Double Subversion: Difference between revisions

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{{trope}}
[[File:ProfitsDoubleSubversion.png|frame|link=Cyanide & Happiness]]
{{quote|''And sometimes there's a third, even deeper level... And that one is the same as the top, surface one. [[Metaphorgotten|Like pie.]]''|'''Billy''', ''[[Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog|Doctor Horribles Sing Along Blog]]''}}
A [[Subverted Trope]] happens, or seems to happen..., and then something "erases"negates the subversion.
 
A [[Subverted Trope]] happens, or seems to happen... and then something "erases" the subversion.
 
These let a writer have their cake and eat it too: get the trick of a [[Subverted Trope]], without abandoning the plot-furthering nature of that [[Trope]].
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See [[Playing with a Trope]] for a comparison with many other ways that a trope can be used.
 
{{examples}}
 
== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==
* ''[[Fullmetal Alchemist (manga)|Fullmetal Alchemist]]'': During a fight against Wrath, Fu {{spoiler|attempts a [[Heroic Sacrifice]]}}, only to get foiled by his opponent. Just when things look hopeless, {{spoiler|Buccaneer also sacrifices himself, and their united efforts manage to wound Wrath}}.
* ''[[Azumanga Daioh]]'': Sakaki types "cats" in a search engine, and everything she gets is a big bunch of random matches (including a page titled "We Love Neko Koneko"), thus subverting [[It's a Small Net After All]]. Then she types "Iriomote cat", and it seems like one of the very first matches is a plot relevant news article about {{spoiler|how Mayaa's mother got killed}}, thus playing this same trope straight. (But even then it's vaguely justified, because the Iriomote cat is an extremely endanged species, so a story about a plot-relevant cat isn't as much of a coincidence as it would otherwise be.)
*** Even more justified in that recent news articles on subjects often show up high on a search list, especially for sensitive topics like endangered species (such as the Iriomote cat).
** But even then it's vaguely justfied, because the Iriomote cat is an extremely endanged species, so a story about a plot-relevant cat isn't as much of a coincidence as it would otherwise be.
* ''[[Mahou Sensei Negima]]'' contains a [[Double Subversion]] of [[The Unwanted Harem]]. It turns out most of the girls don't have any actual romantic interest in the lead, but enough of them ''do'' (Nodoka, Yue, Ako, Anya, Chachamaru...) that it ends up qualifying as a harem after all.
*** Even more justified in that recent news articles on subjects often show up high on a search list, especially for sensitive topics like endangered species (such as the Iriomote cat).
* ''[[Digimon Savers]]'' subverted the usual [[Digimon]] brand of [[Disney Death]] by {{spoiler|playing it straight for the first arc, then having the protagonists find out there was a way to ''permanently'' kill Digimon. But the [[Double Subversion]] comes later: Agumon "dies" in the Disney way by reverting back to an egg that will hatch later, but Masaru is repeatedly told that Agumon won't remember anything about their life together. Agumon the Digimon is alive, but Agumon who was Masaru's 'follower' is gone forever... except he's not. He hatches, and he latches onto Masaru's face like a leech (possibly as an [[Homage]] to ''[[Digimon Adventure]]'''s [[Pilot Movie]]) and they lived [[Happily Ever After]]. To be fair, this may have been foreshadowed by Piyomon retaining his memories after one death; apparently, exposure to humans and a Digisoul changes the rules.}}
* ''[[Mahou Sensei Negima]]'' contains a [[Double Subversion]] of [[The Unwanted Harem]]. It turns out most of the girls don't have any actual romantic interest in the lead, but enough of them ''do'' (Nodoka, Yue, Ako, Anya, Chachamaru...) that it ends up qualifying as a harem after all.
* ''[[Digimon Savers]]'' subverted the usual [[Digimon]] brand of [[Disney Death]] by {{spoiler|playing it straight for the first arc, then having the protagonists find out there was a way to ''permanently'' kill Digimon. But the [[Double Subversion]] comes later: Agumon "dies" in the Disney way by reverting back to an egg that will hatch later, but Masaru is repeatedly told that Agumon won't remember anything about their life together. Agumon the Digimon is alive, but Agumon who was Masaru's 'follower' is gone forever... except he's not. He hatches, and he latches onto Masaru's face like a leech (possibly as an [[Homage]] to ''[[Digimon Adventure]]'''s [[Pilot Movie]]) and they lived [[Happily Ever After]]. To be fair, this may have been foreshadowed by Piyomon retaining his memories after one death; apparently, exposure to humans and a Digisoul changes the rules.}}
