Line-of-Sight Name/Playing With

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


Basic Trope: A character, needing a false name, looks around and uses objects they see to form a fake name.

  • Straight: Bob, while talking to Jake, needs a fake name. So he glances around and sees a wall and a hammer. He says his name is Wally Hampton.
  • Exaggerated: Bob looks around and sees a computer, a piano, a television, a drum set, and a dog. He calls himself Compiano T. Drummerdog.
  • Downplayed: Bob sees a book written by Jason Smith, and uses that as his name.
  • Justified: Bob is horrible at thinking things up on the spot.
  • Inverted:
    • Jake looks at random objects and puts them together to guess Bob's name.
    • Bob reads a list of names and puts them together to create a name for an object.
  • Subverted:
    • Bob looks at several objects to come up with a fake name, but decides to just use his real name instead.
    • Bob looks around, sees a few random objects that seem to suggest a plausible pseudonym, and blurts out the name of the friend who gave him all of those objects as gifts.
  • Double Subverted: Then Jake, who also needs a fake name, plays the trope straight.
  • Parodied:
    • Bob looks at random objects and puts them together to create an obviously fake name, such as "Carpet Bedsidetable".
    • Bob puts objects together to create a false name...and accidentally comes up with his real name instead.
  • Zig Zagged: Bob looks at different objects to come up with a false name, but decides against that and uses his real name. His friend Peter, though, looks around to come up with a fake name. Then Bob's girlfriend introduces herself with her real name, and Jake looks around to come up with a fake name for himself.
  • Averted:
    • Bob uses his real name.
    • Bob already has a fake name planned.
  • Enforced: "It's time for Bob to meet Jake, but Jake shouldn't know his real name. Let's have him think one up on the spot."
  • Lampshaded: "That's a rather odd name..."
  • Invoked: "I'm about to meet Jake, but I don't have a false name yet. Eh, I'll think of something."
  • Defied: "Stop trying to make a name up. Just tell me your real name."
  • Discussed: ???
  • Conversed: ???
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