down a list of arc words as they come to him. Since Hourman is a time traveler, Snapper has had a tiny vision of the future but only remembers it well enough to record about a dozen key phrases, such as "the century of solitude," "the giant nanites," and "the timepoint." Over the course of the series these terms become part of the storyline and are explained one by one. At the end of the final issue, Hourman and Snapper recite the list again, this time as a pair of friends recalling shared memories.
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== [[Fan Works]] ==
* "I Am, I" in ''[[Once More
* "Do not ask questions you don't really want to hear the answer to" in ''[[
* "''It Was Time''" and any variation of it in ''[[
* ''[[
* ''[[Ice Age]]'' fanfic ''[[
* 'Four places at once' and 'Come crashing down' are this by [[Word of God]] in [[
* From the ''[[
* ''[[
== [[Film]] - Animated ==
* ''[[Meet the Robinsons]]'': "Keep moving forward". Notable for being part of a quote from Walt Disney himself.
* In ''[[The Princess and
== [[Film]] - Live Action ==
* "Rosebud." from ''[[
** {{spoiler|[[It Was His Sled]].}}
* ''[[
* ''[[Contact]]''. "If there is no one out there, it's an awful waste of space."
* [[The Curious Case of Benjamin Button]] "You never know what's coming for you" represents one of the film's themes that deal with the unexpected ways life will change.
* ''[[
** [[Something Only They Would Say|Mr. Anderson]]
*** "Everything that has a beginning has an end."
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** Ease his pain.
** Go the distance.
* Could, "Rise and rise again, until lambs become lions," from ''[[Robin Hood (2010 film)]]'' count?
* ''[[Inception]]'': "You're waiting for a train..."
** "An old man, filled with regret, waiting to die alone."
** "Take a leap of faith."
* "Even a man who is pure in heart..." poem in films featuring [[The
* ''[[Prince of Persia]]'': "Have I told you about the Ngbaka?"
* ''[[Strictly Ballroom]]'': "A life lived in fear is a life half-lived."
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== [[Literature]] ==
* ''[[Glamorama]]'': "Let's slide down the surface of things"
* ''[[Little House
{{quote| "Everything is evened up in the end. The rich have their ice in the summer but the poor get theirs in the winter."}}
* In [[Chuck Palahniuk]]'s works, he has his characters use arc words he refers to as "choruses." Most notably, {{spoiler|"Birds ate my face"}} in ''[[Invisible Monsters]].''
** ''[[Fight Club]]'': "I know this because Tyler knows this."
** ''[[
* The words "copper" "silver" and "gold" in that order are in every story of ''[[Godel Escher Bach|Godel Escher Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid]]'' until the big reveal that {{spoiler|you are actually reading a book written by a guy named Douglas Hofstadter, and every person you've grown to know and love in it is actually a character inhabiting stories written in the pattern of Bach's fugues.}} You could actually read the chapters, rather than just the dialogues prefacing them. [[Viewers Are Geniuses|If you can keep up]], it gives quite a good overview of modern symbolic logic.
* "Who is John Galt?" from ''[[Atlas Shrugged]]''. {{spoiler|He's the unnamed figure in ''every'' story that anyone tells to Dagny before she meets him.}} [[Memetic Mutation|He also won't shut up.]]
** Referenced in ''[[
* [[Philip K. Dick|Philip K. Dick's]] ''[[Ubik]]'', especially. Ubik varies from chapter to chapter, finally culminating in Ubik declaring itself as God.
** Also, "The Empire never ended", from several of his later works.
** One of the most elaborate and subtle examples in the works of Philip Dick is the ''Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said''. The concept of love (meaning profound attraction and dire, unconditional need for SOMEONE or even ANYONE beside) is never explicitly stated or talked about in the book. Nevertheless, the seemingly unimportant and appendix-like part where the writer tells of the character's life after the events, ends with the sentence "And loved.". Although it relates to the clay vase irrelevant to the plot, the word "loved" connects with the rest of the novel in ways unimaginable. Dick manages to sum up all the (painfully building) moral and emotional tensions throughout the WHOLE NOVEL in this sentence. Just read it.
** ''[[A Scanner Darkly]]'': "If I'd known it was harmless I'd have killed it myself."
* "In the Country of the Blind, the One-eyed Man is King," from [[
* ''[[The Black Company]]'' series had a number of these, especially near the end. They even became the names of two of the novels, ''Water Sleeps'' (which in context means "Revenge is coming") and ''Soldiers Live'' ("and wonder why", referring to survivor's guilt).
* [[Tad Williams]]' ''[[Otherland]]'' features a significant and enigmatic character who keeps repeating, "An angel touched me."
* The purpose behind Thomas Pynchon's ''[[
* "Here comes a candle to light you to bed, here comes a chopper to chop off your head!" from ''[[Nineteen Eighty-Four|1984]],'' and the associated rhyme.