* In ''[[Princess Tutu]]'', Mytho is a [[White-Haired Pretty Boy]] but isn't evil at all. But {{spoiler|then the second season comes around}}...
* In ''[[One Piece]]'', Tashigi fangirling over Zoro's sword skillz for a while, and then [[Fan Disillusionment|finding he was a pirate]] superficially looks like a subverted example of [[Even Heroes Have Heroes]], except it becomes a double subversion when she grudgingly realizes he's actually a pretty awesome guy anyway.
* In ''[[xxxHolic×××HOLiC]]'', it initially seems that there is a [[Love Triangle]] between Watanuki, Himawari, and Domeki, with Himawari being the object of desire. However, that trope is erased when it is revealed that Domeki and Himawari [[Platonic Life Partners|aren't romantically interested in each other]]. But THEN, it's shown that both Himawari and Doumeki are [[Even the Guys Want Him|more interested in Watanuki]], once again creating a [[Love Triangle]], but with the object of desire being Watanuki.
* The Oracion Seis arc of ''[[Fairy Tail]]'' looked like it was subverting [[Authority Equals Asskicking]] by {{spoiler|having the leader of the villains, Blaine, be defeated easily and the actual strongest member be his son Midnight. Then Midnight went down, and it turned out to be the last key needed to wake up Zero, Blaine's [[Super-Powered Evil Side]]...}}.
* ''[[Death Note]]'': Misa Amane initially subverted the [[Wangst|wangstywangst]]y, [[Nietzsche Wannabe|nihilistic]] [[Loners Are Freaks|Loner]] [[Goth]] stereotype by turning out to actually be a [[Perky Female Minion|cheerful]], [[Genki Girl|enthusiastic]] [[Perky Goth]] with a successful career as an actress/model. It's only later that we learn what a [[Yandere|complete]] [[Ax Crazy|and total]] [[Psycho for Hire|nutjob]] [[Love Makes You Evil|she really is]].
** Except that we ''first'' find out that she's a complete and utter nutjob, and only ''then'' find out that she is also a [[Perky Goth]].
** Alternately, we are first introduced to her as [[The Ditz]]. But then, she proves herself to Light, having even the power he doesn't and finding him out by just staying in a hidden place, which would make even Light applaud and making us thing we'll have a third [[Chessmaster]] in the show. The twist? She's still [[The Ditz]], [[What an Idiot!|directly going to his house and having lengthily talks about the Death Note in a non-secure environment]], [[Too Dumb to Live|telling him the secrets she promised not to which would have kept her alive and less of a tool much longer]], and what not.
** Which may have saved her considering that Light was going to find and kill her anyway if she stayed in the darkness. She also had Rem watching over her and the fact that she thought Light woudn't murder her if she could prove to be useful, and he doesn't.
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* ''[[Tekkaman Blade]]'' double subverts [[Laser-Guided Amnesia]]: D-Boy claims to have amnesia, but it turns out he's faking it. Then, near the end of the series, he starts losing his memory for real.
 
== [[Comic Books]] ==
 
== Comic Books ==
* ''[[Quantum and Woody]]'' double subverts the [[Scary Black Man]] trope with Eric Henderson (Quantum). While he ''is'' a tall, muscular, and physically intimidating black man, his full-body costume and articulate speaking pattern means he's inevitably assumed to be Caucasian. People don't ''really'' freak out until they find out he's black underneath.
{{quote|"You're '''black?''' [[T-Word Euphemism|S-word!]]"}}
 
 
== [[Fan FictionWorks]] ==
* In addition to all the other times it [[Playing with a Trope|plays with a trope]], ''[[Kyon: Big Damn Hero]]'' features a [[Double Subversion]] of [[Did Not Do the Research]]. Originally, a chapter was written assuming that Sasaki was a character's given name, rather than her family name as it actually is. The writer was doing his research, but the source from which he got the research had not done the research, making it a [[Double Subversion]].
 
