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{{trope}}
[[File:
{{quote|
|''
An [[NPC]] has just told you that you have to retrieve the [[MacGuffin|legendary golden sphere]] from the [[Instant Awesome, Just Add Dragons|ancient dragon]]. Legends say he's in the [[Underground Level|Cave of Horrors]]. To find out where that is, you'll have to ask [[Notice This|The Town Sage]].
...Yeah, you've all seen this. Important words and phrases are [[
This happens mostly in video games, especially those that lack voice acting, but can occur in comics and other media from time to time. The World Wide Web, especially, invokes this for identifying hyperlinks (well, usually). Also common in subtitled anime, to differentiate characters.
See also: [[Painting the Medium]], [[Bold Inflation]]. Contrary to what one might expect, this is not the binary opposite of [[Black Speech]]. Text of this kind lends itself very well to a [[Dramatic Reading]].
{{examples|Examples:}}▼
== [[Comic Books]] ==
* [[
* In the SLG ''[[
▲* [[Spider Man|Spider-Man's]] foe Delilah had an odd speech pattern; some of her words would be {{color|purple| colored}} and written in a formal, flowery looking [[Useful Notes/Fonts|font]].
▲* In the SLG ''[[Gargoyles (Animation)|Gargoyles]]'' comics, sound effects produced by gargoyles ("ROAR!", "SNIFF!". etc.) would be rendered in the color of the gargoyle making the noise.
* {{color|blue|D}}{{color|green|e}}{{color|red|l}}{{color|purple|i}}{{color|pink|r}}{{color|orange|i}}{{color|gold|u}}{{color|red|m}} from ''[[The Sandman]]''. Though in her case, it's a rainbow ''background'' with black letters of varying heights and styles. ''Endless Nights'' shows that she had this type of rainbow speak even as Delight, albeit in a more muted form.
== [[Fan
* To a lesser extent, in ''[[
* Skidmark's speech becomes a wave of rainbow-colored bleeps when he runs afoul of <s>Taylor</s> Freakazoid! in the ''[[Worm]]/[[Freakazoid!]]'' crossover ''[https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/freakout-worm-freakazoid-complete.809429/page-3#post-63659126 Freakout]''.
▲* To a lesser extent, in [[Kira Is Justice (Fanfic)|Kira Is Justice]], some of the characters (ie. Fiona and Landras) talk in bold. The former seems insane, the latter is a [[Shinigami]].
== [[Film]] ==
* It seems that ''[[
▲* It seems that ''[[Petes Dragon|Pete's Dragon]]'' has colored closed captioning, and there are little gags whenever certain words are said. For example, the titular dragon's growly noises are all in {{color|green|green}}, money words in {{color|gold|yellow}}, angry words in {{color|red|red}}...
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* ''{{color|blue|House}} [[House of Leaves|Of Leaves]]''
** To elaborate: The word {{color|blue|house}} is in blue, {{color|red|Minotaur}} is in red (and crossed out), and only a few significant words are in {{color|purple|purple}}.
* Many versions of
** [[Shaped Like Itself|Jesus is God...]]<ref>But not The Father. It's complicated</ref>
** [[
** In one case, a print run of red-letter bibles omitted the red text, effectively silencing Jesus.
** And in many other versions LORD is the translation of Yahweh whilst Lord is just your bog standard godly title.
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== [[New Media]] ==
* On the
** Sometimes, if you click on blue words, they will turn purple and won't change back
*** If you clicked on the red words and wrote something, and then went back. They will turn blue!
** On some forums, blue is used for sarcasm and green for innuendo.
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** On the ''[[Penny Arcade]]'' forums, an alternative to 'quoted for truth' (QFT) is 'limed for truth', in which the quoted post is {{color|lime|lime coloured}}.
* ''[[Time Cube]]'' uses this all over the place and seemingly at random.
** A lot of conspiracy theorist sites in
* Some moderators on internet forums use a different "ex cathedra" color or [[Useful Notes/Fonts|font]] for posts in their capacity as moderators. E.g. {{color|red|red}} in RPGNet, where it's sometimes called "mod voice".