** The phrase is referenced in Neil Gaiman's ''[[
** This phrase is also referenced in ''Silent Hill: Origins''. Except that it is changed to read "Here comes a candle to light you to bed, here comes the butcher to chop off your head!" And there's the three Party slogans: "Big Brother is watching you" (verifying the accuracy of this statement is arguably the point of the narrative), ""War is Peace; Freedom is Slavery; Ignorance is Strength" (which is ultimately explained by Goldstein's book) and "Who controls the past controls the future; who controls the present controls the past" (which is explained in detail by O'Brien in the novel's third act).
** "We shall meet in the place where there is no darkness."
** "Oranges and lemons, say the bells of St. Clements."
* Also from ''[[
* "Delial" and "House" from ''[[House of Leaves]]''.
** ''[[Only Revolutions]]'' by the same author has several of these (none of which are ever really explained), with "always sixteen" and "everyone loves the dream but I kill it" (and variants) probably cropping up most frequently.
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* Madame Zeroni's lullaby in ''[[Holes]]''.
* In ''[[Fingerprints]]'', the name "Erika Keaton", which the heroes are puzzled by until [[The Reveal]] in book 6.
* In ''[[Fahrenheit 451]]'', "[[The Bible
* ''[[Snow Crash]]'' has, well "Snow Crash," a phrase which gets dropped several times in several different contexts before finally getting elaborated on.
* In the novel ''Some Other Place. The Right Place'' by Donald Harington, the phrase "some other place" appears repeatedly throughout, followed by "the right place", usually on the opposite page.
* In several of [[Kurt Vonnegut]]'s works, "So it goes." and "Tralfamadorians".
** There's virtually one per book. I can't even recall all of them, but they include the Trout's sermon ("You were sick, but now you're well again, and there's work to do") in ''Timequake'', "And so on" in ''Breakfast of Champions'' (as well as the title itself and recounting penis lengths of every male character), "chronosynchastic infindibulum" in ''[[The Sirens of Titan|Sirens of Titan]]'', and the various Bokoninist lines in ''[[Cats Cradle|Cat's Cradle]]'' (eg. "Busy, busy, busy"). "So it goes" is from ''[[Slaughterhouse
** "Blue and ivory feet", also from [[Slaughterhouse
* In [[Larry Niven]] and Jerry Pournelle's novel ''[[The Deed of Paksenarrion|Oath of Fealty]]'', "Think of it as evolution in action" is explicitly developed as this.
* Throughout Larry Niven's entire [[Known Space]] oevre, we hear "There Ain't No Justice." It's repeated often enough that it's sometimes abbreviated as the curse word "[[Unusual Euphemism|tanj]]."
** Those aren't [[Arc Words]] so much as something between [[Future Slang]] and mild [[Informed Obscenity]].
* In the 32nd instalment of [[Piers Anthony]]'s ''[[
** In the fourth book, ''Centaur Aisle'', the title is a repeated spoken hint to the main character -- leaving him to wonder what "centre isle" is supposed to mean. The words make no sense until Arnolde Centaur's magic talent is revealed.
** ''Heaven Cent'' -- "Skeleton Key to Heaven Cent."
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** ''[[Misery]]'': "Rinse."
** In ''[[The Langoliers]]'': "SHOOTING STARS ONLY."
* In ''[[Catch
** Also, any time Snowden is mentioned, with more and more context being revealed about him each time..
* In Garth Nix's ''[[Old Kingdom]]'' series, the saying "Does the walker choose the path, or the path the walker?" is frequently repeated. The words come from The Book of the Dead, a very dark volume about necromancy that happens to be required reading for every Abhorsen, so it makes sense that a necromancer, an extremely powerful Charter Mage, or some other person of importance would know them.
* In the ''[[Dune]]'' series, there are stylized speeches and oft-repeated phrases, such as the [[Survival Mantra|Litany Against Fear]]. However, the phrase "The Golden Path" is an example of [[Arc Words]], signifying Leto's long-term plan. Also Paul's cnstant use of the term "Terrible purpose".
** "The sleeper must awaken".
* "''[[
** Also "The Wheel weaves as The Wheel wills."
** The various prophecies told to {{spoiler|Mat by the Snakes}} may also qualify. {{spoiler|"To marry the Daughter of the Nine Moons." in particular.}}
* Several from [[
** ''[[Discworld
** ''[[Discworld
{{quote| "The truth ''has'' got its boots on. It's about to start kicking." <ref>Worthy of notice is that the [[Big Bad]] is William's father, and the aforementioned saying was a favourite of his. William never got along very well with his father, and hearing the saying spoken by one of his accomplices clues him into the fact that lord de Worde was involved.</ref>}}
** ''[[Discworld
** ''[[Discworld
** ''[[Discworld
** ''[[Discworld
** An example of [[Arc Words]] for the entire series is the phrase "all things strive." Some examples:
*** ''[[Discworld
*** ''[[Discworld
*** ''[[Discworld
* [[The Pendragon Adventure]]: "This is the way it was meant to be."
