Idea Bulb/Playing With

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Basic Trope: When someone gets an idea, a light bulb appears over character's head.

  • Straight: Albert got an idea to solve a problem he has. A bright light bulb appears over his head.
  • Exaggerated: Albert got multiple ideas for a problem. Multiple light bulbs appear over his head.
  • Downplayed: Albert comes up with a small idea and a single Christmas light appears above his head.
  • Justified: One of Albert's superpowers is summoning lightbulbs by thought.
  • Inverted: Albert can't think of any ideas. A darkened lamp appears over his head.
    • Anytime Albert walks under a light bulb, it gives him an idea.
  • Subverted: Albert got an idea how to solve a problem. A light bulb appears over his head. However, Albert then thinks it's a bad idea so the light bulb fizzles out.
  • Double Subverted: He replaces the bulb and goes ahead with it anyway.
  • Parodied: Bob, who lives in the middle ages, gets an idea, and a candle appears over his head (although this is also used for characters who are, ahem, "not very bright").
    • Alternately: Albert needs an idea. He holds a lightbulb over his head, clicks the switch, and promptly finds one.
    • Alice needs to replace a light bulb. She thinks of a brilliant idea! The Idea Bulb appears above Alice's head. Alice takes idea bulb out from figurative mindspace, and uses that to replace the bulb.
  • Deconstructed: The hero comes up with an idea to sneak past the guards. The light gives away his position.
  • Reconstructed: The guards try to attack him, but luckily, the Hero looses his idea and is able to sneak away in the dark, while the guards are in a tangled mess.
  • Zig Zagged: ???
  • Averted: Albert gets an idea but no light bulbs appear.
  • Enforced: It's a cartoon with no dialogue, so they need an easy way to show when a character is thinking.
  • Lampshaded: "That's a big bulb! You must have gotten up with a great idea"
    • Another character sees the bulb and hangs a literal lampshade on it.
  • Invoked: Albert is in a dark room and needs illumination. He tries to think of a random idea to cause a light bulb to appear over his head to illuminate the room.
  • Exploited: Albert is in a dark. Suddenly, he gets an idea which causes a light bulb appear over his head. Albert uses the light from a bulb to read a book.
    • People start coming up with ideas for purpose so they don't need to buy light bulbs anymore to reduce electric bills.
  • Defied: Albert doesn't want a room to be illuminated so he tries to prevent any ideas popping up in his head.
  • Discussed: "Your idea is so great that if you were a cartoon character, a light bulb over your head would illuminate the whole city."
  • Conversed: ???

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