* Various subsets of ''[[The Slender Man Mythos]]'' use this; for example, there's [http://quiaegosicdico.blogspot.com/ A Lack of Lexicon], which has each character speak in a different font; at one point, the font actually changes in colour as it reveals one character (jokingly) masquerading as another.
* These [http://www.somethingawful.com/d/news/war-surface-doomsday.php instructions for a the thing s]. It is a good to read the mALL!
* ''[[Oh Internet]]'' does this in [https://web.archive.org/web/20130509051238/http://ohinternet.com/Desu their article] about a [[Rozen Maiden]] character's [[Verbal Tic]]. This article needed moar {{color|red|de}}{{color|green|su}} anyway.
== [[Live
* In many [[Fan Sub
* Tropers working on pages for the more recent [[Kamen Rider]] series have a tendency to work colors into text referring to riders' varying forms.▼
** There's a lot of this going around on [[Super Sentai]] series pages too.▼
* If you think about it, [[Pothole|potholes]] on [[TV Tropes (Wiki)|this very wiki]] look kind of like this, too, whether the text is [[Blue Shifting|blue]] or [[It Looks Like This|red]]. This includes [[Self Demonstrating Article|this line right here]].▼
* Trope pages dealing with colors often have this, such as [[Rainbow Motif]], [[Color Character]], and [[Color Coded Elements]]. And, as mentioned above, [[Self Demonstrating Article|this article right here]].▼
== Troping Wikis ==
▲* Tropers working on pages for the more recent ''[[Kamen Rider]]'' series have a tendency to work colors into text referring to riders' varying forms.
▲** There's a lot of this going around on ''[[Super Sentai]]'' series pages too.
▲* If you think about it, [[
▲* Trope pages dealing with colors often have this, such as [[Rainbow Motif]], [[Color Character]], and [[Color
*
== [[Video Games]] ==
* In many games, especially [[
* The ''[[Trace Memory|Another Code]]'' series used this lightly, mostly to highlight conversation choices.
* In ''[[Okami]],'' key phrases were highlighted in red.
** I heard of a guy who actually used this to play Okami in Japanese despite not knowing the language, because he could match up highlighted key phrases.
* Was used in ''[[Breath of Fire]] 2,'' making an already bad localization an eye-gouging chore.
** The series as a whole, really, abused
* Certain words and phrases you needed to remember in the original ''[[Banjo-Kazooie]]'' trembled and shook in their text box. When Brentilda reveals Gruntilda's embarrassing secrets, the secrets are in an animated wavering font.
* ''[[Terranigma]]'' did. "I want to go outside and see {{color|orange| Crystal Blue}}." "Found throughout the world, {{color|orange| Magirock}}."
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* ''[[The 7th Saga]]''
* The page quotes refer to '' {{color|red|[[The Legend of Zelda]]}}'', which has been known to use it ever since the {{color|green|first game.}} Now go, {{color|green|Link}}, and save {{color|blue|Zelda}} from {{color|red|Ganon.}}
** ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time|Ocarina of Time]]'' takes this to the extreme. Especially when referring to the Sages/Temples. {{color|cyan| Light}}-{{color|green| Forest}}-{{color|red| Fire}}-{{color|blue| Water}}-{{color|gold| Spirit}}-{{color|pink| Shadow}}. The game also uses {{color|purple| purple}} and {{color|orange| orange}}.
** The franchise does this in most games since ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time|Ocarina of Time]]'' or so, and ''[[The Legend of Zelda:
* ''[[Elder Scrolls|TES]]:III [[Morrowind]]'' did it as well. It uses hyperlinks in the dialogue texts to introduce new topics of conversation.
* The SNES game ''[[Shadowrun]]'' also used the keywords system.
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* ''[[Persona 3]]'' has a variation: Words that show up as terms in the game's Dictionary are in {{color|blue|blue}}, while otherwise-important words or phrases are {{color|red|red}}.