** Bobby also starts ending his later journals with "And so we go."
* ''[[The Golden Oecumene
* ''Bartleby the Scrivener'' by Herman Melville: "[[Catch Phrase|I'd]] [[Most Annoying Sound|prefer]] [[Verbal Tic|not to.]]"
* ''Creatures of Light and Darkness'' by [[Roger Zelazny]]: "Skagganauk Abyss" and variations occur several times throughout the book before its nature and ultimate purpose is revealed.
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* ''[[The Midnight Mayor]]'' by Kate Griffin has "Give me back my hat."
* In the ''[[Halo]]'' [[Expanded Universe]], the phrase ''Oly Oly Oxen Free'' is a secret code used by [[SPARTA Ns]] as an "all-clear" message.
* ''[[
* ''[[The Bell Jar]]'': "I am, I am, I am."
* ''[[Everything Is Illuminated]]'' by Jonathan Safran Foer: "I will... I will..."
* ''[[Never Let Me Go]]'' has a song ([[Exactly What It Says
* ''[[
* ''[[A Clockwork Orange (
* In [[
* [[The Subject Steve]] has a few; Fine fettle, Mothered by fire, Fuckeroo'd...
* In [[Blackout]], particularly Polly's sections: "[[Shout
* The last parts of the biblical [[
* In ''[[The Full Matilda]]'', the various Housewright Maxims are this. Usually this is used to show how the family serves others instead of themselves.
* [[Bridge of Birds]] has "Jade plate, Six, eight. Fire that burns hot, Night that is not. Fire that burns cold, First silver, then gold."
* [[Stephen King]]'s ''[[The Dark Half]]'': "The sparrows are flying again."
* ''[[Warrior Cats
** ''[[Warrior Cats the Original Series|Original Series]]'': "Fire alone can save our Clan." It wasn't a prophecy, but "''Pack, Pack, Kill, Kill''" in ''A Dangerous Path''.
** ''[[Warrior Cats the New Prophecy|The New Prophecy]]'': "Before there is peace, blood will spill blood, and the lake will run red."
** ''[[Warrior Cats Power of Three|Power of Three]]'': "There will be three, kin of your kin, who hold the power of the stars in their paws." (First appeared chronologically in ''Firestar's Quest'' and continues through to ''[[Omen of the Stars]]'')
** ''Omen of the Stars'': "The end of the stars draws near. Three must become four, to battle the darkness that lasts forever."
* ''[[Dragons (
* [[Robert Heinlein]] had a few:
** '[[Stranger in A Strange Land]]': "Thou art God."
** '[[The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress]]': "TANSTAAFL!" (An acronym for "There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch.")
* [[Wicked Lovely]]: "There are always choices".
* ''[[An Elegy for
* ''[[Lemony Snicket the Unauthorized Autobiography|Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography]]'' has several phrases, but the most notable is V.F.D. motto "The world is quiet here."
* In its original Hebrew, [[
* Probably the only memorable thing about Ira Levin's execrable sequel to his excellent ''[[
* ''[[Dark Future (
** ''Comeback Tour'' is subtitled ''The Sky Belongs To The Stars''. During the Prologue we meet NASA Officer Lawrence Fonvielle who expresses his belief about The Dream of the Space Programme being to ''"reach up into the sky, make a fist and hold on tight;"'' taking ownership of some part of space. As the novel progresses, it's revealed that Elder Seth plans {{spoiler|to reactivate a [[Kill Sat|dormant satellite weapons system]] and use it to eliminate everyone who could stop his plans for the Apocalypse.}} Fonvielle comes to see {{spoiler|[[Heel Realization|that his belief in The Dream was wrong and that space can't belong to anyone]] and says exactly this to [[The Dragon|Roger Duroc.]] [[Rewarded
{{quote|''"Krokodil, what's this about?"''<br />
''"Using black magic and blacker science...they're trying to take over the sky."''<br />
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== [[Live Action TV]] ==
* The [[Jim Henson]] teleplay [[The Cube (
* The new ''[[Doctor Who]]'' has had one each series/season.
** "Bad Wolf" from Series One.
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*** "Bad Wolf" is also something of a subversion in that the words kept appearing (although less often) after the "arc" was concluded, because the words were across all of time and space, so they wouldn't be expected to only appear where they were actually needed.
*** The phrase also appears in the DVD release of "The Invasion" (with animation replacing the [[Missing Episode|Missing Episodes]]). From the Doctor's perspective, that's long ''before'' the arc...
