Category:Characters As Device
"You mere device," he gnarled. "You platitude! You Golux ex machina!"
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In service to the plot, characters are given these roles, sometimes making them just plot devices with lines.
These "devices" can also be viewed as "component parts" from which more complex, realistic characters can be built, but television production usually means churning out episodes as quickly as possible to meet looming deadlines. Mediocre writers will merely take one of the following labels and slap a name on it. By contrast, better writers start with a character and slap two or more of the following labels on it.
Contrast Characterization Tropes, where the plot serves the establishment of the character.
Subcategories
This category has the following 18 subcategories, out of 18 total.
C
- Cops and Detectives (74 P)
E
- Elders (68 P, 1 F)
F
I
- Indexed and Nerdy (42 P)
L
- Legacy Tropes (11 P)
M
- Messenger Tropes (8 P)
O
P
- Parental Issues (101 P)
- A Pretty Boy Index (11 P, 1 F)
- Professional Cheesecake (10 P)
Q
R
S
- Scrappy Index (46 P)
T
- This Index Is Expendable (21 P)
Y
Pages in category "Characters As Device"
The following 200 pages are in this category, out of 954 total.
(previous page) (next page)A
- Absent-Minded Professor
- Action Duo
- Action Girl
- Action Hero
- Action Pet
- Action Survivor
- Agent Mulder
- Agent Scully
- The Aggressive Drug Dealer
- Aggressive-Submissive
- The Alcoholic
- Alice and Bob
- The Alleged Boss
- Almighty Janitor
- Almost-Dead Guy
- The Aloner
- Aloof Ally
- Always Lawful Good
- Always Second Best
- Always Someone Better
- Amnesiac Lover
- Ancient Keeper
- Annoying Younger Sibling
- Anonymous Benefactor
- Anonymous Ringer
- Antagonistic Offspring
- Anti Role Model
- Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better
- Apocalypse Maiden
- The Apprentice (trope)
- The Archmage
- Archnemesis Dad
- The Artifact
- As Himself
- Asian Rudeness
- Asshole Victim
- Audience Surrogate
- Audience Surrogate Newcomer
- Authority in Name Only
- Automated Automobiles
B
- Babies Make Everything Better
- Back-Alley Doctor
- Backstabbing the Alpha Bitch
- Bad Boss
- Bad Samaritan
- Badass Bystander
- Badass Grandpa
- Bait and Switch Tyrant
- Baker Street Regular
- Barbarian Tribe
- Barrier Maiden
- Barrier Warrior
- Basement Dweller
- Bastard Bastard
- Battle Butler
- The Beard
- Bearer of Bad News
- Beast Man
- Beastess
- Beleaguered Assistant
- Beleaguered Childhood Friend
- Benevolent Boss
- Best Her to Bed Her
- Beta Couple
- Big Good
- Big Man on Campus
- Bit Part Badguys
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing
- Black and Nerdy
- Black Best Friend
- Blank Slate
- Blonde Republican Sex Kitten
- Bob From Accounting
- Body Double
- Body of the Week
- Boisterous Bruiser
- Boisterous Weakling
- Bollywood Nerd
- Bond Breaker
- Book Dumb
- Bookie
- Boomerang Bigot
- Born Detective
- Born Lucky
- Bouncer
- Bourgeois Bohemian
- Boxed Crook
- Boyfriend Bluff
- Braggart Boss
- Brain Chain
- Break the Badass
- The Brigadier
- Brilliant but Lazy
- Brooklyn Rage
- Bruiser with a Soft Center
- Bubble Boy
- The Bully
- Bungling Inventor
C
- Cain and Abel and Seth
- Camera Fiend
- Canon Foreigner
- Canon Immigrant
- Caper Crew
- Captain Oblivious
- Captain Obvious
- The Caregiver
- Casanova Wannabe
- The Cassandra
- Cavalier Competitor
- Celebrity Impersonator
- The Champion
- Character Overlap
- Character Witness
- Characters As Device/Quotes
- Chaste Hero
- The Cheerleader
- Chekhov's Gunman
- Chest of Medals
- The Chew Toy
- Child Mage
- Children Are a Waste
- The Chooser of the One
- Circus Brat
- Clock King
- Closet Key
- Cloudcuckoolander's Minder
- Clueless Detective
- Coincidence Magnet
- Collateral Angst
- College Widow
- Combat Commentator
- Combat Pragmatist
- Combat Referee
- Combat Sadomasochist
- Comedic Hero
- The Comically Serious
- Commander Contrarian
- Commie Nazis
- The Commissioner Gordon
- Communications Officer
- Companion Cube
- Compassionate Critic
- Compressed Abstinence
- Compressed Vice
- The Confidant
- Conflict Killer
- The Conscience
- The Consigliere
- Conspiracy Theorist
- Constantly Curious
- Consummate Liar
- Consummate Professional
- Continuity Rebooter
- Convenient Replacement Character
- Cool Loser
- Cop Boyfriend
- Cordon Bleugh Chef
- Cosmic Forces Trio
- Country Cousin
- Country Mouse
- Courier
- Cousin Oliver
- Cowardly Lion
- Crazy Homeless People
- Creator's Pet
- The Creon
- Criminal Amnesiac
- Cross Player
- Crusading Widower
- Cunning Linguist
- Curious as a Monkey
- Cynical Mentor
D
- Da Chief
- Daddy's Girl
- Damsel Errant
- Damsel in Distress
- Damsel Scrappy
- Dangerous Deserter
- Dark and Troubled Past
- Dark Mistress
- Dead All Along
- Dead Herring
- Dead Person Impersonation
- Dead Star Walking
- Deaf Composer
- Deceptive Disciple
- Decoy Damsel
- Decoy Protagonist
- Deep-Cover Agent
- Deliberately Bad Example
- Depraved Kids' Show Host
- Designated Hero
- Designated Victim
- Destined Bystander
- Deuteragonist
- Devil's Advocate
- Diabolus Ex Nihilo
- Dimensional Traveler
- Disability as an Excuse For Jerkassery
- Disappeared Dad