Living MacGuffin: Difference between revisions

Content added Content deleted
VisualWikitext
m (update links)
m (clean up)
Line 23: Line 23:
== [[Comic Books]] ==
== [[Comic Books]] ==
* Yorick in ''[[Y: The Last Man]]'' is a male example; various factions want him, mostly alive, some dead.
* Yorick in ''[[Y: The Last Man]]'' is a male example; various factions want him, mostly alive, some dead.
** Yorick has a [[Living MacGuffin]] of his own in his girlfriend Beth.
** Yorick has a Living MacGuffin of his own in his girlfriend Beth.
* Ramona Flowers in the ''[[Scott Pilgrim]]'' books (YMMV, of course): the protagonist must go through several obstacles to be with her, but we are shown very little about the relationship, or even Ramona Flowers herself, except that [[Informed Ability|we are assured of her awesomeness]].
* Ramona Flowers in the ''[[Scott Pilgrim]]'' books (YMMV, of course): the protagonist must go through several obstacles to be with her, but we are shown very little about the relationship, or even Ramona Flowers herself, except that [[Informed Ability|we are assured of her awesomeness]].
* [[Atop the Fourth Wall|Linkara]] refers to Ray Palmer (The Atom) in the trainwreck [[DC Comics|DC]] crossover event ''[[Countdown to Final Crisis]]'' as "The Mini-[[MacGuffin]]".
* [[Atop the Fourth Wall|Linkara]] refers to Ray Palmer (The Atom) in the trainwreck [[DC Comics|DC]] crossover event ''[[Countdown to Final Crisis]]'' as "The Mini-[[MacGuffin]]".
Line 51: Line 51:
* The French chef Anatole in [[P. G. Wodehouse|PG Wodehouse]]'s ''[[Jeeves and Wooster (novel)|Jeeves and Wooster]]'' stories; the universal desire to lay claim to his peerless talents led to the hatching of many a [[Zany Scheme]].
* The French chef Anatole in [[P. G. Wodehouse|PG Wodehouse]]'s ''[[Jeeves and Wooster (novel)|Jeeves and Wooster]]'' stories; the universal desire to lay claim to his peerless talents led to the hatching of many a [[Zany Scheme]].
** [[The Jeeves|Jeeves]] himself is highly sought-after; Bertie notes that plenty of his friends want to steal him and make him their valet, and this is borne out in ''Thank You, Jeeves'' when {{spoiler|Jeeves quits and Bertie's pal Chuffy snatches him up almost instantly. Later in the book, Jeeves goes to work for American multimillionaire J. Washburn Stoker, who offers him a position, before returning to Chuffy and finally [[Status Quo Is God|settling down with Bertie again]]}}.
** [[The Jeeves|Jeeves]] himself is highly sought-after; Bertie notes that plenty of his friends want to steal him and make him their valet, and this is borne out in ''Thank You, Jeeves'' when {{spoiler|Jeeves quits and Bertie's pal Chuffy snatches him up almost instantly. Later in the book, Jeeves goes to work for American multimillionaire J. Washburn Stoker, who offers him a position, before returning to Chuffy and finally [[Status Quo Is God|settling down with Bertie again]]}}.
* A few crop up during the course of the ''[[Prydain Chronicles]]'' -- Hen Wen the pig in ''The Book of Three,'' Princess Eilonwy in ''The Castle of Llyr'', and Taran's long-lost parents in ''Taran Wanderer.''
* A few crop up during the course of the ''[[Prydain Chronicles]]''—Hen Wen the pig in ''The Book of Three,'' Princess Eilonwy in ''The Castle of Llyr'', and Taran's long-lost parents in ''Taran Wanderer.''
* In Tobias Buckell's ''Crystal Rain'', Oaxyctl is looking for John deBrun because he wants to torture "the code" to a spaceship out of him. We later find out that John ''is'' the code -- he has to be bodily present (and alive) to open the spaceship.
* In Tobias Buckell's ''Crystal Rain'', Oaxyctl is looking for John deBrun because he wants to torture "the code" to a spaceship out of him. We later find out that John ''is'' the code—he has to be bodily present (and alive) to open the spaceship.
* It could be argued that [[Alice in Wonderland|The White Rabbit]] is one. The entire reason Alice ends up in Wonderland is her curiosity about the Rabbit. And it's often the Rabbit, constantly hurrying from one place to the next, which brings her from scene to scene.
* It could be argued that [[Alice in Wonderland|The White Rabbit]] is one. The entire reason Alice ends up in Wonderland is her curiosity about the Rabbit. And it's often the Rabbit, constantly hurrying from one place to the next, which brings her from scene to scene.
* The plot of the film ''Poetic Justice'' has four friends go on a road-trip from Los Angeles to Oakland, California to visit Lucky's cousin, Kalil. {{spoiler|They find out he's been shot and killed once they arrive.}}
* The plot of the film ''Poetic Justice'' has four friends go on a road-trip from Los Angeles to Oakland, California to visit Lucky's cousin, Kalil. {{spoiler|They find out he's been shot and killed once they arrive.}}
Line 73: Line 73:
** In ''[[The Legend of Zelda (video game)|The Legend of Zelda]]'', Princess Zelda is the ultimate [[MacGuffin]]. Link needs to collect the ''other'' [[MacGuffin|Mac Guffins]], the Triforce of Wisdom and Triforce of Power, in order to get to her.
** In ''[[The Legend of Zelda (video game)|The Legend of Zelda]]'', Princess Zelda is the ultimate [[MacGuffin]]. Link needs to collect the ''other'' [[MacGuffin|Mac Guffins]], the Triforce of Wisdom and Triforce of Power, in order to get to her.
** In ''[[Zelda II: The Adventure of Link|Zelda II the Adventure of Link]]'', Link must rescue a kidnapped child. This is a humorous example because the game treats the child just like any other inventory item.
** In ''[[Zelda II: The Adventure of Link|Zelda II the Adventure of Link]]'', Link must rescue a kidnapped child. This is a humorous example because the game treats the child just like any other inventory item.
** In ''[[The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past|The Legend of Zelda a Link To T He Past]]'', Princess Zelda and the other six [[Barrier Maiden|Barrier Maidens]] .
** In ''[[The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past|The Legend of Zelda a Link To T He Past]]'', Princess Zelda and the other six [[Barrier Maiden]]s .
** In ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time|The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time]]'', most of the Seven Sages (several of whom don't know that they ''are'' Sages).
** In ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time|The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time]]'', most of the Seven Sages (several of whom don't know that they ''are'' Sages).
** The backstory of ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask|The Legend of Zelda Majoras Mask]]'' turns the fairy Navi into one of these; looking for her is what leads Link into the adventure. It's a twist on the trope because he never actually finds her in the game.
** The backstory of ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask|The Legend of Zelda Majoras Mask]]'' turns the fairy Navi into one of these; looking for her is what leads Link into the adventure. It's a twist on the trope because he never actually finds her in the game.
Retrieved from "https://allthetropes.org/wiki/Living_MacGuffin"