*** Since ''[[
** "Torchwood" from Series Two.
** "Mister Saxon" and "Vote Saxon" from Series Three.
** Also the significance of "You. Are. Not. Alone." that clues the Doctor into realising the true identity of Professor [[Fun
** Series Four has apparently expanded the concept and instead of [[Arc Words]] it has a series of foreshadowing words dating all the way back to the first episode of Series One: {{spoiler|The Shadow Proclamation}}, {{spoiler|the Medusa Cascade}}, {{spoiler|Rose Tyler}} continually appearing in the background, the disappearance of {{spoiler|planets and bees}}, Donna being told she has something on her back, and {{spoiler|Donna being the focal point of several timelines}}. Naturally, they all come to a head in the finale.
*** Right before the finale, how bad things truly are is established when the Doctor learns that Rose Tyler has broken through the dimensional barriers. To herald her presence, the words "Bad Wolf" appear ''everywhere'', including on the TARDIS itself.
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** "Fish fingers and custard" is a minor example, acting as a [[Trust Password]] between Amy and the Doctor.
** The question itself becomes the Series 7 Arc Words, as well as {{spoiler|the greatest [[Title Drop]] in history: "Doctor who?"}}
* The latter part of ''[[
* "Save The Cheerleader, Save The World" from Season One of ''[[Heroes (TV series)|Heroes]]''.
** The second half of Season One: "Are you on the list?"
** It's later parodied in a commercial about some tax program: "Save the Taxpayers, Save the World!" It's [[Lampshade Hanging|lampshaded]].
** Also "Be the one we need."
* "From beneath you, it devours" from Season Seven of ''[[
** Or, as one pair of characters translated it, "It eats you starting with your bottom."
** In season 5: "Death is your gift."
** In seasons 4 & 5: "You think you know. What's to come, what you are. You haven't even begun."
** "Ascension" from seasons 1 to 3 -- referring to the Master rising to the surface, {{spoiler|Angelus}} summoning Acathla, and the Mayor completing his transformation.
* On ''[[
* "Fire, walk with me" from ''[[Twin Peaks]]'' (it was even the name of [[The Movie]] that was made after its cancellation).
** Found under the fingernails of various murder victims were what we might call Arc Letters.
** Another example is the phrase "j'ai une âme solitaire", meaning "I have a lonely soul" in French.
* Before you know just ''what'' Dharma is in ''[[
** Lostpedia has a [http://www.lostpedia.com/wiki/Regularly_spoken_phrases whole list] of commonly used phrases on the show, some of which may be arc words.
** And the famous [[Arc Number|Arc Numbers]] -- 4 8 15 16 23 42.
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** And then in season 5 we get a whole "dead is dead," "whatever happened happened," and "what's done is done." All variants on an arc theme.
** "I'll see you in another life, brother!" is a phrase constantly used by Desmond as a farewell, to the point that other characters start using it when addressing Desmond at later points. {{spoiler|This comes full circle when we discover in the sixth season that Desmond in the "Sideways World" is awakening the castaways and reminding them of their past lives, so they can move on to the afterlife. See them in another life indeed.}}
* The logos and name of the Blue Sun Corporation from ''[[
* ''[[Battlestar Galactica Reimagined|Battlestar Galactica]]'':
** "All Along The Watchtower" is a set of Arc Words: {{spoiler|because it foreshadows the identities of the final five Cylons}}.
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*** ''The Plan'' has "Love outlasts Death": {{spoiler|spoken by the Cylon Hybrids before destroying the Colonies, and written on the suicide note of the Simon who killed himself rather than harm his human family. Also, Sam's [[Shut UP, Hannibal]] paraphrase of the concept turns out to be the [[Epiphany Therapy]] that separates the Caprican Cavil from the one on Galactica.}}
** "Nothing but the rain", on the other hand, is not Arc Words, just an inside joke between Adama and Starbuck.
* ''[[Millennium (TV series)|Millennium]]'' season two: "This is who we are."
* The 1967 series "Coronet Blue" depicted an amnesiac who couldn't remember anything about himself or his past except for the cryptic phrase "Coronet Blue". The series was cancelled before he could find out who he was, where he came from or what "Coronet Blue" meant.
* ''[[The Prisoner]]'' had a creepy set of [[Arc Words]]: every time someone would say goodbye to anyone in the Village, they would form a circle over their right eye with a thumb and forefinger, tip it forward in a salute, and say "Be seeing you."
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** That whole "Did I fall asleep" conversation seems to apply.
** "I want to be my best", anyone?
* ''[[
** They seemed to have moved onto "First People," after the ominous phrase cropped up as an [[Easter Egg]] late in Season 2's opening credits.
* "Someone's at the door" from ''[[American Gothic]]''.
* ''[[Jeeves and Wooster (TV series)|Jeeves and Wooster]]'' gets a couple, used to blackmail Spode, although they're more like Episode Words: "Eulalie" in the first couple episodes of season 2, and "Celia" in the series finale.