 
== [[Film]] ==
* In ''[[All About Eve]]'', Karen thinks about [[The Only Way They Will Learn|tricking Margo to help her understand]], and justifies it to herself that Margo will like it, and there's no reason not to tell her..."in time."
* In the 2009 ''[[Star Trek (film)|Star Trek]]'' film, an obvious [[Red Shirt]] has to open his parachute in time to hit a floating platform. At first it seems he won't open his parachute in time and pancake himself onto the planet below, but in fact he does open it just in time... to burn up in the platform's rocket flame trail.
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== [[Literature]] ==
* The novel ''The Dragons of Babel'' subverts the [[Rightful King Returns|the long-lost heir trope]] by having a con man successfully pose as the heir to the throne. {{spoiler|And then the one completely infallible test proves that he really ''is'' the heir to the throne.}}
* At first glance, Neal Stephenson's ''[[Snow Crash]]'' looks like your standard subversion of your typical [[Mary Suetopia|Randian/Objectivist free market paradise]], but if you really think about it, it's not ''that'' much more dysfunctional than real life and, despite its problems, everything does work out in the end.
** Stephenson loves this trope - the same thing happens in ''[[The Diamond Age]]''.
* ''[[Harry Potter (novel)|Harry Potter]]'' seemed to subvert the [[Chosen One]] trope by having Harry [[The Unchosen One|choose himself]]. He had plenty of reasons, given Voldemort killed his parents and screwed up his childhood, but later we find that J.K. Rowling was playing it straight. The more [[Genre Savvy]] fans had already figured it out, though.
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== [[Live -Action TV]] ==
* One pre-titles segment of ''[[House (TV series)|House]]'' features a young girl diving in a competition. Standard procedure with the claiming of slight illness and shots of insides. She dives in, emerges and finds the judge on the floor, vomiting blood. After the titles, it transpires the entire audience and swimmers are being tested for meningitis. It's at this point the girl turns up again, with bizarre symptoms which aren't meningitis.
* ''[[Golden Palace]]'', pilot: Involving a robbery incident. See [[The Ditz]].
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* Each installment of Toei's ''[[Super Sentai]]'' during its early years has always started with a [[Five-Man Band]] of heroes and very rarely deviated from that concept.<ref>other than ''[[JAKQ Dengekitai]]'' started with four, but added a fifth member mid-series, as well as ''[[Taiyou Sentai Sun Vulcan]]'', the first installment in the franchise to have only three member</ref> ''[[Choujuu Sentai Liveman]]'', 1988 installment, starts its first episode with five friends who we are led to believe will become the titular Liveman team... But then [[Death by Origin Story|two of the friends (Mari and Takuji) are killed off by the villains ten minutes into the episode]], leaving the surviving friends (Yūsuke, Jō, and Megumi) with the duty to avenge their deaths as a [[Power Trio|trio]]. Halfway through the series, we are introduced to the fallen friends' heretofore unseen younger siblings (Tetsuya and Jun-ichi), who join the Liveman team, [[Three Plus Two|completing the five-member team]].
* In ''[[30 Rock]]'', Jack has a heart attack and is rushed to a hospital. When the doctor comes out to speak to Liz, Jack's mother, and Jack's fiance, he's covered in blood. He was at a costume party, and {{spoiler|he was attacked by the host's dog. So he had to stab it.}}
* In ''[[Community]]'' episode [[Community/Recap/S1 /E14 Interpretive Dance|Interpretive Dance]] Jeff says that as soon as he and Professor Slater kiss, the blinds will open. They don't, but then it shown that blinds across the hall did open revealing his relationship to his friends.
 