** ''[[Persona 2]]'' was the first ''Persona'' game to use Rainbow Speak, only using it for {{color|#ff6600|rumors}}. [[Persona 4|P4]] uses it sparingly, and it's been introduced to the PSP remake of the first ''[[Persona]]'' too, even though it was unnecessary.
** ''[[
* ''[[
** This was part of a larger "passwords" system where you had to advance the plot by asking NPCs about certain terms. It's pretty straightforward until the game starts throwing [[Guide Dang It
* Since ''[[Pokémon]]'' started as a monochrome series, it had a variation in fully capitalizing every monster, attack, place, or person name (i.e., "Wild PIKACHU appeared! PIKACHU used THUNDERBOLT!"). Diamond and Pearl eventually ditched this, reverting to just putting monster names in all caps, and using some colored text for certain items. [[Pokémon Mystery Dungeon]] and Generation V decapitalized the mons' names as well.
** FireRed and LeafGreen colored speech by male NPCs {{color|blue|blue}} and speech by female NPCs {{color|red|red}}.
** HeartGold and SoulSilver colored the words "{{color|red|Sinjoh Ruins}}", "{{color|red|Mystri Stage}}", and {{spoiler|"time travel"}} red for an unexplained reason.
* ''[[Hellgate
* ''Sonic Battle''. No key words, just the basic trope.
* ''[[
** [[Civilization]] 5 does the icon thing too, preceding words such as production or science with hammers and beakers, respectively. It doesn't actually color the text, however.
* The ''[[
* ''[[
* From videogamerecaps.com's recap of ''[[
** ''She also reminds Squally (read: us) that he can review his studies at the [study panel] which he can access from [[his] seat], but if he's ready, he should meet her at the [front gate] and they'll head over to the [Fire Cavern]. Ah, I [get it]. The brackets are to let us know where the hell we're supposed to go. It's a nice touch when you're the type of gamer who doesn't always pay attention and sometimes misses the destination, but I think it's a little overdone in [this case]. Next thing you know, they'll have blinking text, a big neon sign, fireworks, blaring horns, dancers in sequined leotards dancing around, and a big flashing arrow that says "GO HERE" to let you know the next destination. Jeez.''
*** ''[[
* ''[[Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney]]'' highlights {{color|#ff5500| hints}} and {{color|#ff5500| key evidence}} in {{color|#ff5500| orange}}.
** It also plays a 'ping!' noise when a hint is displayed.
** Also, the protagonist's inner monologue is presented in {{color|blue|blue}}, and witness testimony during the cross-examination stage is a nice {{color|green|green}}.
*** ''Investigations: Miles Edgeworth'' adds {{color|lightgreen|light green}} for leads that are added to Miles' logic page.
* ''
** Amusingly, you could find a mild spoiler before you were supposed to by reading (and unlocking) certain articles before you meet Maria.
* Used in ''[[City of Heroes]]'', particularly in later missions. The user
* ''[[
* In ''[[Hey You, Pikachu!]]'', words that Pikachu can understand are red, while important terms, like locations, are in blue.
* The ''[[Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles]]'' games use this almost randomly.
* In ''[[
* ''[[
** The same goes for its sequel, [[Musashi: Samurai Legend]]. Not as often, however.
* ''[[Animal Crossing]]'' uses this one quite a bit, sometimes with motion.
* This is {{color|blue|a major annoyance}} in ''[[
* ''[[Wild
** The ASK System allowed you to press for further information on a highlighted phrase or topic by selecting it. In practice, all it did was give you a small conversation tree that didn't give you ''that'' much more information than you would have otherwise gotten.
* ''[[
* ''[[Rayman]] 2'' puts anything of remote importance in {{color|red|red}}. Particularly noticeable during the intro sequence, where you learn about the {{color|red|pirates}} led by {{color|red|Razorbeard}} who imprisoned {{color|red|Ly}} the {{color|red|fairy}} and broke {{color|red|the Heart of the World}} into {{color|red|800 lums}}. Fortunately, {{color|red|Ly}} was able to send {{color|red|Globox}} to help {{color|red|Rayman}} escape from the {{color|red|pirates}}. And if you didn't notice the importance of the {{color|red|pirates}} the first time, don't worry; the game won't stop putting the word "{{color|red|pirates}}" in red. Ever.