* ''[[Taken (TV series)|Taken]]'' has a couple, reinforcing that ideas will get passed down form generation to generation. The Clark family has one phrase about Love, the Crawfords have one that revolves around fear, and the aliens have one that's just plain threatening.
{{quote| '''Crawford''': ''All your memories play at once. All your memories and all your fears.''<br />
'''Clark''': ''I love you. Every day and twice on Sundays.''<br />
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* ''[[Kamen Rider Decade]]'' has "''Destroy everything. Connect everything''" and "''Decade, the Destroyer of Worlds''".
* [[Vintergatan]] had "...And remember, anything can happen in space." Plain enough on paper, but it always sounded like foreshadowing.
* ''[[
* ''[[
* [[V-2009|John May lives]]. It's even used as a password... on Anna's ship. You'd think checking to see if that phrase was in any of the files in the ship's computer would have been the first thing they tried when they were looking for the Fifth Column...
* In ''[[
* ''[[The Wire]]'': Several, but most memorably, "All in the game".
* ''[[True Blood]]'': Various supernatural creatures [[Narm|narmfully]] ask Sookie "What ''are'' you?" Turns out she is {{spoiler|a fairy.}}
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* ''[[Chuck]]'': "Don't freak out."
** "Chuck vs. The Beefcake" had "Everyone talks".
* ''[[
* ''[[Star Trek:
* ''[[The River]]:'' "There's magic out there." [[All Myths Are True|And there is.]]
* ''[[Person of Interest]]'' has two:
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== Music ==
* The ''[[Mega Man (
** And in the prequel, The Father of Death, the arc words are "Don't turn your back on the City."
** Emily... A crowd has gathered here...
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* [[Nine Inch Nails]]: "Nothing can stop me now / Broken (machine)."
* "Dragonforce" : Steel, Fire, Flames, Soul/Spirit/Heart, and the phrase [[Running Gag|So Far Away]]
* [[
* On [[
* [[The Paper Chase
* [[Christian Rock|Christian Hard Rock]] band Resurrection Band's final album has two sets of arc words. "It is my right, I am free" and "I'm satisfied, here I'm alive". fitting because its a [[Concept Album]]
* [[Vocaloid]] producer [[Mothy]] loves to link some of the songs in his "Evillious Chronicles" with the mysterious mini song, "Lu, Li, La". It's almost always sung by [[Animated Actors|characters played by]] Rin and Len, except one instance where it was sung by Hatsune Miku and another time by Megurine Luka. It appears to link the "Clockwork Lullaby" series but appears in other songs, furthering the [[Mind Screw|confusion]]. It actually has yet to be explained, but most likely will be at the end.
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* [[Frank Zappa]]; Joe's Garage: "The white zone is for loading and unloading only, if you gotta load or unload, go to the white zone."
* On [[The Wall]], by Pink Floyd, a number of arc words are repeated through and through. Among the many are "oh, baby", in a melancholic voice, "mother/mom", and one of the most famous, "bricks/brick in the wall".
* Variations of "What did I do to deserve...?" appear on all albums of [[
** The phrases "One last kiss" and "Believer" surface in multiple songs in ''Good Apollo Vol. 1.''
* [[Sound Horizon]]'s ''[[Rock Opera|Märchen]]'' wrings more meaning out of "イド" ([[Alternate Character Reading|which is pronounced "ido" and can mean well or the Freudian id, among other things]]) than should be possible - so much meaning, in fact, that a character can waltz in and deliver two entirely non-sequitur lines, and somehow ''[http://sh-whitecrow.com/wiki/index.php?title=Idolfried_Ehrenberg tie the entire backstory together]''<ref>Well, [[Shrug of God|probably]]</ref> simply because he is an impulsive sailor named '''Ido'''lfried.
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== [[Professional Wrestling]] ==
* The run-up to Chris Jericho's return to [[
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== [[Tabletop Games]] ==
* ''[[
* [[Hunter: The Reckoning]]: '''INHERIT THE EARTH.'''
* [[Exalted]]: "Once, there was a maiden..."
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== Theater ==
* ''[[Tanz
* Eric Overmyer's ''[[On the Verge]]'': "Vaya con dios!"
* In the [[Absurdism|absurdist play]] ''[[Waiting for Godot]]'', by Samuel Beckett, the following snippet of dialogue recurs, almost as a refrain (and to punctuate the various ways the two find to pass the time):
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'''Didi''': Yes, let's go.<br />
'''They do not move.''' }}
* [[Wicked (
** Replete with them. "I'm/We're/You're unlimited" stands out. "You deserve each other" is also used quite frequently. Also, "a celebration throughout Oz / That's all to do with (me/you)".