 
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** More commonly, the comic itself is just a subversion, while the [[Alt Text]] comic contains the double subversion, [http://www.smbc-comics.com/?id=1407#comic like this] (mouseover the red circle to see it).
** You may have doubted its existence, or even the possibility of its existence, but ladies and gentlemen, I present to you... the legendary [http://www.smbc-comics.com/index.php?db=comics&id=176#comic quadruple subversion.]
* Shown in [http://www.explosm.net/comics/1330/ this], ''[[Cyanide and& Happiness]]''.
** They actually do this a lot: [http://www.explosm.net/comics/2066/ "Shredder",] [http://www.explosm.net/comics/1547/ a flasher,] [http://www.explosm.net/comics/1635/ this example of] [[Caught with Your Pants Down]], [http://www.explosm.net/comics/1806/ a serial killer being who you wouldn't expect,] [http://www.explosm.net/comics/1895/ a pedophile], [http://www.explosm.net/comics/1911/ a banana in your pocket] [[Or Are You Just Happy to See Me?]], [http://www.explosm.net/comics/2020 some guy's slutty] [[Your Mom|mom]] and [http://www.explosm.net/comics/2168 burning copies of the Quran].
* Also in [http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1727 this] ''[[Questionable Content]]''.
* ''Pain Train'' did it [http://paintraincomic.com/comic/ill-see-myself-out/ here] and [http://paintraincomic.com/comic/helpful/ here], for the same reason both involve Dracula.
* [http://e621.net/post/show/143962 This] ''[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic|My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic]]'' fancomic.
* ''ARG!'' [http://iamarg.com/2015/02/02/reserved/ here] does it with puns.
** [http://mariokidd319.deviantart.com/gallery/#/d4qhzlt These] [http://mariokidd319.deviantart.com/art/Potion-Motion-286450776 two] as well, which were made shortly after ''Hearts And Hooves Day''. In the first part, OC Kidder, who has a crush on Twilight Sparkle, appears to be getting her to making the potion from that episode. Then in the second part, it turns out he was making a potion that is supposed to [[Freaky Friday Flip|switch the bodies of two ponies]], but the second subversion comes during the hints that [[I Lied|Kidder lied]] in his dialog in the next panel, where Kidder says "That's weird. Says there are some different versions of the potion and I made the north-south one.". Applejack asks what that means, and he says "Something about opposites. Let's try it!", as he has a mischievous expression on his face. What happened after all this, though, is anyone's guess, as [[Aborted Arc|the storyline ended after that]].
 
== [[Web Original]] ==
* In [http://inkblort.deviantart.com/#/d2fmn8y this] short, the viewer is led to believe {{spoiler|that Arthur has been using Excalibur to cut up people.}} Then, it turns out he was cutting lasagna. {{spoiler|Then it turns out that yes, he was cutting up a person. [[I'm a Humanitarian|And eating them.]]}}
* In [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NggUSbgRUhc Wish I Had a] [[Portal (series)|Portal Gun]], starting around 1:47.
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== [[Western Animation]] ==
* ''[[House of Mouse]]'': [[Donald Duck]] has set up his computer. A viewer would tend to expect that the computer would take all day to start up. Just 15 seconds after he turns it on, however, the screen reads "Startup Done", just long enough for the viewer to think "Huh?" before the word "Almost" is added to the screen, and it ends up taking all day after all.
* ''[[Batman Beyond]]: Return of the Joker'': One of Jokerz mouthed off to ''the'' Joker after [[You Have Failed Me...|failing his mission]]. Joker pulls a gun and pulls the trigger - [["BANG!" Flag Gun|which produces a flag that says "BANG!" on it]] - then pulls it again, ejecting the flagpole at high speed and impaling the guy in the chest.
** Joker Wins. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebyzaB8KfLw&feature=related FATALITY!]
*** This is based on a scene from the comics, in "Dreadful Birthday, Dear Joker!" (Batman #321).
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== [[Other Media]] ==
* The [[Brick Joke]] is a double subversion of the [[Chekhov's Gun]] principle.
* [[Voodoo Shark]] is possibly a double subversion of [[Plot Hole]].
 
 
== [[Real Life]] ==
* The Todd River Race in Alice Springs, Australia, is a tongue-in-cheek subversion of conventional river regattas in which the "rowers" must carry their boats along the dried-up riverbed. Nature sometimes sabotages the event by inconsiderately filling the river with water, subverting the intended subversion.
 
{{reflist}}
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
[[Category:Trope Tropes]]
[[Category:Bait and Switch]]
[[Category:DoublePlaying Subversionwith a Trope]]