* ''[[Neverwinter Nights]]'' had the option; traditionally, normal text was displayed in white, skill checks in red, and actions in green.
* In ''[[Star Wars]]: [[Shadows of the Empire]]'', '''everyone''' has their own color-coded dialog. {{color|brown| Dash}}, {{color|cyan| Luke}}, {{color|gold| Leia}}, {{color|gray| Leebo}}, {{color|lime| Xizor}}, {{color|red| Guri}}, {{color|purple| Palpatine}}. IG-88 and the nameless swoop jockey speak in white.
** Similarly, the subtitles for ''[[Half
* ''[[Dragon Spirit]]: The New Legend'' for the NES uses the ''[[Star Wars]]'' version of this.
{{quote|
* ''[[Umineko no Naku Koro
** {{spoiler|As of Episode 5, Umineko has a third colour: gold. What gold is has yet to be expanded on.}}
*** It's pretty clear, actually. {{spoiler|It's used for making statements that use Beato's rules as a basis for deduction.}}
** {{spoiler|And on the final Episode, there's purple, which is functionally the same as the red truth, except that anyone can use it, and only the culprit may lie using it.}}
* ''Nethergate'' has no [[Dialogue Tree]] in the proper sense, instead letting you type in words to ask about. If a character mentions, say, Emperor Nero, asking about him will get the standard "I don't understand" message, but {{color|blue| Emperor Nero}} indicates that they have something special to say about him if asked.
* ''[[Eternal Darkness]]'' is all over this trope. There's {{color|gold|your usual keywords}}, and then there's {{color|red|Chattur'gha}}, {{color|blue|Ulyaoth}}, {{color|green|Xel'lotath}}, and {{color|purple|Mantorok}}.
* During the briefings of ''[[Free Space|Descent: FreeSpace]]'' and its sequel, the names of friendly ships (like the {{color|green| GTD Galatea}}) are in green, while the names of enemy ships (like the {{color|red| SJ Sathanas}}) are in red. There is also {{color|purple| purple}} for unknown-allied ships, but is rarely, if ever, used. [[
* The ''[[Mario
* In ''[[Alone in
* ''Sid Meier's [[Colonization]]'' uses this too, so that you can quickly get to the point without looking for the relevant parts in the text messages.
* Spotted in ''[[Tetris Attack]]''/''[[Panel
* ''[[
▲* TV Tropes example: the article on ''[[Bubble Bobble (Video Game)|Bubble Bobble]]'' puts Bubblun/Bubby and Bobblun/Bobby in {{color|green|green}} and {{color|blue|blue}} respectively, after their primary colors.
* ''[[Golden Sun: Dark Dawn]]'' uses these like internet hyperlinks; if a phrase is in red then you can pull up a short encyclopedia article explaining it on the second screen (bright red means it's new or updated, dark red means the entry hasn't changed since the last time you saw it).▼
▲** Speaking of [[This Wiki]], the articles on sentai series tend to do this for colorcoding, i.e. {{color|red|Red Ranger}}.
▲* ''[[Disneys Guilty Party]]''; this trope, with the lie detector, makes it easier to find out whether someone is {{color|green|telling the truth}} or {{color|red|lying}}.
▲* ''[[Golden Sun Dark Dawn]]'' uses these like internet hyperlinks; if a phrase is in red then you can pull up a short encyclopedia article explaining it on the second screen (bright red means it's new or updated, dark red means the entry hasn't changed since the last time you saw it).
* ''[[Assassin Blue]]'' marks Assassin {{color|blue|Blue}}'s and {{color|red|Red}}'s names in blue and red respectively. A smaller version of this would appear again in Banov's another game ''[[Dubloon]]'' where the {{color|yellow|Chest}} and the {{color|yellow|key}} to it would be marked in yellow.