** The words "wicked" and "good" themselves.
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== [[Video Games]] ==
* ''[[
* ''[[Metal Gear Solid]]'': "Who are the Patriots?"/"La-Li-Lu-Le-Lo". The first time you hear it, [[Narm|it just sounds silly]], then you find out [[Paranoia Fuel|why people say that]]. {{spoiler|Its origin is comparatively mundane, as they're just used for the challenge-response ally confirmation procedure.}}
** If a [[The Last Days of Foxhound|certain other source is to be believed]], its meaning is much deeper, and much more menacing.
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** {{spoiler|The tie-in story, The Expedition, explains that these words are the only/last thing that is going through the mind of Chzo and his servants's victims.}}
* ''[[Dirge of Cerberus]]: [[Final Fantasy VII]]'': "I'm so sorry."
* ''[[
* "This is my story." from ''[[
** Referenced by Auron in ''[[
* ''[[
* While not recurring, the very first spoken lines in ''[[
** In [[Final Fantasy XIII-2|Final Fantaxy XIII-2]], "If you change the future, you change the past."
* "What can change the nature of a man?" from ''[[
** Also "torment" itself, along with the symbol that represents it that looks like an oddly bent shuriken.
* The original ''[[
** {{spoiler|That wasn't Gorion's spirit talking, it ''was'' your Bhaal heritage. The learning presumably referred to learning to obey your "nature" in said heritage, which you never acquiesce to -- whether you got the good ''or'' the evil dreams.}}
* According to the [[Word of God]], the title ''[[Kingdom Hearts|358/2 Days]]'' won't make sense to players until the game's end.
** The concept trailer "Another Side, Another Story [deep dive]" from Kingdom Hearts Final Mix is entirely ''composed'' of [[Arc Words]]. The thing is ''filled'' with quotes and random concepts that are subtly included in Kingdom Hearts II (non-existent ones and "You are the source of all Heartless," anyone?), excepting the final quote ("We'll go together"), that itself being a [[Meaningful Echo|line from early in the first game]], changed to a different line in the English version before the translators had a chance to cotton on to its [[Arc Words]] status. It can make chills run up and down the savvy fan's spine.
* [[Urban Chaos: Riot Response]] has one. While not a sentence, or a phrase the {{spoiler|Company, Shift It}} appears everywhere! If you look for it. The reason it's so important is that {{spoiler|Shift it are actually the Burners. The CEO is the leader of the gang, and forceably brainwashed all of his employes into the animals that are the burners.}}
* ''[[Killer 7]]'' has the phrases "Don't gain the world and lose your soul," "How soon is now," and "[[Number of the Beast|666]]" scrawled in various places.
** "How Soon is Now" is the name of a song. While it's been covered many times, the original version was by a band called the Smiths. (As it happens, all the courier memos are also named after songs by the Smiths.) While the other two may qualify as Arc Words, this one's probably more of a [[Shout-Out]].
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** There's also the advent of the disappearance of smiles that runs throughout the game, before and after missions (with cheerful phrases such as "The day he stops smiling is the day we remember his smile".)
** "In the name of Harman..."
* ''[[
** "Remember, Neku...[[Title Drop|the world ends with you.]]"
* ''[[Limbo of the Lost]]'' has two: "Forget reality, surrender to your darkest dreams" and "Join us, join us now!" The latter is repeated by a disembodied voice throughout the game who is trying to be creepy but ending up annoying.
* Any variation on "seven years ago" in ''[[Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney]]''.
** Lampshaded in game: "Seven years"... That phrase sure likes to pop up, doesn't it...
** Likewise, DL-6 or "fifteen years ago" in the original, or any mention of {{spoiler|Edgeworth}} in Justice for All.
** SL-9 takes this role in the first game's DS bonus case, Rise from the Ashes.
** "The only time a lawyer can cry is when it's all over" from the third game.
* ''[[
* ''[[Max Payne (
* The [[Command and Conquer Tiberium]] series has the ''"[[Ascend to
* In ''[[Dead Space (
** "Make us whole again" and the four steps ("Step 1: Into the dark machine. Step 2: The screws go tight, all around. Step 3: Cross my heart and hope to die. Stick a needle in my eye. Step 4: She'll be waiting.") take turns following you around in ''[[
* [[Saints Row]] has "The Pyramid", and to a lesser extent, the Ultor Corporation.
** The Ultor Corporation is also a shout out to the first [[Red Faction]] game.
** In the sequel it turns from a shout out to a full blown origin story.
* ''[[
* ''[[
* ''[[Tales of the Abyss]]'' {{spoiler|REPLICA!!!!!}}.
