Deadpan Snarker/Playing With

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


Basic Trope: A character given to wry, sarcastic, or excessively dry humor, usually in the form of snide commentary or an occasional aside.

  • Straight: Alice, Brave Bob's loyal friend, continually makes witty and ironic comments on what he does, using gentle and usually affectionate sarcasm.
  • Exaggerated: Alice speaks only in snarky commentary on Bob, on the universe, on passing cars, on what she had for breakfast that morning...
  • Justified: Alice has a very dry wit, and Bob's a moron.
  • Inverted: Alice is Sarcasm Blind.
  • Subverted: Alice makes a witty comment... then can't keep from laughing at her own joke.
  • Double Subverted:
    • She was actually laughing at someone else.
    • Alice's raucous laughter ends up being another piece of sarcasm as well.
  • Parodied: The character sprays acerbic wit all over everything - we do mean everything - and everyone loves it because it's funny.
  • Deconstructed:
    • Alice is hiding a deep inner hurt and uses sarcasm because she's afraid to get close to people.
    • Alternatively, the snarker being an asshole drives everyone else away from them, and they feel the burn.
    • Alice is a Stepford Snarker.
  • Reconstructed:
    • ...but when Bob calls her on it, she smirks and says "I knew you would say that," and they come to an understanding.
    • They don't care that they're driving everyone away, or thrive on it.
  • Zig Zagged: Sometimes they snark, sometimes they don't.
  • Averted: Characters mean what they say most of the time.
  • Enforced:
    • "This is a show full of idiots, and one smart, annoyed person."
    • "This character's kind of a jerk, so let's reinforce that image."
    • "...This is a show about making fun of people. Apparently, you were expecting Sesame Street."
  • Lampshaded: "Ooh, yay. Another dipshit that thinks he's Mike and this is Mystery Science Theater 3000."
  • Invoked: "I want to be the sort of person who always has something witty to say."
  • Defied: "I should be sincere so people don't think I'm a Jerkass."
  • Discussed: "Alice always has something snarky to say."
  • Conversed: "There's always someone on a show like that to snark at the antics of everyone around her."

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