* In the game ''[[Lux
* The intros to ''[[Hydlide]]'' and ''Hydlide II'' for the [[PC
* Throughout the ''[[Monkey Island]]'' series, Guybrush is the only character whose text is always white when he speaks, even when voices were added to the later ''Monkey Island'' games. Many characters often speak lines of dialogue in colors, with one text color attributed to each character's speech. In ''[[
* ''[[Solatorobo]]'' uses {{color|red|red}} for {{color|red|items}} or {{color|red|people}} vital to the {{color|red|plot}}, {{color|green|green for important-but-not-quite-vital sentences}}, and {{color|blue|(blue in parenthesis for thoughts or whispered words.)}}
* If you talk to the villagers in [[Rune Factory 3]] and they mention an item they like a lot or give you a hint regarding the storyline, it will be highlighted in {{color|blue|blue}}. The things that Sophia and her father mean in the opposite are highlighted in {{color|red|red}}.
* In ''[[Shantae]]: Risky's Revenge'', important items and innuendos in dialogue are highlighted yellow.
* ''[[Undertale]]'' has a lot of fun with this. Important hints are said in different colors, a particular pair of NPC have colored text to identify each speaker, and allusions to particular powers are said in the same colors such powers have in battle. {{Spoiler|In the Bad Route, the increasing use of {{color|red|red text}} is used to signify that the player character is increasingly hickjacked by the now deranged Fallen Child.}}
== [[Web Comics]] ==
* ''[[Homestuck]]'' has recently started using this trope. {{color|blue|universe}} and {{color|red|universe}}, for example. Often, these differently colored words are also converted into animated GIFs and have a sort of supernatural sparkle to them. Then there's this particularly memorable piece of [[Angrish]]: {{color|white|<big> SHE HAS WHAT [http://www.mspaintadventures.com/?s=6&p=004163 !?]</big>}}
** Later: [http://www.mspaintadventures.com/?s=6&p=005117 WHAT DID YOU DO?]
** Also, '''The Tumor''' is always in bold black font, no matter what color the pesterlog would be normally.
** A literal version can be seen in [http://www.mspaintadventures.com/sweetbroandhellajeff/?cid=003.jpg this] page of its subcomic, ''[[Sweet Bro and Hella Jeff]]''.
{{quote|
** In an offshoot timeline where {{spoiler|Gamzee succeeded in killing all the trolls minus Aradia, he used their blood to write a code in a book. Each letter used an alternating color of the rainbow.}} Literal
** Then there's the fact that all the kids and trolls speak with some color of the rainbow, with the colors corresponding to eye color for the kids and blood color for the trolls, with the exception of Karkat (who writes in slate gray to hide his blood color).
* The webcomic ''[[Sodium Eyes]]'' started using distinctively colored speech balloons for each character, so that readers could more easily tell which lines of dialog were spoken by which character. It works so well it's surprising the technique wasn't employed by many comics long ago.
* ''[[
* ''[[MS Paint Masterpieces]]'' uses this for emphasis.
* In ''[http://centerstorm.net/lite/cview.php?c=pba Poink-Blank Assassin]'',{{Dead link}} special words are highlighted with [brackets].
* In ''[[Sinfest]]'', Squigley's [[Mushroom Samba]] [
== [[Real Life]] ==
* Closed captions sometimes give different characters different colors.
* Subtitles for anime often use different colours for the different characters, especially while several are talking over each other (including background conversations); and plain white or yellow for translations of text (signs, newspapers, etc.) [[AnimEigo]] is known for this, and with the expanded color palette available on Blu-Ray discs, some of their releases give each character a different color font in the subtitles.
* For aspiring authors writing their synopses, it is common practice to put the first instance of each character name in all caps. This is used both to denote importance and to help the agent/publisher in case they need to reference back who a character with a certain name is.
----
--In loving memory of [[User:CAD]], who fell off the face of the
{{reflist}}
[[Category:
[[Category:Amazing Technicolor Index]]▼
[[Category:Metafiction Demanded This Index]]
[[Category:Video Game Difficulty Tropes]]
▲[[Category:Colour Coded for Your Convenience]]
▲[[Category:Amazing Technicolor Index]]
▲[[Category:Rainbow Speak]]
|