* The ''[[
** The story of ''[[Fallout 3]]'' can be described with, [[The Bible
** Depending on how you explore [[Fallout: New Vegas
** Also from New Vegas, "The Divide."
** The ''[[Fallout: New Vegas
* In ''[[
* Although it is only said twice, "No king rules forever" serve as [[Arc Words]] for the entirety of [[World of Warcraft]]: Wrath of the Lich king. The two times it is said happen to be when fighting the games two most powerful/main villains, Yogg-Saron and [[Big Bad|Arthas]]. {{spoiler|Yogg is referring to Arthas and it is the last thing Arthas's father's ghost says to his son before he dies}}. This quote not only summarizes the fall of the Lich King but many of the other events that occurred during the expansion and things that will happen shortly after such as: 2 kings (Yirmon and Anub'Arak) die, Malygos, the dragon aspect of magic/leader of the Blue Dragonflight, was killed, the Alliance found a new leader in King Varian, Bolvar Fordragon (the guy who was ruling Stormwind while [[World of Warcraft Comic|Varian was doing stuff]]) was {{spoiler|[[Never Found the Body|presumed to be dead after the Wrathgate fiasco]] but is found alive (sort of, maybe) }} but has to {{spoiler|become the next Lich King in order to prevent the Scourge from going crazy[er] and killing EVERYTHING}}. In addition, the quote can be viewed as Foreshadowing of things to come in the pre-Cataclysm event and the expansion itself: The Gnomes and Darkspear Trolls taking back their respective homelands after being in exile for years, [[Our Orcs Are Different|Warchief Thrall]] being replaced by [[The Scrappy|Garrosh]] [[Names to Run Away From Really Fast|Hellscream]], as well as many other changes in leadership on Azeroth.
** Also, from the same expansion, "The Light of Dawn."
** In ''World of Warcraft: Cataclysm'', several of the villans including Deathwing make mention of something called "The Hour of Twilight". In the novel ''[[Thrall
* From ''[[
* ''[[Half Life]]'' has "Unforeseen consequences" show up when ''nobody'' expected it.
** "Free Man" and many variations of it also appears very often. The protagonist's name is Freeman, and he is known in ''Half-Life 2'' as "The One Free Man", since he was never subjugated by [[The Empire|The Combine]]. Irony kicks in when you realize that [[But Thou Must!|he's not]] [[The Man Behind the Man|at all free]].
** The ''Half-Life'' Modification ''[[Afraid of Monsters]]'' has two words: ''FORGIVE ME''. The main character is a drug addict, who is on an overdose throughout the whole game. Does he survive his sins? No and yes, depending on the ending.
* Though you're given much more information about it, and it is much more direct than in most cases, "fourteen years ago" arguably counts in ''[[
* You know your main mission throughout ''[[STALKER]]'' is to "Kill Strelok." Unfortunately, those words are the ''only'' thing that you know, due to a case of [[Easy Amnesia]].
* "The Wheel Of Fate Is Turning" is just a cool throwaway phrase to start your ''[[Blaz Blue]]'' fights with, right? Not quite. {{spoiler|It's actually hinting at the [[Groundhog Day Loop]] that's been put in place, and the events that continue to cause the loop to endlessly repeat}}.
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* ''[[Dreamfall]]'': "Find her. Save her." It actually refers to {{spoiler|April Ryan, the heroine of the original game, ''[[The Longest Journey]]'', who Zoe does eventually meet. ''Why'' she needed to be found, however, remains unclear.}}
* '''Remember the Citadel''' and '''Resist''' written in blood on walls in ''[[System Shock]] 2''.
* [[Badass Creed|"Nothing is true, everything is permitted."]] Al-Mualim and Altair discuss it in the first ''[[
* [[Sands of Destruction]]: "Acta est fabula."
* The [[MOTHER 1
* Masks pop up quite a lot, in conversation and on various characters, in [[Neverwinter Nights 2]] Mask of the Betrayer.
* [[Portal (
* In conversations with the [[Scary Dogmatic Aliens|Qunari]] over the course of [[Dragon Age 2]] the 'certainty' of the Qun is contrasted with the chaos of free will, foreshadowing the primary conflict of the second chapter.
** As [[Well-Intentioned Extremist|Anders]] gets crazier, he starts spouting [[With Us or Against Us|"Everyone in Kirkwall must choose a side!"]]. {{spoiler|He forces the issue at the end.}}
* ''[[Bayonetta]]'': "The Left Eye, our treasured Left Eye, will never fall into the hands of another!"
** "May Jubileus, the Creator, grace you!"
* ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog 2006 (
** [[Shadow the Hedgehog]] has the phrase "This is who I am!" or some variation of it so consistently that it is featured in every single ending, several cutscenes, and the [[Crowning Music of Awesome|game's theme song.]]
* In ''[[Wing Commander (
* ''[[
* ''[[
** Another example is the {{spoiler|red flowers}}. They are mentioned often in the opening sections of the game but the player never really understands the significance until they see the power firsthand during the battle with {{spoiler|rabid Toroko}}.
