Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking/Playing With

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


Basic Trope: A list of 3 or more things ends on the weakest point.

  • Straight: Alice is listing off a number of reasons not to date Bob. It goes as follows: "He drinks a lot, he's a philanderer, and he leaves the toilet seat up."
  • Exaggerated: "He's killed every girlfriend he's had, he sells heroin to children, and he sold an NFT once."
  • Up To Eleven: "He's sentenced to jail for life imprisonment because of mass murder, but he escaped, he's on the FBI top ten most wanted list, and he wears a silly hat."
  • Downplayed: "He doesn't say 'please' or 'thank you', he snaps at people for every slight, and he only eats his pasta with marinara sauce."
  • Justified:
  • Inverted: See Bread, Eggs, Milk, Squick
  • Subverted: "He drinks a lot, he's a philanderer, and he leaves the toilet seat up...then he beat up his last girlfriend with said toilet seat."
  • Double Subverted: "...And his haircut makes his ears look big!"
  • Parodied: Carol and Diane are listening as Alice lists off her reasons. They react with casual indifference as the allegations the he drinks a lot and cheats, but react with incredible shock when they find out he leaves the toilet seat up.
  • Deconstructed:
    • Alice's priorities are so incredibly screwed up that she's unable to see the forest through the trees...
    • See also: Major Misdemeanor
  • Reconstructed: ...but some people end up finding that charming and still befriend her.
  • Zig Zagged: "...and he beat his last girlfriend. And he has a silly haircut! And I think he does heroin! And he pours the milk before the cereal! And..."
  • Averted: "He blows up a random car every week for fun, kidnaps people when he's bored and slings crack to teenagers because he can. He has no redeeming values."
  • Enforced:
    • "Well, we're almost out of comedy gags...how about the standard 'long list' where the last item is weak?"
    • "It's a lighthearted show, we can't have this list of horrible things without something to break the tension."
  • Lampshaded: "Wow, you've really got your priorities in order."
  • Invoked: "So, Alice, why won't you date Bob again?"
  • Defied: "I know he leaves the toilet seat up, but in the grand scheme of things, it's not that important."
  • Discussed: "If you want to be truly convincing, be sure to always end on the strongest note. The other way around is just silly."
  • Conversed: "Why did she include that last thing last? That doesn't seem so bad."
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