* In Chapter 1 of ''[[Tales of Monkey Island]]'':
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* ''[[Ghost Trick]]'': "And it's almost Dawn."
* ''[[Knights of the Old Republic]] 2'' has many characters using the word 'echo' to describe events or feelings without entirely knowing why, except for Kreia, who uses the word repeatedly while knowing exactly what she's talking about. The significance is gradually explained throughout the game.
* At the beginning of ''[[
** Also, expect to hear ''"family and clan"'' when there's anything concerning Scorpion or/and Sub-Zero.
* "Scope" in ''[[
* [[Alice: Madness Returns]] has "What have you done?". Oddly enough the answer seems to be {{spoiler|nothing}}.
* The first game of ''[[Digital Devil Saga]]'' has the following sentence: "I am Colonel Beck." {{spoiler|That sentence ''explains'' what's wrong with the world they're living in.}}
* ''[[Driver San Francisco]]'' has the seemingly innocent phrase "eyes on the city" that Tanner keeps hearing people say to him, sometimes more directly than others. {{spoiler|It's the name of the news program that Tanner keeps hearing from the TV in his hospital room while in a coma.}}
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== [[Visual Novels]] ==
* ''[[Higurashi no Naku Koro
** ''[[Umineko no Naku Koro
* ''[[
* In ''[[
* ''[[
* [[Fate/stay
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** In 2010, the phrase "Greatness is often linked with insanity" keeps popping up.
* ''[[Darken]]'': '''''The Worm Lord is Rising!'''''
* The robots in ''[[
{{quote| {{spoiler|"She was...all alone. Waiting...when she died. And I did nothing."}}}}
** Ironically {{spoiler|it wasn't even ''her'' who they killed. It was the forest-dweller (the "traitor") who she'd fallen madly in love with. She simply remained there, [[I Will Wait for You|slowly turning]] into a murderous ghost}}.
*** Yeah, but that makes it all rather worse. The narration implies that {{spoiler|the magic rooted her to the spot and she stood there, unable to move. Diego went about his life in the castle for days as she [[Fridge Horror|starved to death]]}}.
* ''[[
** "[[You Can't Fight Fate|He is already here.]]"
** "[[Con Air|Put the bunny back in the box!"]]
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** "Luck doesn't actually matter." is another minor example, as it is central to Vriska and Terezi's arc in Act 5 Act 2.
** "Years in the future....but not many."
* "Beware the night of the five lights." in ''[[
* ''This is all happening for a reason'', along with slightly different phrasings in the [[Nuzlocke Comics|Nuzlocke]] comic strip.
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== Web Original ==
* ''[[Ilivais X]]'': "Why do you fight? Why do you exist?" More prevalent but not as unanswered is "Where are we going?"
* ''[[I'm a Marvel And
* [[
* [[Red vs. Blue
** "Reconstruction" had "Memory is the key", which was lampshaded a season later by Caboose.
{{quote| '''Caboose:''' I thought we were done with that part.}}
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* And in ''[[Everyman HYBRID]]'', we have HABIT.
{{quote| ''The good doctor is not so lucky as to be dead, just dealing with some old habits.''}}
* [[Ben Drowned
* From ''[[
* From [[
== Western Animation ==
* In ''[[Xavier: Renegade Angel]]'', "Taste The Pain" seems to be this, or it could just be a strange sort of [[Running Gag]]. It seems to be spoken at least [[Once Per Episode]]
** The phrase is usually "Take that! Taste the pain!"
* One episode of ''[[Home Movies]]'' reveals that Brendan ends each of his movies with the same line -- "It's time to pay the price." He doesn't even realize this until Paula points it out.
* Numerous in ''[[
* "[[Acme Products|Acme]]" stands in for "Rosebud" in the ''[[Tiny Toon Adventures]]'' episode that parodies ''[[
* In the Jerry Reed episode of ''The New [[Scooby Doo]] Movies'', the word "FEBAG" is seen written on walls in a haunted house several times, causing Shaggy and Scooby to freak out when they see or hear it. At the end, {{spoiler|Velma [[Songs in
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* Some advertising campaigns tend to do this.
* [[This Very Wiki]].
* [[wikipedia:Ash-shab yurid isqat an-nizam|Ash shab yurid isqat an-nizam]] (Arabic for "[[La Résistance|the people want to bring down the regime]]"), or variants thereof, during the [[
* ''We are the 99%'' in the [[Occupy Movement]]. This is from various papers and articles that suggest 1% (or occasionally 2%) of the people in the United States control anywhere from 80-90% of the nation's wealth<ref>the exact numbers are hard to pin down due to such information being private, and an increase in said 1% using undisclosed off-shore accounts for tax evasion</ref>. The concept received widespread attention from ''Capitalism: A Love Story'', a film by [[Michael Moore]].
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